Queen. In this voyage Lord Charles compelled a Spanish fleet of ten times his own number to strike their flags and lower their topsails to his gallant little squadron. That worthy old chronicler of the time, Richard Hakluyt, thus describes this transaction in his dedicatory Epistle to Lord Charles Howard himself: "When the Emperor's sister, the spouse of Spain, with a fleet of one hundred and thirty sail, stoutly and proudly passed the narrow seas, Your Lordship, accompanied with ten ships only of Her Majesty's Royal Navy, environed their fleet, in most strange and warlike sort, enforced them to stoop-gallant, and to vaile their bonnets for the Queen of England, and made them perfectly to understand that old speech of the Prince of Poets, Non illi imperium pelagi sævumque tridentem Yet, after they had acknowledged their duty, Your Lordship, on Her Majesty's behalf, conducted her safely through our English Channel, and performed all good offices of honour and humanity to that foreign Princess."* Such conduct, on such an occasion, gave a pledge to all England of what might be expected from such a commander; and it also held out, as Hakluyt further observes, "that singular hope * Hakluyt. which since, by your most worthy and wonderful service, you have more than fully satisfied."* It might have been thought that, on the death of Lord William Howard, his son Charles would have succeeded to his office; but Lord Clinton received from the Protector Somerset the appointment of Admiral of the North Seas, which, at a future period, was extended to that of Lord High Admiral of England; and, in 1572, he was created Earl of Lincoln, and died in 1584. It was obvious enough that the noble act of Lord Charles Howard, by which he maintained the ancient homage demanded of foreign powers to the flag of England, would not be overlooked by Elizabeth, when the important station of Lord High Admiral became vacant; and, accordingly, in the year 1585, Lord Charles received that appointment; and three years afterwards the Noble Lord had the honour to accomplish a naval exploit unparalleled in its effect by any of the brilliant affairs that occurred and many did occur during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It was a severe trial of nerve for an officer so recently appointed to the highest situation in the naval service, and one that required all the caution, coolness, and judgment to have obtained "that glorious, triumphant, and thrice-happy victory, achieved against that large and haughty Spanish Armada, wherein," continues * Alluding to the Spanish Armada. Hakluyt, "being chief and sole Commander under her sacred and royal Majesty, Your Noble government and worthy behaviour, Your high wisdom, discretion, and happiness, accompanied with the heavenly blessing of the Almighty, are shewn most evidently to have been such as all posterity and succeeding ages shall never cease to sing and resound Your infinite praise and eternal commendations."* The same year, 1585, in which Lord Charles Howard became Lord High Admiral, the war with Spain, which had hitherto been confined to embargoes on one side and reprisals on the other, now assumed a legitimate shape, and the first effect of it felt by Spain was the capture and destruction of her naval preparations in the harbour of Cadiz by Drake, in the year 1587; but there, as well as in other Spanish ports, fleets were in active and vigorous preparation, on an enormous scale, with the avowed intention of invading England. The Queen, ever vigilant, seeing the necessity of being equally prepared to resist them, had frequent consultations with Lord Charles Howard, in whose ability and integrity she had the utmost confidence; she knew him to be, from the manner he had executed the duties with which he had hitherto been charged, a man without disguise, straightforward, skilful, prudent, and brave. He had the good fortune to associate with him, and * Hakluyt's Dedication. under his immediate orders, the three most experienced seamen in the kingdom-Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher-all well known to the Queen, and no doubt strongly recommended by her to the Lord Admiral. To these naval officers were added, by the Privy Council, some of the most experienced men in the kingdom, civil and military, to arrange the plan of operations both by sea and land, not merely defensive, but to have in readiness such a force of both services as might be able to meet the enemy, and act on the offensive in whatever part of the coast they should attempt to make a landing. Lord Charles first hoisted his flag in the Bear; appointed Drake, in the Revenge, his Vice-Admiral; and Hawkins, in the Victory, his Rear-Admiral; and Frobisher, in the Triumph, also his RearAdmiral. The Bear was afterwards changed for the Ark-Royal. Lord Henry Seymour and Captain William Wynter were occasionally stationed in the Downs, and on the coast about Dunkirk, to watch the proceedings of the Duke of Parma, the Governor of the Spanish provinces in the Netherlands, who was directed to prepare a flotilla, capable of conveying across to the mouth of the Thames not less than 40,000 men, to form a junction with that grand Armada, which was presumptuously styled, the Invincible. His head-quarters were at Dunkirk. While all these vigorous preparations were going on, such was the treacherous conduct of Philip that he proposed, through the Duke of Parma, that Commissioners should meet in the Netherlands, from each party, to negociate a treaty of peace. The Lord High Admiral soon perceived that it was proposed only as a feint; that there was no sincerity in it; and that, although Her Majesty did not think proper to put a direct negative upon it, but rather appeared to entertain it, the Lord Admiral determined to get his fleet into the best order, to be prepared for whatever might happen. In this view of the subject Lord Charles was strongly confirmed in the early part of the year 1588. He was satisfied that the treaty, supposed to be carrying on for a peace with Spain, by commissioners from the Duke of Parma and others from Elizabeth, was an idle waste of time, and would end in nothing; that it was worse than this, and only sought to be prolonged to afford to Philip the means of accomplishing what he had set his mind upon, and give him sufficient time to repair the losses, which Drake had inflicted on his fleet and preparations the preceding year at Cadiz. The Duke of Parma was also pushing on his preparations, increasing his flat-bottomed boats, and raising recruits of soldiers to assist in the invasion of England, while pretending to be anxious for a speedy settlement of a treaty of peace. But the Lord |