scriptions and catalogues of Armadas of Castile, of Andalusia, of Biscay, of Guipusque, of Portugal, of Naples, of Sicily, of Ragusa, and other countries of the Levant, with a mass of all kinds of provisions, beyond measure, for the said Armadas, sufficient, in estimation, to be able to make conquest of many kingdoms or countries. And one great argument is published by the adversaries to stir up the minds of the nobility of England, against the Spaniards, which is very maliciously invented, to shew the intention of the conquest not only of England, but of the whole isle of Britain; moving all men especially to mark by the description of the Armada, that there are especially named such a number of noblemen, as princes, marquisses, condes and dons that are called Adventurers, without any office or pay, and such another number also of men with great titles of honour, and many of them named captains and alferez*, without office, but yet in sold, and therefore called entertenidos, as all those, being for no service in the Armada, may be well presumed (say they) to have come to have possessed the rooms of all the noblemen in England and Scotland: And this fiction hath taken more place than it is worth. And, though these armies were, indeed, exceeding great and mighty, yet they were so amplified, beyond all measure, in these books, as in no preparation of Christendom, in former times, against the Saracens or Turks could be greater. By this means, this Queen and her realm, being thus forewarned and terrified, took occasion with the aid of her people, being not only firmly (as she was persuaded) devoted to her, but thoroughly irritated, to stir up their whole forces for their defence, against such prognosticated conquests, as, in a very short time, all her whole realm, and every corner were speedily furnished with armed people on horseback, and on foot, and those continually trained, exercised, and put into bands, in warlike manner, as in no age ever was before, in this realm. Here was no sparing of money to provide horse, armour, weapon, powder, and all necessaries, no nor want of provision of pioneers, carriages, and victuals, in every county of the realm, without exception, to attend upon the armies. And to this general furniture every man voluntarily offered, very many, their service personally, without wages; others money for armour and weapons, and to wage soldiers; a matter strange, and never the like heard of, in this realm or elsewhere: And this general reason moved all men to large contributions, that to withstand a conquest, where all should be lost, there was no time to spare a portion.

The numbers made ready in the realm I cannot affirm, of mine owne knowledge; but I have heard it reported, when I was grieved to think the same to be so true, that there was, through England, no quarter, east, west, north, and south, but all concurred, in one mind, to be in readiness to serve for the realm: And, that some one country was able to make a sufficient army of twenty-thousand men, fit to fight, and fifteen thousand of them well armed and weaponed; and in some countries the number of forty-thousand able men.

The maritime countries from Cornwall, all along the southside of

.

Fasigas.

+ Part of the corps.

+ Volunteers.

England to Kent; and from Kent eastward, by Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk to Lincolnshire, (which countries, with their havens, were well described unto you, in perfect plots, when Francis Throgmorton first did treat with your Lordship about the same) were so furnished with men of war, both of themselves, and with resort of aid from their next shires, as there was no place to be doubted for landing of any foreigr forces, but there were, within cight and forty hours, to come to the place above twenty-thousand fighting men on horseback, and on foot, with field ordnance, victuals, pioneers and carriages, and all those governed by the principal noblemen of the countries, and reduced under captains of knowledge.

And one thing, I heard of, that was very politickly ordered and executed, at this time, as of many late years was not used: That, as the leaders and officers of the particular bands were men of experience in the wars, so, to make the bands strong and constant, choice was made of the principal knights of all countries, to bring their tenants to the field, being men of strength, and landed, and of wealth; whereby all the forces, so compounded, were of a resolute disposition to stick to their lords and chieftains, and the chieftains to trust to their own tenants. And to remember one strange speech, that I heard spoken, may be marvelled at, but it was avowed to me for a truth, that one gentleman, in Kent, had a band of one hundred and fifty footmen, which were worth, in goods, above one hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling, besides their lands: Such men would fight stoutly before they would have lost their goods, and, by likelihood at this time, many other bands were made of such principal men, both of wealth and strength. Of these things, I am sorry to have cause to write in this sort: Because you may see how heretofore you have been deceived with advertisements of many, which had no proof to know the truth thereof, and so I confess myself in some things to have erred, namely, in imagining that, whensoever any foreign power should be seen ready to land in any part of this realm, there would have been found but a small number resolute to withstand the same, or to defend the Queen, but that the same would have been very unable for the wars, untrained, raw, and ignorant in all warlike actions, without sufficient armour and weapons: And that also the noblemen and gentlemen that were in this realm of our religion, whereof, you know, we made account when you were here in England of very many, although many of them be dead since that time, but at this time there are not so many tens, as we accounted hundreds, whom we thought would have shewed themselves like men of courage for our common cause, and would have suddenly surprised the houses, families, and strength of the hereticks and adversaries.

But now, such is our calamity, that it hath pleased God, as I think, for our sins, or else for confounding of our bold opinions, and presumptions, of our own strength, to put in the hearts of all persons here one. like mind, and courage to withstand the intended invasion, as well in such as we accounted Catholicks, as also in the Hereticks; so has it appeared manifestly that for all earnest - proceeding for arming, and for contributions of money, and for all other warlike actions, there was no difference to be seen betwixt the Catholick and the Heretick. But in VOL. II.

Ε

this case to withstand the threatened conquest, yca, to defend the person of the Queen, there appeared such a sympathy, concourse, and consent of all sorts of persons, without respect of religion, as they all appeared to be ready to fight, against all strangers, as it were with one heart and one body. And, though some few principal gentlemen, of whom heretofore you have had the names in such catalogues of Catholicks, as you have been acquainted withal, were lately, upon the report of the coming out of the army to the seas, sent to the Isle of Ely, there to remain restrained of their former liberty, during the expectation of this intended invasion; yet it hath appeared, that they were not so restrained for any doubt, that they would, with their powers, have assisted our army, but only thereby to make it known to all our friends and countrymen in Spain, and Flanders; yea, even to yourself (for so I heard it spoken, as accounting you to have been the most principal author and persuader of this action) that there should be no hope to have any of them, or of their friends, to assist these great armies. And, in very truth, I see now, whosoever of our friends in Spain, or in Flanders, or elsewhere, made any such account of any aid against the Queen, or against her party here, they should have been deceived, if the army had offered to have landed. For I myself have heard, that the best of those, that were sent to Ely, did make offers, yea, by their letters to the council here, signed with their hands, that they would adventure their lives, in defence of the Queen, whom they named their undoubted Sovereign Lady and Queen, against all foreign forces, though the same were sent from the Pope, or by his commandment: Yea, divers of them did offer, that in this quarrel, of invading the realm with strangers, they would present their own bodies, in the foremost ranks, with their countrymen against all strangers. Whereupon I heard also, by a secret friend of mine in the court, that it was once in some towardness of resolution amongst the counsellors, that they should have been returned, and put to their former liberty. But the heat of the war being kindled, with the knowledge of the King's Armada, being at that time come to the Groyne, and the Duke of Parma's readiness with so great an army and shipping in Flanders, daily looked for to land in England, yea to come to London, and a general murmur of the people, against such recusants of reputation, was the cause of the staying of these gentlemen at Ely, notwithstanding their offers of their service to the Queen; and so they do remain in the bishop's palace there, with fruition of large walks about the same, altogether without any imprisonment, other than that they are not suffered to depart into the town or country; and yet, for their religion, I think, surely they do, and will, remain constant to the obedience of the Church of Rome; for the which, nevertheless, they are not impeached to any danger of their lives, but only charged with a penalty of money, because they will not come to the churches; whereby, by the law, a portion of their revenue is allotted to the Queen, and the rest left to the maintenance, of them, their wives, and children.

By which kind of proceedings our adversaries here do pretend, that both these gentlemen, and all other of their qualities, are favourably used, that they are not pursued to death for their religion, as, they say, it was used in Queen Mary's time, and as it is daily used (as they say)

most rigorously and barbarously in Spain, against the Englishmen that come thither, only in trade of merchandize. And yet, I and others sometimes, privately speaking with such our adversaries, as we think are not maliciously bent to have men prosecuted to death, only for their religion (for to say the truth, and as the proverb is, 'not to bely the devil,' very many of our contraries are, in that point, not uncharitable) we do object to them the executions, by cruel torments and deaths, of very many, both here about London, and other parts of the realm, whom we account as martyrs, in that they do witness, by their death, their obedience to the Pope, and the Catholick Church of Rome.

To which, these our adversaries, pretending some small drops of cha rity, do answer us, that no execution hath been of any, to their knowledge, for their religion, or for profession thereof; but, for that they, which have been executed, have been found to have wandered in the realm secretly, and in a disguised manner, which the adversaries scornfully term as ruffians, with feathers, and all ornaments of light-coloured apparel, like to the fashion of courtiers, and do use many means to entice all people, with whom they dare adventure to speak, not only to be reconciled to the Pope, and Church of Rome, but to induce them by vows and oaths to renounce their obedience to the Queen; to deny her to be their Sovereign, and themselves to be discharged of their allegiance; and to repute all magistrates under her to be unlawful, and in conscience not to be obeyed, with many more such matters (which I nevertheless count to be very vain calumniations) tending to make the facts of all such holy priests, as are sent with commission to win men's souls, to be direct treasons against the Queen, and the state of the realm.

These defenders of these judgments and executions, contend, and do most earnestly maintain, that all such priests, jesuits, seminaries, and others, so persuading the people against the Queen, the laws, the government, and state of the realm, and all others, that are so persuaded by them, are manifest traytors; and so they say, that their indictments, and all process of law, extended and pursued against them, do manifestly declare the same. Wherein these our adversaries do sometimes, for maintenance of their arguments, shew the very copies of their indictments and judgments, wherein there is no mention made of charging them with their religion, but that they have attempted to persuade the Queen's subjects' to forsake their allegiance, and consequently to be rebels to their Queen and Sovereign.

In this sort, these men, for their advantage, do at all times, with these and many like earnest arguments, maintain their proceedings against the holy priests and jesuits, that have suffered death for their consciences, as just and necessary. And though, where I and others may reply, without peril to ourselves (as surely in some small companies we may, using modest words) we object the confession of the catholick faith, by the parties, at their death, and that with great constancy, which our adversaries cannot deny, so as it may seem they die for their religion, yet is it on the other part against us alledged, and maintained, that they are neither indicted, condemned, nor executed, for their religion; or for offering of themselves to die for their religion, but only for their former treasons in conspiring against the Queen, and state of the realm; no otherwise, than

of late time Babington and all his complices, who were condemned for their attempt to have raised war in the realm, and to have murdered the Queen, and to have set up the Queen of Scots, all which the said Babington and all his complices voluntarily confessed, and were condemned and executed, only for those their great treasons; and yet divers of them, at the place of their execution, did make confession of their catholick faith, with offer to die for the same, and yet (say our adversaries) it ought not to be affirmed, that Babington and his complices were put to death for religion, but for their treasons.

And, for further maintenance of the coloured arguments, wherewith I, and others my good, faithful, and catholick brethren, are often troubled how to answer them, it is alledged, that the great number of gentlemen, and gentlewomen, yea, some of honourable calling, and of other meaner degrees, are known manifestly to be of a contrary religion to the laws of the realm, both near the court and far off, and yet they are never pursued by any form of law, to put their lives in danger, or questioned, or imprisoned, for their opinions in religion, whereby to bring them in any danger. Only such as are presented or complained of, by the parishioners where they dwell, for never coming to any church, by the space of certain months in a whole year, are thereof indicted, and afterward being called to answer thereto, if they can shew no such lawful excuse, as the law hath provided, they are then condemned to pay a penalty, out of their goods and lands, if they have any, and not otherwise punished, nor yet, by inquisition, any of them examined of their faith. But yet, say these defenders, if they shew themselves, by their open deeds and facts, to be reconciled from their allegiance and obedience to the Queen, and that they will therein persist, then they are therewith charged, and punished according to the laws, therefore provided.

These arguments in their defence I do not repeat as allowing of them, but yet surely they do move me, and some others that are wise, to think, that, indeed, the rashness of divers coming secretly into the realm, and professing themselves to be priests, many of them being both very young, unlearned, and of light behaviour, hath done great harm to the goodness of our common cause; and if they, and such others, could have tem-perately and secretly instructed the people, and used more circumspection in their own living and behaviour, there would have been a greater increase of numbers, persuaded in conscience to have joined with us in our profession. Whereof I am the bolder to write to you, my Lord, that, you may confer with our countrymen, that have access unto you, and that they also may deal with the fathers of the jesuits, that more care and choice be had of such Englishmen, as are hereafter to be sent into England, and not to send every young man, that hath more boldness, than learning and temperance, for such a function.

In the former part of this my declaration to you, of the universal concurrence of all men of value, wealth, and strength, in the body of the realm, to serve and defend the Queen and the realm, I forgot to report unto you the great numbers of ships of the subjects of the realm; as of London, and other port-towns, and cities, that voluntarily, this year, were armed, able to make a full navy of themselves for an army, and all at the proper costs of the burgesses, for certain months, with men, victuals,