Philip's preparations in the Netherlands, of a further were not less advanced than those of Spain. Besides a well-appointed of 30,000 foot and 4000 horse, which tho Duke of Parma had assembled in the neighbourhood of Nieuport and Dunkirk, that active general had provided a number of flat-bottomed vessels, fit for transporting both horse and foot, and had brought sailors to navigate them from the towns in the Baltic. Most of these vessels had been built at Antwerp; and to prevent the Dutch from intercepting them should they pass by sea, they were sent along the Schelde to Ghent, thence by tho canal to Bruges, and so to Nieuport by a new canal dug for the particular occasion. This laborious undertaking, iu which several thousand workmen had been employed, was already finished, and the duke now only waited for the arrival of the, Spanish fleet ; hoping that, as soon as it should approach, the Dutch and English ships, which cruised upon the coast, would retire into their harbours.
The details of the regular force which the English assembled to oppose the Armada, both by sea and land, are minutely given in a manuscript now in the British Museum (' MS. Reg.' 18 C. xxi.), formerly belonging to the Royal Library. At the time when Queen ElLsbeth began her preparations, her fleet did not amount to more than thirty ships, none of them near equal in size to those of the enemy. Ultimately however the different descriptions of vessels, large and small, which formed her navy, amounted to 181 ships, manned by 17,472 sailors. The military force consisted of two armies, one for Immediately opposing the enemy, under the Earl of Leicester; the other for the defence of the queen's person, commanded by Lord Hnnadon. The army appointed for the defence of the queen's person amounted to 45,362, besides the band of pensioners, with 36 pieces of ordnance Lord Leicester's army amounted to 18,449; the total of both armies to 63,811, besides 2000 foot who were expected from the Low Countries. The forces of the Presidentship of the North remained stationary, in case anything should be attempted on the side of Scotland; as were also the forces of the Presidentship of Wales.
The Armada was to have left Lisbon In the beginning of May, but the Marquess de Santa Cruz, who had been appointed admiral, at the moment fixed for the departure was seized with a fever, of which he died in a few days; and by a singular fatality, the Duke de Paliauo, the vice-admiral, died likewise at the same time. Saute Cruz was reckoned the first naval officer in Spain; and Philip found it extremely difficult to supply his place : be at last filled it with the Duke de Medina Sidonia, a nobleman of high reputation, but entirely unac quainted with maritime affairs. Martinez de Recaldo however, a seaman of great experience, was made vice-admiraL In these arrangements so much time was lost, that the fleet could not leave Lisbon till the 29th of May. It had not advanced far in its voyage to Corunna, at which place it was to receive some troops and stores, when it was overtaken by a violent storm and dispersed. All the ships however reached Corunna, La Coruna (the Groyne, as it is called by our historians and sailors), though considerably damaged, except four. They were repaired with the utmost diligence, the king sending messengers every day to hasten their departure; yet several weeks passed before they were in a condition to resume the voyage.
In the meantime a report was brought to England that the Armada had suffered so much by the .storm as to be unfit for proceeding in the intended enterprise; and so well attested did the intelligence appear, that, at the queen's desire, Secretary Walsingham wrote to the English admiral, requiring him to lay up four of his largest ships and to discharge the seamen. Lord Howard was happily less credulou on this occasion than either Elizabeth or Walsingham, and desired that he might he allowed to retain these ships iu the service, even though it should be at his own expense, till more certain information were received. In order to procure it, he set sail with a brisk north wind for Corunna, intending, in case he should find the Armada so much disabled as had been reported, to complete its destruction. On the coast of Spain he received_ intelligence of the truth : at the same time, the wind having changed from north to south, he began to dread that the Spaniards might have sailed for England, and therefore returned without delay to his former station at Plymouth.
Soon after his arrival Lord Howard was informed that the Armada was in sight. He immediately weighed anchor, and sailed out of the harbour, still uncertain of the course which the enemy intended to pursue. On the next day he perceived them steering directly towards him, drawn up in the form of a crescent, which extended seven miles from one extremity to the other. Plymouth was at first supposed to be the place of destination ; but it was soon apparent that the Duke de Medina adhered to the execution of the plan which bad been laid down for him by the court of Madrid. This was, to steer quite through the Channel till he should reach the coast of Flanders, and, after raising the blockade of the harbours of Nieuport and Dunkirk by the English and Dutch ships, to escort the Duke of Parma's army to England, as well as land the forces which were ou board his own fleet. Lord Howard, instead of coming to close and unequal fight, contented himself with harassing the Spaniards on their voyage, and with watching attentively all the advantages which might be derived from storms, cross-winds, and other accidents. It was not long before he discerned a favourable opportunity of attacking the vice-admiral Recaldo. This he did in person; and on that occa sion displayed so much dexterity in working his ship, and in loading and firing his guns, as greatly alarmed the Spaniards for the fate of their vice-admiral. From that time they kept closer to each other ; notwithstanding which, the English on the same day attacked one of the largest galeasses. Other Spanish ships came up in time to her relief, but in their burry, one of the principal galleons, which had a great part of the treasure on board, ran foul of another ship, and lost one of her masts. In consequence of this misfortune she fell behind, and was taken by Sir Francis Drake; who, on the same day, took another capital ship, which bad been accidentally set on fire. Several other rencontres happened, and in all of them the English proved victorious. Their ships were lighter, and their sailors more dexterous than those of the Spaniards. The Spanish guns were planted too high, while every shot from the English proved effectual. The Spaniards however still continued to advance till they came opposite to Calais, where the Duke de Medina, having ordered them to cast anchor, sent information to the Duko of Parma of his arrival, and entreated him to hasten the embarkation of his forces. But the duke, though be embarked a few of his troops, informed Medina that the vessels which he had prepared were proper only for transporting the troops, but were utterly unfit for fighting ; and for this reason, till the Armada was brought nearer, and the coast cleared of the Dutch ships which had blocked up the harbours of Nieuport and Dunkirk, he could not stir from his then station (at Bruges) without exposing his army to certain ruin. In compliance with this request, the Armada was ordered to advance; and it had arrived within sight of Dunkirk, between the English fleet on one hand and the Dutch on tho other, when a sudden calm put a stop to its motions. In this situation the fleets remained for a whole day. About the middle of the night of August the 7th n breeze sprung up, and Lord Howard had recourse to an expedient which had been planned the day before. Having filled eight ships with pitch,pulphur, and other combustible materials, he set fire to them, and sent them before the wind against the different divisions of the Spanish fleet. The Spaniards beheld these ships iu flames approaching them with great dismay: the darkness of the night Increased their terror, and the pauio flew entirely through the fleet. The crews of the different vessels, anxious only for their own preserva tion, thought of nothing but how to escape from immediate danger. Some weighed their anchors, whilst others cut their cables, and suffered their ships to drive before the wind. In this confusion many of the ships ran foul of one another, and several of them received such damage as to be rendered unfit for future use.