We recovered our luggage and walked quickly to Plymouth, where we arrived in good time, after an easy day’s walk.  We had decided to stop there for the night and, after securing suitable apartments, went out into the town.  The sight of so many people moving backwards and forwards had quite a bewildering effect upon us after walking through moors and rather sleepy towns for such a long period; but after being amongst the crowds for a time, we soon became accustomed to our altered surroundings.  As a matter of course, our first visit was to the Plymouth Hoe, and our first thoughts were of the great Spanish Armada.

[Illustration:  SIR FRANCIS DRAKE. From the picture in the possession of Sir T.F.  Elliot Drake.]

The position of England as the leading Protestant country, with the fact of the refusal of Queen Elizabeth when the King of Spain proposed marriage, made war between the two countries almost certain.  Drake had also provoked hostilities, for he had sailed to the West Indies in 1587, and after defeating the Spaniards there had entered the Bay of Cadiz with thirty ships and destroyed 10,000 tons of shipping—­an achievement which he described as “singeing the whiskers of the King of Spain.”  In consequence of this Philip, King of Spain, declared war on Elizabeth, Queen of England, and raised a great army of ships to overwhelm the English.

It was on Friday, July 19, 1588, that Captain Thomas Fleming, in charge of the pinnace Golden Hind, ran into Plymouth Sound with the news that the Spanish Armada was off the Lizard.  The English captains were playing bowls on Plymouth Hoe when Captain Fleming arrived in hot haste to inform them that when his ship was off the French coast they had seen the Spanish fleet approaching in the distance, and had put on all sail to bring the news.  This was the more startling because the English still believed it to be refitting in its own ports and unlikely to come out that year.  Great excitement prevailed among the captains; but Drake, who knew all that could be known of the Spanish ships, and their way of fighting, had no fear of the enemy, and looked upon them with contempt, coolly remarking that they had plenty of time to finish the game and thrash the Spaniards afterwards.  The beacon fires were lighted during the night, and—­

  Swift to east and swift to west
    The ghastly war-flame spread;
  High on St. Michael’s Mount it shone,
    It shone on Beachy Head. 
  Far on the deep the Spaniards saw
    Along each southern shire
  Cape beyond cape, in endless range
    Those twinkling points of fire.

The Armada consisted of 131 large ships accompanied by galleys armed with heavy guns, and many smaller vessels, carrying 27,345 men, of whom 8,050 were seamen and 19,295 soldiers.  The twelve largest ships were named after the twelve Apostles, and a hundred priests were distributed through the fleet, for King Philip was a very pious man, and the Armada had been blessed by the Pope.  They were under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia, and the Spaniards, who were proverbially cruel, were so sure of victory that they had brought with them many strange instruments of torture, some of which we had seen in the Tower of London on our visit there the previous year.