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23 - Sir Francis Drake by Julian Corbett · Sir Francis Drake

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Speaker 1: Section twenty three of Sir Francis Drake by Julian Corbett.
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Speaker 1: This librovox recording is in the public domain recording by
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Speaker 1: Pamela and Nagami, Chapter twelve Drake's Armada, Part two. Indeed,
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Speaker 1: so contrary fell the wind that a number of transports
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Speaker 1: containing twenty five companies of foot never weathered ushant at all,
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Speaker 1: and the generals had to continue the voyage in sadly
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Speaker 1: crippled strength. Their instructions, for unhappily they were hampered with.
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Speaker 1: Instructions were first to destroy the remnants of the old
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Speaker 1: armada and the beginnings of the new one, which were
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Speaker 1: said to be lying in Santander and other ports on
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Speaker 1: the north coast of Spain. Then, if it could be
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Speaker 1: done without too seriously compromising the Queen, they were to
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Speaker 1: proceed to Lisbon and set Don Antonio on the throne,
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Speaker 1: which was supposed to be only waiting for him to
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Speaker 1: take possession, and the whole was to be wound up
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Speaker 1: if Don Antonio could scented with an attack on the
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Speaker 1: Azores and the capture of Philip's Indian and American fleets. Drake, however,
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Speaker 1: had every reason for preferring his own intelligence to that
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Speaker 1: of the government, and his discovery department had reported that
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Speaker 1: some two hundred sail had recently put into Koruna. Assured
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Speaker 1: that it was the first fruits of the new Armada,
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Speaker 1: he made the foul weather and excuse for opening operations
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Speaker 1: with a descent on that port. On April twenty fourth.
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Speaker 1: The generals arrived in the road, and the same night,
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Speaker 1: by a skillfully combined naval and military operation, seized the
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Speaker 1: harbor and lower town almost without a blow, but little
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Speaker 1: shipping was found. Four large galleons, however, including the San Juan,
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Speaker 1: the flagship of Leva, the vice admiral of the Armada,
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Speaker 1: were made prizes or burnt, and a vast quantity of
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Speaker 1: stores found in the warehouses was taken and destroyed. But
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Speaker 1: in spite of its success, the expedition was in no
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Speaker 1: pleasant plight. Though it was in full possession of the
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Speaker 1: lower town and the surrounding country, the roadstead in which
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Speaker 1: the fleet lay was still commanded by the guns of
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Speaker 1: the upper town, into which the Spanish garrison had retired,
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Speaker 1: and to leave the anchorage in face of the prevailing
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Speaker 1: foul weather was as desperate as to reduce the fortress
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Speaker 1: without a siege train. In backing out of her promise,
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Speaker 1: the Queen had no doubt intended that the expedition should
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Speaker 1: be thus crippled, for in her womanly craving for peace,
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Speaker 1: she was still clinging to her fiction of a defensive war,
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Speaker 1: and did not wish her hopes to be compromised by
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Speaker 1: offensive operations against Philip's territory. Still, between attack and retreat,
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Speaker 1: the choice lay and four men like Drake and Norris.
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Speaker 1: Such a choice as soon made. As a matter of course,
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Speaker 1: the more palatable cup was swallowed, and in order to
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Speaker 1: divert the attention the garrison from the fleet, a siege
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Speaker 1: was immediately ordered, And while his officers, with great success,
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Speaker 1: raided the country round for cattle and such provisions as
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Speaker 1: the warehouse did not provide, Norris proceeded to do his
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Speaker 1: best with mining and four insufficient guns till May third,
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Speaker 1: Under every difficulty, the siege operations were continued, and then
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Speaker 1: while Drake made a diversion with his boats in the
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Speaker 1: harbor with fierce impatience, and assault was delivered. It was
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Speaker 1: a mad attempt. So inadequate were the means at the
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Speaker 1: general's command that the breaches were found wholly impracticable. The
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Speaker 1: storming parties were repulsed with heavy loss. Nor had Drake,
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Speaker 1: with his flotilla, any better success. By this time, however,
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Speaker 1: the weather was abating, and fearing to waste more time,
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Speaker 1: the two generals determined to re embark, But that was
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Speaker 1: not so easy. Hardly was the resolution taken than the
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Speaker 1: scouts reported that a force of some eight or nine
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Speaker 1: thousand men, having passed the bridge over the Maylu River,
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Speaker 1: had occupied Elburgo and were entrenching themselves there in rear
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Speaker 1: of the English lines, Thus finding themselves in the same
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Speaker 1: position that Sir John Moore was to immortalize two centuries later.
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Speaker 1: Like him, they resolved to give battle, and while Drake,
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Speaker 1: with five regiments held the trenches and siege works, Norris
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Speaker 1: advanced with the remaining nine over the ground where Sir
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Speaker 1: John Moore fell, though in numbers inferior to the enemy,
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Speaker 1: with such fury did he fling himself upon them that
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Speaker 1: the entrenchments at Elburgo were swept with a rush. The bridge,
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Speaker 1: which was only wide enough for three abreast, carried out
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Speaker 1: push of pike, and in the evening Sir John Norris,
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Speaker 1: who in doublet and hose, had been fighting all day
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Speaker 1: beside his brothers. Pike in hand marched back to Drake
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Speaker 1: in triumph, with the Royal banner of Spain borne before him.
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Speaker 1: The victory was complete and signal. The enemy had been
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Speaker 1: pursued an open route beyond the Meyrou. Their loss had
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Speaker 1: been very severe. The country for miles round was driven
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Speaker 1: and ravaged, and on the eighth, having fired the lower town,
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Speaker 1: the English re embarked without hindrance by the light of
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Speaker 1: the conflagration. In spite of an alarming sickness which had
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Speaker 1: broken out in the ranks, Drake, as he led the
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Speaker 1: fleet on its way, was in excellent spirits. We have
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Speaker 1: done the King of Spain many pretty services at this place,
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Speaker 1: he wrote Walsingham, and yet I believe he will not
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Speaker 1: thank us. Indeed, the loss to the Spaniards and stores
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Speaker 1: alone had been very great, while the idea of defeating
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Speaker 1: an open fight a superior Spanish force entrenched on its
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Speaker 1: own ground so intoxicated the commanders that orders or no orders,
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Speaker 1: they had no longer stomach for anything less than the
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Speaker 1: invasion of Portugal. They had made up their minds that
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Speaker 1: the Spaniards were so hard hit by the defeat of
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Speaker 1: the u s Armada that it would be a mere promenade,
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Speaker 1: and flinging to the winds the Queen's instructions about the
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Speaker 1: north coast ports, they sailed for paniche A port under
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Speaker 1: Cape Karvoida, some fifty miles north of Lisbon. The weather
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Speaker 1: continued as bad as could be, and as the fleet
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Speaker 1: toiled slowly southward, sickness spread havoc through the crowded ships.
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Speaker 1: On the fourth day out, however, they were gladdened by
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Speaker 1: the sight of the long lost swift Shore. Essex and
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Speaker 1: Williams had been down as far as Katith in search
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Speaker 1: of Drake, and were now retracing their steps with a
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Speaker 1: train of five prizes which they had picked up in
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Speaker 1: Drake's old hunting ground at Cape Saint Vincent. The generals
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Speaker 1: had stringent orders to send home Essex and put the
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Speaker 1: Welsh captain under arrest as soon as they met, but
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Speaker 1: stupid orders always sat lightly on both of them and
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Speaker 1: smoothing their conscience with the consideration that they could neither
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Speaker 1: spare this swift Shore nor Sir Roger Williams, who had
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Speaker 1: been named as Norris's successor in case of accident. They
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Speaker 1: received the truantce with open arms. It was not until
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Speaker 1: the sixteenth that they were able to anchor at Peniche.
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Speaker 1: The sea was still running high, an ugly surf was
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Speaker 1: breaking on the beach, but not a moment was lost.
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Speaker 1: The boats were lowered away, and as they came under
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Speaker 1: the fire of the castle, the landing parties, with Essex
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Speaker 1: at their head, plunged into the sea and waited wist
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Speaker 1: deep to shore through the surf. The garrisons sallied to
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Speaker 1: resist them, but by a scientific flank movement from Sir
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Speaker 1: Roger Williams, they were compelled to fall back and suffer
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Speaker 1: the rest to land without opposition. The town was carried
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Speaker 1: by assault, and so rapid and complete was the success
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Speaker 1: that the same night the castle opened its gates to
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Speaker 1: Don Antonio. It was an encouraging omen for the co
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Speaker 1: operation of the Pretender's partisans was, of course, in it
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Speaker 1: integral part of the general idea. Don Antonio had every
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Speaker 1: assurance that the people would rise in his support, and
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Speaker 1: that the appearance of the English before Lisbon was to
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Speaker 1: be the signal for its gates to be opened. The
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Speaker 1: rest depended upon the rapidity with which the English commanders
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Speaker 1: could anticipate the counter movements of the Spaniards. Already much
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Speaker 1: time had been lost, and the crippled force which had
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Speaker 1: reached Koruna was decimated by casualties and disease. Waiting but
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Speaker 1: a single day to land the handful of horse and
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Speaker 1: refresh the men, they rapidly organized a flying column, and Norris,
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Speaker 1: on the eighteenth, began to move on Lisbon. In the
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Speaker 1: early morning light, Drake took his stand upon some rising
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Speaker 1: ground to bid God's speed to the little column. As
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Speaker 1: in all their bravery of Corselet and Morion, and the
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Speaker 1: ensigns of their captains, pikemen and musketeers defiled before him.
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Speaker 1: They were but fourteen weak battalions of recruits and one
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Speaker 1: poor troop of horse. They had neither transport nor artillery.
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Speaker 1: They hardly deserved the name of army. Yet when we
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Speaker 1: think of them, with arms a rust and breeches stained
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Speaker 1: by the sea, tramping by to salute the admiral, let
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Speaker 1: it never be forgotten how grave a legacy they left
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Speaker 1: British arms, or of how long and glorious a procession
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Speaker 1: they were. The humble pioneers, having taken leave of the
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Speaker 1: troops and left the sick and wounded in charge of
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Speaker 1: a small force at Paniche. Drake himself went round to
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Speaker 1: the mouth of the Tagus, where it had been arranged
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Speaker 1: he was, if possible to join hands again with Norris
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Speaker 1: and support his attack on Lisbon, with the fleet picking
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Speaker 1: up a score or so of prizes by the way.
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Speaker 1: On the twenty second he appeared in the Caskays road.
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Speaker 1: The inhabitants fled to the mountains at his approach, but
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Speaker 1: on his sending ashore two of his Portuguese pilots to
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Speaker 1: assure them that he was there in Don Antonio's name.
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Speaker 1: They returned, and although the Spanish garrison refused to surrender
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Speaker 1: the castle, he took peaceable possession of the town, having
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Speaker 1: thus strangely anticipated Wellington in securing a point for the
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Speaker 1: re embarkation of the army in case of accident. Drake
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Speaker 1: sent out scouts to feel for Norris. They returned with
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Speaker 1: the startling intelligence that he was already quartered in the
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Speaker 1: suburbs of the capital, and the admiral at once set
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Speaker 1: about fulfilling his promise. It was an operation of the
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Speaker 1: gravest difficulty and danger. The Tagous from Saint Julian to
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Speaker 1: Lisbon bristled with forts. It was full of galleys, The
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Speaker 1: navigation was hazardous, half the English crews were sick, and
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Speaker 1: the masters declared solemnly in Counsel of War that the
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Speaker 1: attempt was madness. But Drake was deaf to their prudence.
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Speaker 1: He had promised to meet his brother in arms at Lisbon,
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Speaker 1: and formidable, as he knew the batteries to be. With
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Speaker 1: a good wind, he believed he could run the gauntlet,
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Speaker 1: while as for the galleys, he could treat them as
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Speaker 1: he had treated them before. In spite therefore of every protest,
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Speaker 1: two thirds of the warships were told off for the service,
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Speaker 1: and having equipped and armed them to the best of
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Speaker 1: his ability, he waited for a wind. The very next
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Speaker 1: evening it began to change, and Drake issued orders that
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Speaker 1: the fleet was to weigh with the morning tide. But
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Speaker 1: it was not to be ere. The desperate signal was
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Speaker 1: floating over the revenge. A messenger was standing before Drake,
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Speaker 1: announcing that Norris was in full retreat on Kaskais. The
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Speaker 1: expedition from which Elizabeth's soldiers had hoped so much had failed.
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Speaker 1: The first of a long procession of exasperated officers. They
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Speaker 1: had had to learn what good allies of the enemy
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Speaker 1: were the apathy and suspicion of the Portuguese, though they
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Speaker 1: had marched triumphantly through Torres Bedras to the gates of Lisbon,
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Speaker 1: with everything falling back before them, though for three days
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Speaker 1: they had occupied the suburbs of the capitol, in spite
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Speaker 1: of every attempt of the garrison and the galleys to
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Speaker 1: dislodge them. Though at the entreaty of Don Antonio they
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Speaker 1: had not stolen so much as a groat or a kiss.
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Speaker 1: Not a man had come to the pretender's standards. Lisbon
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Speaker 1: had refused to open its gates. Drake had not come
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Speaker 1: with the guns and stores. The heat was making havoc
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Speaker 1: in the disease ridden ranks, and Norris had resolved in
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Speaker 1: deep disgust to pass on to the third part of
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Speaker 1: the enterprise. As far as Saint Julian's. He was followed
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Speaker 1: by a strong Spanish force, proclaiming loudly but at a
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Speaker 1: respectful distance, that they had driven the English from the
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Speaker 1: walls of Lisbon. Then all the knight errantry of these
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Speaker 1: old world soldiers burst out in chivalrous success. Black John
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Speaker 1: sent a trumpet on the spot to the Spanish commander,
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Speaker 1: giving him the lie direct and challenging him to fight
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Speaker 1: army to army. The passionate Essex defied him to single
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Speaker 1: combat or a party of ten to ten, and on
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Speaker 1: the morrow, at daybreak, to make good their words, they
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Speaker 1: marched their broken forces back to the ground they had named,
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Speaker 1: to find nothing more valorous than a hastily deserted camp. Meanwhile,
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Speaker 1: Drake was garnering a harvest of prizes. In less than
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Speaker 1: a week he had captured sixty sail of fine Scandinavian vessels, which,
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Speaker 1: in spite of Elizabeth's warning, were carrying contraband of war
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Speaker 1: to Lisbon. On these, all that disease and wounds had
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Speaker 1: left of the army were embarked, and the Dutch shippers
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Speaker 1: dismissed with an offer of corn for their pains. Now
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Speaker 1: two arrived the reserve of victuals which the two generals
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Speaker 1: had wrung from Elizabeth, and with it, to temper their satisfaction,
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Speaker 1: a royal letter breathing such fury at their departure from
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Speaker 1: her absurd instructions, and such peremptory resentment against Essex and Williams,
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Speaker 1: that it was thought wise to send the truants home
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Speaker 1: before the voyage to the Azores was commenced on June eighth.
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Speaker 1: The fleet sailed to play its last card. The weather
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Speaker 1: was still so unsettled that alternative instructions had to be issued,
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Speaker 1: fixing the rendezvous at Vigo or the Azores, according as
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Speaker 1: the wind fell south or north. On the second day out,
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Speaker 1: the wind dropped altogether, and the fleet found itself be
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Speaker 1: calmed before Cabo esch Pichel. Some twenty galleys, which had
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Speaker 1: come out of the tagus to watch the retreat, now
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Speaker 1: plucked up heart to attack, and before the battleships could
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Speaker 1: be towed to the rescue, they had cut off four stragglers.
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Speaker 1: Although they attempted nothing more, it was but the first
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Speaker 1: fruit of disaster, for no sooner did the wind spring
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Speaker 1: up than it rapidly developed into a southerly gale and
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Speaker 1: scattered the fleet beyond hope. Having endured its fury for
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Speaker 1: a whole week, Drake, with some three squadrons which he
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Speaker 1: had managed to collect, put into Bayona Road. Finding no
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Speaker 1: one there, he sailed at once for the Azores in
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Speaker 1: search of his lost sheep, but hearing next day that
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Speaker 1: Henry Norris with his squadron, had put into Vigo, he returned.
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Speaker 1: Still no tidings could be got of Edward Norris and
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Speaker 1: the rest, but as it were, to keep their hands
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Speaker 1: in while they waited, Drake and Sir John Norris took
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Speaker 1: and burnt Vigo. But now so shattered were the ships,
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Speaker 1: and so reduced the crews, for the epidemic had never
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Speaker 1: ceased its virulence that it was clear a new resolution
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Speaker 1: must be taken. As it was, the expedition was no
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Speaker 1: longer fit for service. But unwilling now that he was
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Speaker 1: in complete command of the sea, to abandon the chance
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Speaker 1: of a great blow at the Spanish trade, Drake proposed,
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Speaker 1: with a score of the best ships and the pick
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Speaker 1: of the men, to organize a cruising squadron and proceed
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Speaker 1: to the ass while Norris took the rest home the
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Speaker 1: idea of finding favor. Instructions were given accordingly to weigh
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Speaker 1: at once for the Baiona Road in order to carry
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Speaker 1: out the reorganization. But hardly were the anchors up than
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Speaker 1: a westerly gale of extraordinary fury caught the fleet and
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Speaker 1: threatened it with destruction, though by a magnificent display of seamanship,
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Speaker 1: Drake managed to get the bulk of it out to sea.
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Speaker 1: The damage done was crushing, and in despair he held
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Speaker 1: on with his storm torn flock to Plymouth. On July first,
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Speaker 1: he staggered into the Sound, and on the morrow came Norris,
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Speaker 1: in as evil a case as himself. As for the
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Speaker 1: lost squadron, it was not heard of for weeks afterwards,
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Speaker 1: but Thomas Fenner was with it and others of Drake's men,
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Speaker 1: so when it did come back, no one was surprised
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Speaker 1: to hear that it had reached the Madera Islands and
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Speaker 1: plundered Porto Santo. End of Section twenty three