great galleon laden with treasure, and then continued his daring voyage round the world. He came back to England after four years with more treasure than ever had been brought before. It was vain for Philip the Spanish king to complain to Elizabeth that Drake was a pirate. Elizabeth might promise redress, but she never gave it. On the contrary, she accepted a share in Drake's plunder.

For many years the King of Spain did not do anything open against Elizabeth. He encouraged those The who wished to murder her, but to take an Armada, open part against her would have thrown 1588. England on the side of his rival France. But when Mary died she left her claims on the throne of England to the King of Spain. Philip therefore declared war; it was decided to send a huge fleet, the "Invincible Armada", to England, and conquer it once and for all.

The Armada set sail in 1588. That it had not started the year before was due to Drake, who had sailed into Cadiz harbour and set on fire all the ships laden with stores which had been collected there. He called his exploit "singeing the King of Spain's beard". Great as was the damage he did, it was repaired by the industry of the Spaniards. All was carefully arranged: the Duke of Medina-Sidonia was placed in command; the Armada was to sail up the Channel and pick up the Spanish army from Flanders. Then it was thought that to land it in England and conquer Elizabeth would be child's play. The Spanish troops were the best in Europe; and no Spaniard dreamed that English ships could possibly resist the Armada. Philip trusted also that the English Catholics would fight for him instead of for their Protestant queen.

Never did man make a more gigantic mistake. Catholics and Protestants alike thronged to the army which Elizabeth collected at Til- Preparations bury. The fleet itself was put under the in England. command of a Catholic, Howard of Effingham. Elizabeth knew her people. "Let tyrants fear!" said she; "I am come amongst you to lay down my life for my God and for my kingdom and for my people. I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England too, and think foul scorn that Spain or any prince of Europe should dare to invade the borders of my realm." Good as the Spanish troops were, it may well be doubted if they would have found England so easy a prey as they expected.

They were not destined to have the chance of trying. England had another line of defence, her right arm, her navy. The Armada had to reckon with that first.

When the news was brought to Plymouth that the Armada had been sighted, in mighty array, stretching over seven miles of sea, the English The Struggle commanders were ready, but there was in the Channel. no haste or confusion. Drake, engaged at the time in a game of bowls on the Hoe at Plymouth, cried, "Let us finish this first; time enough to beat the Spaniards afterwards". When the English ships got to sea, they hung on the heels of the Spaniards on their leisurely way up the Channel. They were more than a match for their big opponents; they could sail faster and manoeuvre better; they were much better shots, for in truth the Spaniards fired so high that most of their powder was wasted.

For a week the two fleets battled; a week of such

anxiety was never known in England before or since. The Armada It was clear that the Armada could not at Calais. beat the English; but could Howard and the captains under him beat the Armada? Some Spanish ships had been sunk, yet the Armada was still a mighty fleet when it reached Calais. So far it was successful.

Here, however, the plan broke down. Parma and the Spanish troops were being kept close prisoners, blockaded by the Dutch ships. Without an army Philip's invasion was impossible.

Yet Howard saw that the Spaniards could not be left to rest at Calais. Parma might come overland and join them. Accordingly fire-ships The Fire-ships. were got ready, smeared with tar and loaded with gunpowder, and at nightfall set drifting into Calais harbour. As, flaming and exploding, they drew near the Spaniards, the Armada was thrown into confusion and stood out to sea. Wind and waves rose, driving the Spaniards first towards the Dutch coast and then northwards. Drake

The Armada

driven Northwards followed them far up into the North and Destroyed Sea; he would have gone farther, but by Storms. powder was running short on his ships. Still, his part was done: storms did the rest. Ship after ship of the Armada was cast ashore on the Scottish and Irish coasts. The mighty fleet that had numbered 150 vessels when it left Spain, returned with 54 battered hulks.

The victory was striking and complete. It saved England from all fear of invasion. But it did much more than that; it determined the future of England. Our interests were no longer bounded by our own isle. Even before the Armada Englishmen had planned settlements in America. It was left, indeed, to the

next reign to establish them. Henceforward, however, English interests were on the ocean and abroad. We shall see England, after overcoming Spain at sea, master in turn Holland and France. Our seamen have read Europe many lessons on the value of seapower. No more effective one was ever given than that afforded by the story of the Armada.

XXII. THE STUARTS AND THEIR
DIFFICULTIES.

James I., 1603-1625;

Parliament.

With the reign of James I. we enter on a new period. Hitherto interest has centred round the king, or round the Church, or round the nobles, or in war. Now a new matter eclipses all the others. Everyone's eyes are fixed upon Parliament. Parliament displays quite new vigour. Under the Lancastrian kings it had been too weak to keep the nobles in order; under the Tudors it was too anxious for a strong king to care to oppose him. But in the time of the Stuarts we see Parliament engage in struggles with the king, and come out in the end the victor. We are, indeed, at the beginning of the modern system, by which it is no longer the crown that rules, but Parliament.

It was natural, then, that the Stuarts, who expected to rule as the Tudors had done-that is to say, despotically, without consulting Parliament-should find themselves in difficulties. James I. disagreed with his Parliaments. His son, Charles I., Quarrels between quarrelled with them even more, and the Stuarts and Parliament. at last actual war began. Three main grounds of quarrel may be distinguished: (1) over

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religion at home; (2) over religious matters abroad; (3) over the right of the king to take money and govern without Parliament.

1. James had been brought up in Scotland as a Presbyterian, but he changed over to the Church of Religion England. He was not, however, a bigot by at Home. nature. What he wanted was that men should, as far as possible, agree to accept him as head of the Church. This claim was disagreeable to the Catholics, who regarded the pope as the head of the Church, and also to the English Puritans and the Scottish Presbyterians, who thought the Church should govern itself. All chance of liberty of worship for Catholics was soon put out of the question by the violence of a few murderous traitors. Catesby, Gunpowder Percy, Sir Everard Digby, and some Plot, 1605. others formed an atrocious plot to blow up king, Lords, and Commons assembled in Parliament; to this they added a wild scheme of raising a rebellion, seizing James's daughter Elizabeth, bringing her up as a Catholic, and placing her on the throne. The secret leaked out; the cellars below Parliament were searched, and Guy Fawkes was found in the midst of his powder barrels. The leaders of the plot were either shot down or executed. For the whole Roman Catholic party the result was disastrous. During long years afterwards everyone regarded them as traitors at heart.

The Puritans.

The Puritans also came to dislike the king more and more. At the beginning of the reign they presented a great petition against certain ceremonies of the Church; they did not wish to use a ring in marriage, or the sign of the cross in baptism. But the king did not yield. fell much into the hands of the bishops, for he claimed

He