Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/282

 266 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [011.65. the remains of his property from the Queen's clutches, found his friends in Paris more generous. Elizabeth had used him for her own purposes, plundered him and flung him off. Catherine de Medicis, who had already sent out an expedition from Bordeaux in his favour, had equipped a second at Belleisle. The veteran Philip Strozzi was in command of it, with the Huguenot de Brissac, and they had sailed for the Azores, having Don Antonio with them. Being joined by the other ships, and by the half-dozen small privateers which had come from Plymouth, they attacked and took St Michael's. Don Antonio landed in state, and was proclaimed King in the town. The Castilian flag was struck on the castle, and the keys made over to the rightful sovereign. It was a first, but it was also a last success. They had been seen by an armada sent out from Cadiz to look for them ; and on the evening of the same day, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, with a force double their own, anchored in the roadstead. The sea was running high, but the French, who were on shore, re-embarked in good order, leaving Don Antonio on the island. The two fleets lay for five days looking at each other the French exposed to the weather and rolling heavily, but unable to remove into a better anchorage without a battle ; the Spaniards under shelter, and waiting for Strozzi to get under weigh. The wind would not moderate, and rose at last into a storm. One of the French ships drove on the rocks, and all on board perished. Strozzi found that he must fight or be destroyed. He called a council of war. The officers generally were out of heart and hopeless ; and,