Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/318

 304 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 54. garded held the coast from Dover to Penzance. The crews were English, French, or Flemish, united by a common creed and a common pursuit. They shifted their flags as suited their convenience, now sailing under a commission from the Prince of Orange, now from the Queen of Navarre. They had friends and stores in every English harbour, and since the publica- tion of the Bull their trade had gone on more furiously than ever. Every day prizes were brought in to Ply- mouth, Dover, or Southampton, the cargoes were sold the ships armed and refitted. The prisoners taken had met with the same mercy which Protestants in the Netherlands experienced from Alva, or the landless wretches in Yorkshire and Dur- ham after the rebellion. At the end of July three richly laden traders on their way from Flanders to Spain were captured outside the Goodwins. They had made a fight for it, and the crews one and all were flung into the sea. 1 With peace in France the whole of these wild 1 ' De presente se satisfacen con- tener en este estrecho mas de cuarenta velas de armada como lie avisado, en nombre del de Oranges, y de la Duquesa de Vendosme, y de Chas- tillon, que estan por todos estos puer- tos y entran y salen a su voluntad ; y van en cada nao muchos Ingleses, de manera que estos son amigos de los piratas publicos enemigos nues- tros y los favorecen, acogen y regalan, robando nos cada dia quantas naos pasan por este estrecho ; y lo peor es que luego las arman y engrossan con ellas la armada. Continuan en tomar presas, y de pocos dias aca ban to- rnado tres ureas muy ricas que iban a Espafia de Flandes, y por haberse puesto a defensa, se dice que ban muerto toda la gente y traen ven- diendo las mercaderias por estos puertos.' Antonio de Guaras a Cayas, Junio 30 y Julio 23 : M.SS. Simancas. Compare La Motbe, De- peches, July 25.