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 POLITICAL HISTORY captains' ; of these half were to be ' shott,' pikemen were to number 800, while only 200 were archers. A comparison of the relative proportions here ■exhibited with those obtaining at the end of the previous reign, illustrates very clearly the passing of the bow — at least for war purposes. Money was also to be collected throughout the county to the amount of £2J2 ic^s. 3^. to provide for powder, match, and lead. At Christmas, 1587, the crisis was felt to be close at hand, and orders were sent out for the training of horse and foot selected in each shire. '^ In the April following the ' Queen's General ' came down to Norwich ' on a visit of inspection ; armour was hastily repaired, and arms bought, but there was still a deficiency of powder and match, for which Norwich alone voted j^ioo, and supplies of heavy ordnance and munitions were begged from the Council.* The coast defences were repaired and strengthened, and the beacons watched ; but in the early summer ^ the embodiment of the local levies, and their encampment on the coast, became too burdensome to the county, and relief was granted ' because at this present her Majesties Navies are at the seas which indeede are the defence of the whole realme.' On 23 July Norfolk ' was ordered to send up 2,000 men to London by 6 August. A few days later ^ the number was increased by 1,000 to be ready by 9 August. Apparently the local leaders were rather apprehensive of denuding the county of troops, but received assurance' on 30 July ' that their lordships would take care that they should not onlie be supplied with their owne but also with others.' August still found' them timorous of being left without defence, though the Council, who had changed the rendezvous to Tilbury, assured them that there was no danger to Norfolk ' so longe as her Majesties fleet should be at sea, which did dayly weaken the Spanyshe fleet, and the Lord Steward in the field at the least with 25,000 foote and 3,000 horse.' Later,^" on i August, the order for the dispatch of the Norfolk men was countermanded as the Spanish fleet had been sighted east-north-east of Yarmouth. But it was soon seen that the Spanish Armada was in no mood for testing the valour of Norfolk men, and in the same month came orders for the disbanding of the levies, probably just in time for harvest, though 600 seamen were levied to fill up the waste in the personnel of the fleet, Norfolk contributing 150." The state papers and acts of the Privy Council for the latter part of Elizabeth's reign contain numerous references to the raising of troops in Norfolk for service in Flanders, Normandy, and Ireland. One instance ^^ can alone be quoted here as an example. In September, 1598, 200 men were required from Norfolk for the Irish wars, 48 to be pikemen with corslets, 40 musketeers, and 1 00 armed with calivers, ' the rest to be abated for dead paies.' They were to be ' apparelled in better sorte then ordynarylie hath been, consydering the winter season doth approche.' The justices were specially charged to see that the constables did not ' take such refues of men ' S. p. Dom. Eliz. clxxii, 123. The captains selected were Sir Edward Cleere, Sir Henry Woodhouse, 'Sir William Haydon, Henry Doyly, Thomas Gawdy, John Payton, and Bassingburn Gawdy. ' j^cts, P. C, XV, 3 1 o. ' The fervour of Norwich was doubtless stimulated by the number of alien refugees from religious persecution settled there. See Hudson, Records of Norwich, i, 416. ' Rye, Pop. Hist. Norf. 83. ' ylcts, P. C. xvi, 115. ' Ibid, xvi, 171. ' Ibid, xvi, 195. ° Ibid, xvi, 206. ' Ibid, xvi, 208-9. '" Ibid, xvi, 210. " Ibid, xvi, 215, 245, 247. " Ibid, xxix, 96, 134. 503