Page:Voyages and adventures of the renowned Admiral Drake.pdf/21

21 Hanse Towns neglected his appointment; which occasioned the Lord-Admiral his following the Spanish lights, and remaining almost in the centre of their fleet till morning. However, Drake’s succeeding services sufficiently effaced the memory of this mistake, the greatest execution done on the flying Spaniards being performed by the squadron under his command.

Notwithstanding the defeat of the Spaniards had been so notorious they took great pains to propagate false stories concerning it to conceal their own dishonour, and to the prejudice of the English. This provoked none more than Drake, who could, upon occasion, use his pen as well as his sword, and, therefore, wrote as follows, upon this subject.

“They were not ashamed, says he, to publish in sundry languages in print, great victories in words, which they pretended to have obtained against this realm, and spread the same in a most false sort over all parts of France, Italy, and elsewhere; when, shortly after, it was happily manifested in very deed to all nations, how their navy. which they termed INVINCIBLE, consisting of 140 sail of ships, not only of their own kingdom, but strengthened with the greatest argosies, Portugal carracks, Florentines, and large hulks of other countries; were, by 30 of her Majesty’s own ships of war, and a few of our own merchants, by the wise, valiant, and advantageous conduct of the Lord Charles Howard, High-Admiral of England, beaten and shuffled together, even from the Lizard in Cornwall, first to Portland, where they shamefully left Don Pedro de Valdez, with his mighty ship; from Portland to Calais, where they lost Hugh