acceptable service to Heaven than to take away the life of his sovereign. Parry, then at Milan, was confirmed in this opinion by Campeggio, the pope's nuncio, and even by the pope himself, who exhorted him to persevere; and granted him, for his encouragement, a plenary indulgence, and remission of his sins. Though still agitated with doubts, he came over to England, with an intention of executing his bloody purpose. But happily his irresolution continued; and he was at last betrayed by one Nevil, of the family of Westmoreland, to whom he had communicated his design. Being thrown into prison, he confessed his guilt; received sentence of death, and suffered the punishment directed by the law for his treasonable conspiracy 29.

A. D. 1584.

Such murderous attempts, the result of that bigoted spirit with which the followers of the two religions, but more especially the catholics, were actuated, every where now appeared. About the same time that this design against the life of Elizabeth was brought to light, the prince of Orange was assassinated at Delft, by Balthazar Gerard, a desperate enthusiast, who believed himself impelled by the Divinity, we are told by the jesuit Strada, to commit that barbarous action. But the assassin, when put to the torture, declared, perhaps no less truly, that the reward promised by Philip, in his proscription of William, had been his principal motive32.

The United Provinces, now deprived of their chief hope, were filled with sorrow and consternation: a general gloom involved their affairs; despondency appeared in every face, and anarchy reigned in their councils. The provinces of Holland and Zealand alone endeavoured to repair the loss, and to shew their gratitude to William, by electing his son Maurice their stadtholder and captain-general by sea and land. Maurice was at this time only eighteen years old,

29. Stet Trils, vol. i. Strype, vol. iii. Hume, chap. xli. 3. Grotius. Metern. Bentivoglio. Thuanus.

but

but such marks of genius distinguished his character, as approved him worthy of the dignity to which he was raised; and he was opposed to the duke of Parma, the greatest general of that, or perhaps of any other age.

In Spain it was imagined, that the death of the prince of Orange would deprive the confederates, not only of counsel but of courage, any longer to resist the power of Philip. But after the first emotions of grief and surprise subsided, it produced very contrary effects. Rage took place of despair; and the horror of the assassination, universally attributed to the intrigues of Philip, so irritated the people that they determined to prosecute the war with unremitted vigour, and revenge the death of their great deliverer.

Meanwhile the duke of Parma, having reduced Ghent and Brussels, was making preparations for the siege of Antwerp, the richest and most populous city of the Netherlands. On his first approach, the citizens opened the sluices, cut down the dykes, and overflowed the neighbouring country with an inundation, which swept away all his magazines. Not discouraged, however, by this loss, he set himself diligently to repair the misfortune; and cut, at prodigious labour and expence, but with incredible expedition, a canal from Steken to Caloo, in order to carry off the waters. He next erected that stupendous monument of his genius, so fatal to the cause of liberty! a fortified bridge across the deep and rapid river Scheld, to prevent all communication with the town by sea. The besieged attempted to burn it, or blow it up, by sending against it two fire-ships, full of powder, and other combustible materials. But this scheme failing, and the besiegers daily making A. D. 1585. progress, in spite of every effort to oppose thm, Antwerp sent deputies to the duke, and agreed to acknowledge the sovereignty of Philip32.

3r. Grotius, lib. iv.

Metern, lib. xii.

32. Metern, lib. xii.

Reidan, lib. iv. Thuanus, lib. lxxxiii.

Domestic

Domestic jealousy, no less than the valour of the Spaniards, or the conduct of their general, contributed to the fall of this flourishing city. The Hollanders, and particularly the citizens of Amsterdam, obstructed every measure proposed for the relief of Antwerp, hoping to profit by its reduction. The protestants, it was concluded, would forsake it, as soon as it fell into the hands of Philip. The conjecture proved just: Antwerp went hourly to decay! and Amsterdam, enriched by the emigration of her sister's inhabitants, became the greatest commercial city in the Netherlands.

This rivalry, however of the citizens of Amsterdam, so singular in the annals of mankind! in seeking a problematical private advantage, at the expence of public safety, and when exposed to the most imminent danger, had almost occasioned the subjection of the whole revolted provinces. The loss of Antwerp was a mortal blow to the formerly declining state of their affairs; and the only hope that remained to them arose from the prospect of foreign aid. Well acquainted with the cautious and frugal maxims of Elizabeth, they tendered the sovereignty of their country to the king of France. But the distracted state of that monarchy obliged Henry to reject so advantageous an offer. The duke of Anjou's death, which he expected would bring him relief, by freeing him from the intrigues of that prince, only plunged him into deeper distress. The king of Navarre a professed Protestant, being now next heir to the crown, the duke of Guise took thence occasion to revive the Catholic League; and to urge the king, by the most violent expedients, to seek the exclusion of that gallant prince, and the extinction of the whole sect. Henry, though himself a zealous Catholic, disliked such precipitant measures: he attempted to suppress the League; but finding his authority too weak for that purpose, he was obliged to comply with the demands of the duke of Guise and the cardinal of Bourbon, whom the duke had set up as a competitor for the suc

cession

and does great honour to the sagacity of the English ministry44. The sailing of the Armada was retarded for twelve months; and the queen had thereby leisure to take more effectual measures against that formidable fleet and army, intended for the invasion of her kingdom.

Meanwhile Philip, whose resolution was finally taken, determined to execute his ambitious project with all possible force and effect. No longer secret in his purpose, every part of his European dominions resounded with the noise of armaments, and the treasure of both Indies were exhausted in vast preparations for war. In all the ports of Sicily, Naples, Spain, and Portugal, artizans were employed in building vessels of uncommon size and force; naval stores were bought up at great expence; provisions amassed; armies levied and quartered in the maritime provinces, and plans laid for such an embarkation as had never before appeared on the ocean.

A. D. 1588.

The military preparations in Flanders were no less formidable, Troops from all quarters were every moment assembling to reinforce the duke of Parma; who employed all the carpenters he could procure, in building flat-bottomed vessels, to transport into England an army of thirty-five thousand men assembled in the Netherlands. This fleet of transports was intended to join the grand Armada, vainly denominated invincible, which was to set sail from Lisbon; and after chasing out of the way all the Flemish and English vessels, which it was supposed would make little if any resistance, to enter the Thames: to land the whole Spanish army in the neighbourhood of London, under the command of the duke of Parma, and other expe rienced officers, and to decide at one blow, the fate of Eng

44. For this anecdote relative to the bank of Genoa, we are indebted to the intriguing spirit, and inquisitive disposition of bishop Burnet, who coujectures that it was thought too great a mystery of state to be communicated to Camden, when the materials were put into his hands for writing the History of the reign of Elizabeth. Own Times. book ii,

VOL. III.

I

land,

land. The success of the enterprize was never called in question; so that several Spanish and Italian noblemen embarked as volunteers, to share in the glory of so great a conquest.

Elizabeth was apprized of all these preparations. She had foreseen the invasion; nor was she dismayed at the aspect of that power, by which all Europe apprehended she must be overwhelmed. Her force was indeed very unequal to Philip's all the sailors in England did not then exceed fifteen thousand men: the royal navy consisted only of twenty-eight sail, many of which were of small size, and none of them exceeded the bulk of our largest frigates. But the city of London fitted out thirty vessels to reinforce this small navy; the other sea-port towns a proportional number; and the nobility and gentry hired, armed, and manned, forty-three vessels at their own charge. Lord Howard of Effingham, a man of courage and capacity, was appointed admiral, and took on him the chief command; Drake, Hawkins, and Frobisher, the most renowned seamen in Europe served under him. The principal fleet was stationed at Plymouth; and a smaller squadron, commanded by lord Seymour, lay off Dunkirk, in order to intercept the duke of Parma45.

The land forces of England were more numerous than those of the enemy, but inferior in discipline and experience. An army of twenty thousand men was disposed in different bodies along the south coast, with orders to retire backwards, and waste the country, if they could not prevent the Spaniards from landing; twenty two thousand foot and a thousand horse, under the command of the earl of Leicester, was stationed at Tilbury, in order to defend the capital; and the principal army consisting of thirty-four thousand foot, and two thousand horse, commanded by lord Hunsdon, was reserved for guarding the qeen's person, and appointed to march withersoever the enemy should appear46.

45. Monson. ubi sup.

46. Camden.

These