Thirty years later, had Eugland still held Calais, the ,panish Armatilt might, iu all probability, have been corupletely destroyed there. The naval csmpsigns of ]557 and 155,n were hardly more satis- factory. In the former year squadron of twelve sail, under Sir J,hn Clere of Ormesby, 'ice-Admiral of England, was scut to sea to snnoy the Scots, aud to protect the home-coming Iceland fleet of fishing vessels. A descent was made by it on the mainland of Orkuey on August l:th; but on the day fvllowing, an over- whelming force of Scots fell upon the landing party, killed three c,ptains belongiug to the squadron, took all Clcre's artillery, and drove the survivors to their ships. Clere's boat, as he was being pulled off, was upset, and he was drowned. In the summer of ]55;, Lord Clinton put to se with fleet of one hundred and forty sail, reinforced by thirty ships belonging to Philip's Netherlands possessions, with orders to ttempt the reduction of Brest. Part of the command seemns, however, to have been detached to the northward; for, on July 13th, twelve English ships, chancing to find themselves off Grovelines, where s battle ws being fought 1)etween Count Egmont nd the 5Iarshsl de Theqnes, were able so to gall the French with their gun-fire as to decide the fight, which resulted in s decisive victory for E-qnont. But the rosin fleet, under the Lord High Admiral, effected no good. It lnded seven thousand men in Brittany, snd on July 31st, ]558, took snd bu'nt Le Conquer. Agsinst Brest, however, it did nothing; and party of Flaresntis, vho had wandered into the countv out of gun-shot of their ships, ws cut off by the French. �- Queen 5Iary died on November 17th, ]558. Queen Elizabeth, who succeeded her sister, wss t little more thn twenty-five years of ge. "There never ws, perhal)s," as Csmpbell remsrks, " kingdom in s more distressed condition than England st the accession of this princess. It was engaged iu a war abroad for the interest of , foreign prince; st home the people were divided and distrscted ahout their religious snd civil concerns. Those of the reformed religion had been lately exposed to the flames, and those of the Roman communion fouud themselves now in decliniug state. On the continent, we had no allies; in this

Leslie, ' 1)e Rob. Gest. Scot.' x.; Stryl,e ,iii. 429; Buchanan, xvi. 

2 Gmf-, 1363, 1364; Stowe, 633; Gvdwin, 33t; DUl01eix, iii. 5, 584; Dani.l,

viii. 232.