there is plenty of testilnony that, besides their thirty-four best ships, the Spaniards possessed many vessels which must be regarded as having serious fighting importance; while the testimony is equally strong that, beyond the thirty-four vessels belonging to the queen, Howard commanded very few that could serve much better purpose than, as Vvnter put it, "to make a show. " The superior handiness of the Eng'lish ships, and the superior seamanship of the English officers and men, are undoubted. The largest Spanish ships were but little bigger than the largest English; and their relatively 'eatcr heiqt above the water, although it gave their crews an advantage when boarding or repelling hoarding was attempted, was a source of wealmess which ought not to be lost sight of. Their excessively lofty poops and forecastles rendered them very leewardly, and caused them to present magnificeut targets to the English gunners.

On July 19th, the Armada, with a favourable wind from the westward, ptu'sued its course? On that day the dispatch-vessel, which had been sent in the direction of the Lizard to search for the missing vessels, rejoined the fleet with the intelligence that they were ahead, under l)on Pedro de Yaldes, aud that he was keeping them together and awaiting the main body.

By the English this detached portion of the panish fleet was sighted off the Lizard. The discoverer of them was Captain Thonas Flemyng, of the Gvldc Himl, vessel which had been apparently placed on scouting duty by Howard himself. Flemyng was not, as has ofteu been asserted, a pirate, but an honest man, and a con- nection of the Hawkyns family. He reported, or at least conveyed the impression, that he had seen as many as fifty ships in company, and he reached Plymouth ou the llth.

On the afternoon of that day almost the whole of the Armada was once more with the flag, s the four galleys and oue other vessel only being missing; and the invaders, as a whole, had their first sight of the English coast. Upon an announcement to this effect heing made to him, Medina Sidonia hoisted at the fore a flag 1,caring a crucifix and the figures of Our Lady and St. Mary 5Iagdalene; and fired three gqms as a signal for general prayer

$. P. Dom. ccxiv. 7. Wynter t,, Walsyngham, August 1st, 15S8, from lhe a Duro, docs. 165, 159. a Ib., doc. 165.

At 4 I'..: Duro, doc. 159.