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Publications of the Navy Records Society (1902)
Publications of the Navy Records Society - 1902 Author:Navy Records Society (Great Britain) Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Sir Richard Leveson to the Islands. A.d. 1600. [1] Ships. Commanders. The Repulse . . .Sir Richard Leveson. The Warspite . . . Captain Troughton. Th... more »e Vanguard . . Captain Somers. The last year, as you have heard, put all men in expectation of war, which yet came to nothing. This summer gave us great hope of peace, but with the like effect; for by consent of the Queen, the King of Spain, and the Archduke, their commissioners met at Boulogne in Picardy to treat of peace, a place chosen indifferently, the French King being in league and friendship with them all. Whether this meeting was a show, as being out of hope to effect the peace, or that their severing after they met was upon advice and true grounds I cannot judge, but me- thinks the occasion was very slender that parted them after their meeting, for there grew a difference about precedency betwixt the Crowns of Spain and England, which all the world knows was ever due to England. And so upon this light occasion this happy and hopeful business was made frustrate, which, once more I say, had it been really intended might easily have been accommodated. [2] The Queen suspected the event hereof before their meeting; and the rather, because the Spaniards entertained her with the like treaty in 1588, whenat the same instant their navy appeared upon her coast to invade her. Therefore, lest she should be blamed or condemned by other princes of too great security, in relying upon the success of so doubtful a peace, she furnished the three ships before named under pretence to guard the western coast, which at that time was infested by the Dunkirkers. And, because there should be the less notice taken, part of the victuals was provided at Plymouth, and Sir Richard Leveson, who was then Admiral of the Narrow Seas, was...« less