The Printer to the Reader. Although it be well known, that neither the first writer of these letters nowe by me printed, nor yet the Spaniard Don Bernardin, to whome they are directed, had any desire to heare of any good successe to the state of England: as may appeare in the writer, by shewing himselfe grieved, to make any good report of England, other then of meere necessitie he was urged: and in Don Bernardin, who was so impudent, or at the least, so blindly rash, as to disperse in print, both in French, Italian, and Spanish, most false reports of a victorie had by the Spaniards, even when the victorie was notiable on the part of England, and the Spanish vanquished: yet whilest I was occupied in the printing hereof, a good time after the letters were sent into Fraunce, there came to this citie certaine knowledge, to all our great comfort, of sundrie happie accidents, to the diminution of our mortall enemies in their famous fleete, that was driven out of our seas about the last of July, towards the farthermost north partes of Scotland. Wherefore I have thought it not amisse to joine the same to this letter of Don Bernardin, that he may beware not to be so hastie of himselfe, nor yet to permit one Capella, who is his common sower of reports, to write these false things for truthes. The particularities whereof are these: The fleete was by tempest driven beyond the Isles of Orkney, about the first of August, which is nowe more then sixe weekes past, the place being above threescore degrees from the North Pole: an unaccustomed place for the yong gallants of Spaine, that never had felt stormes on the sea, or cold weather in August. And about these north islands their mariners and souldiers died daily by multitudes; as by their bodies cast on land did appeare. And after twentie dayes or more having spent their time in miseries, they being desirous to returne home to Spaine, sayled very farre southwestward into the ocean to recover Spaine. But the almightie God, who alwayes avengeth the cause of his afflicted people which put their confidence in him, and bringeth downe his enemies that exalteth them selves with pride to the heavens, ordred the winds to be so violently contrarious to this proud navie, as it was with force dissevered, on the high seas west upon Ireland; and so a great number of them driven into sundrie dangerous bayes, and upon rockes, all along the west and north parts of Ireland, in sundrie places distant above an hundred miles asunder, and there cast away, some sonke, some broken, some runne on sands, some burned by the Spaniards themselves. As in the north part of Ireland towardes Scotland, betwix the two rivers of Loughfoile and Lough Swilley, nine were driven to land, and many of them broken, and the Spaniardes forced to come to land for succour amongst the wilde Irish. In another place, twentie miles southwest from thence, in a bay called Calbeggy, three other ships were driven also upon rocks. In another place southward, being a bay, called the Borreys, twentie miles north from Gallowey, belonging to the Erle of Ormond, one special great ship, of a thousand tonne, with fiftie brasse peeces, and foure canons, was sonke, and all the people drowned saving sixteene; who by their apparell, as it is advertised out of Ireland, seeme to be persons of great estimation. Then to come more to the sowthward, thirty miles upon the coasts of Thomond, north from the river Shennan, two or three mo perished, whereof one was burned by the Spaniards them selves, and so driven to the shore: another was of S. Sebastians, wherein were three hundred men, who were also all drowned saving three score. A third ship with all her lading was cast away at a place called Breckan. In another place afore Sir Tirlogh Obryne's house, there was also another great ship lost, supposed to be a Galliasse. These losses above mentioned, were betwixt the fifth and tenth of September, as was advertised from sundrie places out of Ireland: so as by accompt, from the one and twentieth of July, when this navie was first beaten with the navie of England, untill the tenth of September, being the space of seven weeks, and more, it is most likely that the sayde navie had never good day, nor night. Of the rest of the navie, report is also made that many of them have bene seene, lying off and on, upon the coast of Ireland, tossed with the winds in such sort, as it is also doubted that many of them shall hardly recover Spaine, if they be so weakened with lacke of victuals and mariners, as part of their companies that are left on land do lamentably report. These accidents I thought good to adde to the printed copies of the letters of Don Bernardin; that he may see how God doth favour the just cause of our gracious Queene, in shewing his anger towardes these proud boasting enemies of christian peace; as the whole world, from Rome to the uttermost parts of Christendome, may see, that she and her realme, professing the gospel of his sonne Christ, are kept and defended, as the words of the Psalme are, Under the shadowe of his wings from the face of the wicked, that sought to afflict her, and compasse her round about to take away her soule: which, I doubt not, by thankfulnesse yeelded by her majestie and her whole realme, will alwayes continewe. The of Octob. 1588. A Packe of Spanish Lyes sent abroad in the World; first printed in Spaine, in the Spanish Tongue, and translated out of the originall. Now ripped up, unfolded, and, by just examination, condemned, as conteyning false, corrupt, and detestable Wares, worthy to be damned and burned. "Thou shalt destroy them that speak lies, the Lord wil abhorre the bloody aud deceitfull man." Psalm v. ver. 6.-Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queene's most excellent Majestie. 1588. Quarto, in black letter, containing thirteen pages. From the HARLEIAN MISCellany. A Packe of Spanish Lyes. From Spaine. 1. The true relation of the success of the Catholike armie' against their enemies, by letters of the post-master of Logrono of the fourth of September, and by letters from A Condemnation of the Spanish Lyes. 1. "It is wel knowen to all the worlde how false all this relation is, and either falsely coloured by the letters remembred, or els both the post-master of Logrono, and The Invincible Armada in 1588. 2 Roan of the one-and-thirtieth of August, and by letters from Paris of the king's embassadour there; wherein he declareth the imprisonment of Francis Drake, and other great nobles of England, and how the queene is in the fielde with an armie, 3 and of a certain mutinie which was amongst the queenes armie, with the successe of the said Catholike armie since they entred in the Groyne, till they came on the coast of England, with two ballets, compounded by Christopher Bravo, a blind man of Cordowa; printed, with lycence, by Gabriel Ramos Beiarano, printer. A Packe of Spanish Lyes. By a Letter of Diego Peres, chiefe Post- 2. The newes of England is confirmed here, by a letter of the governour of Roan. He writeth, he hathe in his power the chief pilote of Captaine Drake, and that he knoweth that all the English armie remained overthrowen, having sunke two and the writers from Roan, ought to be waged as intelligencers for the devill, the father of lyes, whom they have herein trulye served; and if they so continue in mayntenance thereof against the known trueth, their damnation is certaine, and hell is open for them." A Condemnation of the Spanish Lyes. From England. 2. "The governour of Roan is accompted a worthy noble man, and therefore he shall do wel to make this report of him to be knowen for a lye; for so surely he knoweth it to be, that there was never either a chiefe pilote, or the value of a boy The letters from the king's embassadour, whose name is Mendoza, agreeable to their master's name, being the reporter of Mendacia mendacissima; and considering that he hath written, That Francis Drake is imprisoned, and many nobles of England, if Mendoza will stand to his letters, so as he would gage, and, by his hande-writinge, assure but his worst jennet and his belles, he shall be answered for the said Sir Francis Drake's person, or any nobleman, gentleman, or page, so taken in the fight betweene the two armies, for the ransom of every of the said prisoners fortie-thousande crownes, in the Royal Exchange of London. But the trueth is, Sir Francis Drake was so farre off to be a prisoner, that he was the taker; for he tooke Pedro de Valdez, and four hundred more Spanish prisoners, at one time. And, to prove this to be true, Mendoza shall have, if he will require it, Pedro Valdez owne hande, to shewe that he is prisoner to Sir Francis Drake, and four hundred more taken with him, and not one Englishman taken in that service. 3 It is so false, that there was any mutinie in the queene's armie, that she herselfe was there, with the greatest honour, love, and applause received, that coulde be imagined for a lady and a queene. She rode round about her armie, and passed through every part thereof, to their inestimable comfort; she lodged and did eat in the campe as quietly as ever she did in her owne chamber. In the armie was never any fray or discord; exercise of armes was daily used and shewed before her, to her great honour; yea, and with an universall extolling of God's name every day, morning and evening, in loude prayers and psalmes; and the like song, in her owne hearing, against all tyranny, by invasion of God's enemies; and this every man may judge to be farre from any colour of mutinie, It was a meete occupation for a blinde man, to put lyes into songs: and, if he knewe how false his verses were when he published them, it were to be wished that he had his eyes restored to see his lyes, and then his tongue cutte out that uttered them, and his eyes cleane plucked out of his head, that he should never see any more written lyes. As for his eares, it were good to have them open, to heare men call him, justly, a notable blinde lyar. twentie shippes, and taken fourtie, and imprisoned Francis Drake, having given them chase almost as hie as Abspurge, and slaine many by the sword; and likewise sayeth, that there was found, in Captaine Drake's shippe, a piece of ordinance of fiveand-twentie foote long, which discharged a shotte of a hundreth weight at once, made of purpose, with one onely shot, to sinke our Spanish admirall; and it pleased God, although she was somewhat battered, yet was she repaired againe, and overthrewe the English armie. of Captaine Drakes, taken and brought to him as a prisoner. "The governours of Bollen and Calleis can informe the governour of Roan how false a report it was, that the English armie remained overthrowen afore Calleis: The English armie fought with the Spanish; chased the Spanish as a brace of greyhounds would a herde of deere; the Spaniards ships were beaten, spoyled, burnt, sunke, some in the maine seas afore Dunkirke, some afore Flushing, and the rest chased away; so as they fledde continually afore the English navie in their best order for strength, without daring to abide any fight yea, some one of the English shippes fought with three of their galleasses; the Spaniards never attempting to board any English, but as many of them as could saile away, fled with all their sailes, and were followed by the English, until they were chased out of all the English seas, and forced them to runne a violent course about Scotland, and so to Ireland, where a great number of their ships are drowned, their men taken, and many killed by the savage people for their spoyle; and the English navie, upon good consideration, left them, when they sawe them so hastily to flie desperatly into the northern daungerous seas, where the English navie did very certainely knowe, that there would be no safety for them to follow the Spanish. Why durst any report, that twenty-two English shipes were sunke, and fortie were taken, when, in trueth, there was not any one of the English shippes sunke or taken? A strange disposition, to forge such great lyes, whereof there was no ground nor colour. If any one or two of the English had been sunke, a lyar might have put the number of twenty for two, and excused the lye by error of figuring; but of none in nomber no nomber can be made but by falshood. The go 5 If Drake's shippes were taken, if there was such a piece of ordinance of such a length, In what port is that shippe? In whose possession is that piece? Drake is returned with honour; his shippe, called the Revenge, is in harborow, ready for a revenge by a new service. No shippe lost; no ordinance missing. The foolish lyar maketh mention of Abspurge in Scotland. In all Scotland is no such place. In Germanie is a countrey called Habspuig; but any wager may be layd, that none of the Spanish came ever thither. Every line, or every sentence, conteineth a lyc. 7 A Packe of Spanish Lyes. From Spaine. Copie of a Letter that John Gamarra wrote. from Roan, the 31st of August, of the same Yeere. 3. The English have lost above fortie ships in one encounter, where they coulde not flie, which was in Luxaten, a haven in Scotland, to the which place, since the departure of the Spanish armies from Calleis, the English armie followed; and, supposing they went to take that haven, they got before ours to defend the entrance: we seeing them so neere the English fleete, and that they coulde not retire, as they alwayes did, when they pleased, to the English havens, they set upon them so valiantly, that they sunke twenty of their shippes, and they tooke twenty-six whole and sound; and the rest, seeing their destruction, fled away with great losse of men, and their shippes very much battered; and with this, they say, the Spanish armie tooke the haven, where they are very well lodged, as every one affirmeth, and so the newes is here; I pray God give them good successe. We understande, by the post come from Calleis, that in England it is forbidden, upon paine of deathe and losse of goods, that nobody doe write newes from thence to any place; which confirmeth the newes above. vernour of Roan, being a man of great honour and vertue, ought to revenge this. shamefull lye made upon him; for Lucian never did, in all his lyes, use more impudencie, then these Spanish lyars doe report of him." A Condemnation of the Spanish Lyes. From England. 3. "All this is likewise as full of lyes as lines. John Gamarra may be what he is; but if there be such a man, and that he wrote as is mentioned, except he be a professed member of the devill to forge lyes, he knoweth that he wrote falsely." The Duke himselfe is returned, let him confirme this untrueth, that he overthrewe the English armie; it can not be imagined, that he, being a person of so great honour, will allow so notorious a lye to be taken for a trueth ; for if he had such a victorie, Why did he not land to conquere England? Why did he never enter into any part of England? Why did he never cary any ensigne of England into Spaine, to shew, as very many of the Spanish were brought into England. 7 He noteth also a haven in Scotland, called Luxaten; none such was ever knowen there. In Utopia there may be such a one. No Spaniard can saye they tooke any haven in Scotland. It is altogether vaine otherwise to reprove this; but al that is reported are lyes; and so let Gamarra repent, or follow the devill, his master, the father of malicious lyes. |