In 1587, He Had The
Command Of Another Fleet, With Which He Sailed To The Bay Of Cadiz, And
Thence To The Tagus, Where He Destroyed 10,000 Tons Of Shipping, Which
The King Of Spain Had Collected For The Purpose Of Invading England.
He
likewise brought home the St Philip, a very rich prize, said by the
writers of these times to have been the first carack ever taken and
brought home to England.
In the glorious year 1588, by commission from the queen, Sir Francis
Drake was appointed vice-admiral of the fleet of England, then fitted
out for opposing the invincible Spanish Armada. In this arduous
service, on which the independence and existence of England depended, he
performed even more than his former actions gave reason to expect. In
the very beginning of the fight, he captured two very large ships of
war, one commanded by the Spanish vice-admiral Oquendas, and the other
by Don Pedro de Valdez. This latter officer defended his ship with great
gallantry for a long time; and at length, on surrendering, and
delivering his sword to Sir Francis, he addressed him to the following
effect: "That they had all resolved to have died fighting, if they had
not fallen into his hands, whose valour and fortune were so great, that
Mars and Neptune seemed to aid him in all his enterprises." To requite
these Spanish compliments with solid English kindness, Sir Francis
lodged Don Valdez in his own cabin, and entertained him at his table.
Drake's crew were recompensed by the plunder of the Spanish ship, in
which were found 55,000 ducats in gold, which they joyfully shared.
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