Elizabethan England Part 21

[209] "Our peaceable days" were on the eve of the greatest struggle for life ever known to England, but never before or since could she put a million men armed to the teeth into the field, and have still a reserve to fall back on. People who dream that the Spaniards would have fared better on land than sea are grievously out in their reckoning.--W.

[210] See the amusing extract from William Bulleyn in my _Babees Book_, pp. 240-243.--F.

[211] Here follows an account of Roman and Carthaginian galleys which "did not only match, but far exceed" in capacity our s.h.i.+ps and galleys of 1587.--W.

[212] See my _Ballads from MSS._, i. 120, on this and Henry VIII.'s navy.

There's an engraving of this _Great Henry_, or _Henry Grace_ (burnt August 27, 1553), in the British Museum.--F.

[213] Surely this statement was justified by facts. And Nelson, Dundonald, and their successors have shown that English sailors since have not degenerated.--F.

[214] See in _Household Ordinances_, pp. 267-270, "An account of all the Queen's s.h.i.+ps of War; the musters taken in 1574 and 1575; the warlike stores in the Tower and aboard the Navy in 1578; the _Custodes Rotolorum_ of every county in England and Wales, and the names of all the English fugitives."--F.

[215] A name devised by her grace in remembrance of her own deliverance from the fury of her enemies, from which in one respect she was no less miraculously preserved than was the prophet Jonas from the belly of the whale.--H.

[216] So called of her exceeding nimbleness in sailing and swiftness of course.--H.

[217] The list of twenty-four s.h.i.+ps (with their men and arms) in the 1578 list in _Household Ordinances_, pp. 267-270, contains all these in the note here except the Cadish, and adds to them the Primrose, and the Faulcon, Aibates (for Achates), and George, named above. The 1578 list has not the Revenge above. It calls the White Boare and Dreadnot the White Bear and Dreadnought (as above); and the Genet, Jenett. And adds, "The sum of all other, as well merchant s.h.i.+pps as other, in all places in England, of 100 tunns and upwards, 135. The sum of all barkes and s.h.i.+ppes of 40 tunne and upward to an 100 tunne, 656. There are besides, by estimation, 100 saile of hoyes. Also of small barkes and fishermen an infinite number.

So as the number of ... through the realme cannot be lesse than 600, besides London." No doubt Mrs. Green's Calendar of State Papers, temp Elizabeth, gives further details.--F. [The "note" to which Dr. Furnivall refers is one collating the 1577 text where the Cadish is inserted between the Forresight and Swift sute, and the last four above are not given.--W.]

[218] My friend, Mr. H. H. Sparling (who has made a special study of the English navy archives from Henry VIII.'s time downward) kindly furnishes the following navy list of the Armada year, dividing the boats into cla.s.ses with wages descending in scale from these I have retained:

"The newe increase of sea wages to Maisters, Botswaynes, Gunners, Pursers, and Cookes, as also shall serue her ma{tie.} at the seas in any of thes her highnes s.h.i.+pps hereafter, as also what rates have bene & yet are payde, w{c} at this Present are servinge in any of these her Ma{ties.} s.h.i.+pes now in the narrow seas or ells wheare abroad, as followeth:

The Elizabet Jonas, Triumphe, Whit Beare, Merhonour, Arke Raughley, Victory; Mathewe and Andrewe, 2 Spanish s.h.i.+pps. In these viij s.h.i.+ppes, yf any of her mg{tie}s vj m{rs} shalbe appointed to serue, then to haue--

New rates per Olde rates per mensem. mensem.

The Boteson 4 0 0 3 2 6 The Gonner 1 12 6 0 15 0 The purser 1 6 8 1 0 0 The Cooke 1 0 0 0 17 6

Repulse, Warspight, Garland, Defiance, Mary Roase, Lyon, Bonauentur, Hope, Vauntgard, Raynebowe, Nonperelia. Yf any of these xj s.h.i.+pps, then to have, etc.

Dreadnought, Swifsuer, Antelope, Swallowe, Foresight, Aduentur. Yf any, etc.

Ayde, Answere, Quittance, Crane, Aduauntage, Teiger. Yf any, etc.

Tremontaine, Scoute, Achates, The Gally Mercury. Yf any, etc.

Charles, Aduice, Moone, Frigett, Spye, Signet, Sonne, George hoye, Primrose.

Memorand: that these aduanced Rates doe onlie concerne the Queens ma{ties} vj maisters, and the Botesons, Gunners, Pursers, & Cooks, that daylie serue her Ma{tie} in the s.h.i.+pps in ordinarie in Harborow, and noe others: w{ch} is so increased to them especiallie to containe them in true seruice and due obedience to her ma{tie}."

This will be seen to differ somewhat from Harrison's list of the previous year.--W.

[219] See Hakluyt's record of the daring and endurance of our Elizabethan seamen.--F.

[220] "Confession by torment is esteemed for nothing, for if hee confesse at the iudgement, the tryall of the 12 goeth not vpon him; if hee deny the fact: that which he said before, hindreth him not. The nature of English-men is to neglect death, to abide no torment: and therefore hee will confesse rather to haue done anything, yea to haue killed his owne father, than to suffer torment: for death, our nation doth not so much esteeme as a meere torment. In no place shall you see malefactors goe more constantly, more a.s.suredly, and with lesse lamentation to their death than in England.... The nature of our nation is free, stout, haulty, prodigall of life and blood; but contumely, beating, servitude, and seruile torment, and punishment; it will not abide. So in this nature & fas.h.i.+on, our ancient Princes and legislatoors haue nourished them, as to make them stout-hearted, couragious, and souldiers, not villaines and slaues; and that is the scope almost of all our Policie."--Sir Thomas Smith's _Commonwealth of England_, ed. 1621, p. 97, Book II., chap. 27 (not 25).--F.

[221] But see how felons who won't confess are pressed to death by heavy weights.--F.

[222] A.D. 1586. _Hol._ iii. 1434, col. 2. "On the one and twent.i.th daie of Ianuarie, two Seminarie preests (before arreigned and condemned) were drawne to Tiburne, and there _hanged, bowelled, and quartered_. Also on the same daie a wench was _burnt_ in Smithfield, for _poisoning_ of hir aunt and mistresse, and also attempting to haue doon the like to hir vncle."----A.D. 1577. "The thirt.i.th daie of Nouember, Cutbert Maine was _drawne, hanged, and quartered_ at Lanceston in Cornewall for preferring Romane power ... 1577-8. The third daie of Februarie, John Nelson, for denieng the queenes supremasie, and such other traitorous words against hir maiestie, was drawne from Newgate to Tiburne, and there _hanged, bowelled, and quartered_. And on the seuenth of the same moneth of Februarie, Thomas Sherewin was likewise drawne from the tower of London to Tiburne, and there _hanged, bowelled, and quartered_ for the like offense."--_Holinshed_ iii. 1271, col. 1, l. 15, l. 47--F.

[223] A.D. 1540. "The eight and twent.i.th of Julie (as you have heard before), the Lord Cromwell was beheaded, and likewise with him the Lord Hungerford of Heitesburie, who at the houre of his death seemed vnquiet, as manie iudged him rather in a frensie than otherwise: he suffered for b.u.g.g.e.rie."--_Holinshed_, iii. 952, col. 2, l. 21. See the rest of the column for other executions for heresy, for affirming Henry VIII.'s marriage with his first queen, Katherine, to be good, for treason, and for robbing a lady.--F.

[224] A.D. 1580, ann. Elizabeth 23. "The eight and twent.i.th daie of Nouember, were arreigned in the King's [Queen's] Bench, William Randoll for _coniuring to know where treasure was hid in the earth_, and goods felloniouslie taken, were become: Thomas Elks, Thomas Lupton, Rafe s.p.a.cie, and Christopher Waddington, for being present, aiding, and procuring the said Randoll to the coniuration aforesaid: Randoll, Elks, s.p.a.cie, and Waddington, were found guiltie, and had iudgement to be hanged: Randoll was executed, the other were repriued."--_Holinshed_, iii. 1314, col. 2, l. 68.----A.D. 1587. "The thirteenth of Januarie, a man was draune to Saint Thomas of Waterings, and there hanged, headed and quartered, for begging by a licence whereunto the queenes hand was counterfeited."--_Holinshed_, iii. 1315, col. 1, l. 46.--F.

[225] Cap. 8, Record Commission Statutes.--F.

[226] Sir John Falstaff.--F.

[227] Mr. William Shakspere.--F.

[228] A.D. 1569-70. "The seven and twent.i.th of Januarie, Philip Mestrell, a Frenchman, and two Englishmen, were draune from Newgate to Tiburne, and there hanged, the Frenchman quartered, who had coined gold counterfeit; the Englishmen, the one had dipped silver, the other, cast testons of tin."--_Hol._, iii. 1211, col. 1, l. 65.----A.D. 1577-8. "The fiue and twent.i.th of Februarie, John de Loy, a Frenchman, and fiue English gentlemen, was conueied from the tower of London towards Norwich, there to be arreigned and executed for coining of monie counterfeit."--_Hol._, iii.

1271, col. 1, l. 55.--F.

[229] See note [p. 227], A.D. 1575. "The ninteenth of Julie, a woman was burnt at Tunbridge in Kent for poisoning of hir husband: and two daies before, a man named Orleie was hanged at Maidstone, for being accessarie to the same fact."--_Holinshed_, iii. 1262, col. 1, l. 70.--F.

A.D. 1571. "On the sixteenth of Julie, Rebecca Chamber, late wife to Thomas Chamber of Heriettesham, was found culpable [= guilty] of poisoning the said Thomas Chamber hir husband, at the a.s.sises holden at Maidstone in the countie of Kent. For the which fact, she (hauing well deserued) was there burnt on the next morrow."--_Hol._, iii. 1226, col. 2, l. 30. See like instances in Stowe's _Annales_.--F.

[230] Note folio 388, A.D. 1583. "On the eighteenth daie of September, John Lewes, who named himself Abdoit, an obstinate heretike, denieng the G.o.dhead of Christ, and holding diuers other detestable heresies (much like to his predecessor Matthew Hamont), was burned at Norwich."--_Holinshed_, iii. 1354, col. 2, l. 62.--F.

[231] A.D. 1577-8.--"On the ninth of March seven pirats were hanged at Wapping in the ouze, beside London."--_Holinshed_, iii. 1271, column 1, lines 59-61.--F.

[232] On serving-men, see the striking pa.s.sage in Sir Thomas More's _Utopia_, pp. 27-29, edition of 1852, and "A Health to the Gentlemanly Profession of Seruing-men; or, The Seruing-man's Comfort: with other thinges not impertinent to the Premises, as well pleasant as profitable to the courteous Reader," 1598, reprinted in W. C. Hazlitt's Roxburghe Library, _Inedited Tracts_, 1868. Also "The Serving-man and the Husbandman: a Pleasaunt New Dialogue," _Roxburgh Ballads_, Ballad Society, 1870, i. 300.--F.

[233] Here follows a paragraph about the legendary foundation of the universities. See Appendix.--W.

[234] Cambridge burned not long since.--H.

[235] Here follows an account of Oxford and Cambridge castles, and the legend of the building of Osney Abbey by Robert and Edith D'Oyley. See Appendix.--W.

[236] This Fox builded Corpus Christi College, in Oxford.--H.

[237] So much also may be inferred of lawyers.--H.

[238] He founded also a good part of Eton College, and a free school at Wainfleet, where he was born.

[239] Compare the later, and no doubt distinct, _Two n.o.ble Kinsmen_ by Shakspere and Fletcher.--F.

[240] See the notes on Theatres in the "New Shakspere Society"

reprint.--W. [Also the notes to John Lane in my Tell-Trothe volume.--F.]