The copie of a letter sent out of England to Don Bernardin Mendoza ambassadour in France for the King of Spaine declaring the state of England, contrary to the opinion of Don Bernardin, and of all his partizans Spaniardes and others. This letter, although it was sent to Don Bernardin Mendoza, yet, by good hap, the copies therof aswell in English as in French, were found in the chamber of one Richard Leigh a seminarie priest, who was lately executed for high treason committed in the time that the Spanish Armada was on the seas. Whereunto are adioyned certaine late aduertisements, concerning the losses and distresses happened to the Spanish nauie, aswell in fight with the English nauie in the narrow seas of England, as also by tempests, and contrarie winds, vpon the west, and north coasts of Ireland, in their returne from the northerne isles beyond Scotland.

The Printer to the Reader.

ALthough it be well known, that neither the first wri∣ter of these Letters nowe by me printed, nor yet the Spaniard Don Bernardin to whome they are dire∣cted, had any desire to heare of any good successe to the state of England: as may appeare in the writer, by shew∣ing himselfe grieued, to make any good report of England, o∣ther then of meere necessitie he was vrged: and in Don Bernar∣din, 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, euen when the victo∣rie was notable on the part of England, and the Spanish vanqui∣shed: 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 driuen out of our seas about the stla of Iuly, towards the farthermost North partes of Scotland. Wherfore I haue thought it not amisse to ioine the same to this Lettre 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 wherof are these. The Fleete was by tem∣pest driuen beyond the Isles of Orknay, about the first of Au∣gust, which is now more then sixe weekes past, the place being aboue three score degrees from the North Pole: an vnaccusto∣med place for the yong Gallants of Spaine, that neuer had felt stormes on the sea, or cold weather in August. And about those North Islands their mariners and souldiers died daily by multi∣utdes: as by their bodies cast on land, did appeare. And after twentie dayes or more, hauing spent their time in miseries, they being desirous to returne home to Spaine, sayled very farre Southwestward into the Ocean to recouer Spaine. But the Al∣mightie God, who alwayes auengeth the cause of his afflicted people which put their confidence in him, and bringeth downe his enemies that exalt themselues with pride to the heauens, or∣dred

the winds, to be so violently contrarious to this proud Nauie, as it was with force disseuered, on the high seas West vpon Ireland: and so a great number of them, driuen into sun∣drie dangerous bayes, and vpon rockes, all along the West, and North parts of Ireland, in sundrie places distant aboue an hun∣dred miles asunder, & there cast away: some sonke, some broken, some runne on sands, some burned by the Spaniards themselues.

As in the North part of Ireland towardes Scotland, be∣twixt the two riuers of Loughfoile and Lough Svvilley, nine were driuen 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 driuen also vpon rockes. In another place Southward, being a Bay, called the Borreys, twentie miles North from Gallowey, belonging to the Erle of Ormond, one speciall great ship of a thousand tonne, with fiftie brasse peeces, and foure Canons was sonke, and all the people drowned sauing sixteene: who by their apparell, as it is aduer∣tised out of Ireland, seeme to be persons of great estimation.

Then to come more to the Sowthward, thirty miles vppon the coasts of Thomond, North from the riuer of Shennan, two or three mo perished, whereof one was burned by the Spani∣ards them selues, and so driuen to the shore: an other was of S. Sebastians, wherein were three hundred men, who were also all drowned▪ sauing three score. A third ship with all her lading was cast away at a place called Breckan.

In another place afore Sir Tirlogh Obrynes house, there was also another great ship lost, supposed to be a Galliasse. These losses aboue mētioned, were betwixt the fift and tenth of Sep∣tember, as was aduertised from sundrie places out of Ireland: so as by accompt, from the one and twentieth of Iuly, when this Nauie was first beaten with the Nauie of England, vntill the tenth of September, being the space of seuen weekes, and more, it is most likely that the sayde Nauie had neuer good day, nor night.

Of the rest of the Nauie, report is also made that many of them haue bene seene, lying of and on, vpon the coast of Ire∣land,

tossed with the winds, in such sort as it is also doubted, that many of them shall hardly recouer Spaine, if they be so weake∣ned with lacke of victuals and mariners, as part of their compa∣nies 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 fauour the iust 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 vttermost parts of Christendome may see, that she and hir Realme, professing the Gospell of his sonne Christ, are kept and defended, as the words of the Psalme are, Vnder the shadovve of his vvings from the face of the vvicked, that sought to afflict her, & compasse her round about to take avvay her soule: which, I doubt not, by thankfulnesse yeelded by her Maiestie and her whole Realme, will alwayes continewe.

The 9. of Octob. 1588.