A Packe of SPA­NISH lyes. From Spaine.

1 THE true relation of the succes of the Catho­like armye against their enemies, by letters of the Post master of Logrono of the iiii. of Sep­tember, and by letters from Roan of the one & thirtieth of August, ( ^a) and by let­ters from Paris of the Kings Embassadour there: where­in hee declareth the impri­sonment of Francis Drake, and other great Nobles of Englande, and howe the Queene is in the fielde with an armie, ( ^b) and of a cer­taine mutinie which was a­mongst the Queenes army, [Page 2] 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 Christouer Brauo, a ( ^c) blinde man of Cordowa, Printed with lycence by Gabriel Ramos Beiarano Printer.

A Packe of Spa­nish lies. From Spaine. By a letter of Diego Peres, chiefe Postmaster of Logrono, dated the second of September. 1588.

2 THe newes of Eng­lande is confirmed here, by a letter of the Gouernour of Roan. He writeth he hath in his pow­er the chiefe Pilot of cap­taine Drake, and that hee knoweth that all the Eng­lish armie remained ouer­throwen, hauing sunke two and twentie shippes, and ta­ken fourtie, ( ^d) and im­prisoned Francis Drake, ha­uing giuen them chase al­most as hie as ( ^e) Abspurge, and slaine many by y ^e sword, and likewise sayeth that there was found in captaine Drakes shippe, a piece of or­dinance of fiue and 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 shee was somewhat [Page 4] battered, yet was she repai­red againe, and ouerthrewe the English armie.

A Packe of Spanish lies. From Spaine. Copie of a letter that Iohn Gamarra wrote from Roan the xxxi. of August of the same yeere.

3 THe English haue lost aboue xl. ships in one encounter, where they coulde not flie, which was in ( ^f) Luxaten a Hauen in Scotland, to the which place, since the departure of the Spanish armies frō Calleis, the Eng­lish armie folowed, and supposing they went to take that Hauen, 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 y ^e Eng­lish Hauens, they set vpon them so vali­antly, that they sunke xx. of their ships, and they tooke xxvi. whole and soūd, and the rest seeing their destruction, fled a­way with great losse of men, and their ships very much battered, & with this (they say) the Spanish armie tooke the Hauen, where they are very well lod­ged, as euery one affirmeth, and so the newes is here: I pray God giue them good successe: wee vnderstande by the Post come from Calleis, that in Englād it is forbidden vppon paine of death and losse of goods, that no body doe write newes from thence to any place: which confirmeth the newes aboue.

A Packe of Spa­nish lies. From Spaine. Coppie of a Letter that Pedro de Al­ua did write from Roan the first of September of the same yeere.

4 I Do not write newes of the Spanish armie, be­cause they are diuers, and woulde gladly write the very trueth. Nowe by the newes which runneth from diuers places, as Calleis, Deepe, and Hol­lande, and presumptions from England, & other pla­ces, it is holden for certaine, that they haue fought with the English, & broken their heads, hauing sunke many of their ships, and taken o­thers, & the rest which they say were xxvii. ships, retur­ned very much battered to the Riuer of Lōdon, which are all those that coulde es­cape: There goeth with this Post another Post of Iorge Seguin of Calles, which saith that certaine Masters and Mariners of Zeland, did af­firme to the Gouernours of Calleis, Mounsier de Gorden, that our fleete is in a Hauen [Page 7] or Riuer in Scotland called (e) Trifla, where they say there may ride two thou­sand Ships: this is that which cōmonly is currant here.

A Packe of Spanish lies. From Spaine. Aduise from London, which the Em­bassadour of our soueraigne Lord the King resident in Paris, had from thence.

5 BY newes frō London of the xxvi. of August, it is knowen for most certaine from persōs of cre­dit, y ^t the Queenes Admiral general was arriued in the riuer of London, with xxv. ships onely without his Ad­miral ship, ( ^h) which was taken by our Admiral Saint Iohn, & it is well knowen in Engāld, that to hide y ^e losse of their Admiral ship, they say he put himselfe in a smaller ship y ^e better to folow our ar­mie: & it is knowen for cer­taintie y ^t he saued him self in a boat when he lost his ship. That Drake for certaintie is takē or slain. The same is cō ­firmed by y ^e way of Holland, by a Pinnasse of theirs. And [Page 8] from Austerland, that the Queene commanded vpon paine of death, that no body shoulde speake of her fleete, and that there was great sorow in those parts of Eng­land, and that the Queene had in y ^e field thirty thousād raw souldiers, betwixt Do­uer & Margate, & that ( ⁱ) y ^e Ca­tholiks vnderstanding that al their fleete was dispersed, moued a certaine mutinie, which forced the Queene to go herselfe into the fielde, and for certain it is knowen that there is not brought in to England, neither ship nor boate of ours, more then the ship of Don Pedro valdez, & that our fleete was gone in to Scotland, and arriued in a Hauen called ( ^k) Trapena Euxaten.

A Packe of Spanish lies. From Spaine. By a letter of the chiefe Post master of Burdeux, written to the French Embassadour, the 2. of Sept. 1588.

6 AFter that I had writ­ten this, here is arri­ued a Scottishman, which saith that all y ^e Spanish fleete [Page 9] is arriued in Scotland, & that the Scottishmen haue taken armes against the English.

A Packe of Spanish lies. From Spayne. Relation of that which hath passed till this day, the fifth of September 1588. till three of the clocke in the after noone, knowen by the relations and ad­uise come to his Maiestie from the happie fleete, whereof is Generall the Duke of Medina, in the conquest of England.

7 THat vpon the thirtieth of Iuly, without seeing any sayle of the enemies in the sea, hee came to the Channell, sixe leagues from Plim­mouth: where vnderstanding the ene­mies were, hee gathered together and set in order all the fleete: and sayling the first of August, there was discouered some sayles of the enemies, the which the second day were nombred to bee lx. saile, of which the Duke tooke the wind, & passed without any fight, although he presented y ^e same to them, howbeit they began to shoot at the Rereward: but the [Page 10] Duke in the Galleon S. Martin, set y ^e Prow of his ship against the biggest of the ene­mies, y ^e which being succoured by twenty others, fled away: of this fight and first en­counter, there was sunke three Galeasses, & foure mighty Galeons of the Queenes: there was burnt of ours by negligence of a Gunner, the Admiral of Oquendo, & the enemies tooke the chiefe ship of Don Pe­dro Valdez, which being entangled with others vnder his charge: was left with­out tackle, and so neere the enemies, that she coulde not be succoured by others.

With this, our fleete seeing that the enemie in euery point did flie from gi­uing battell, they sailed with some calme weather, & the enemies after them, shoo­ting alwayes at the Rereward, vntil the seuenth, y ^t our fleet ancored in the Roade of S. Iohn, betwixt Calleis & Bollin, nine leagues from Dunkerke, & the enemies did the like, the neerest they could to Englād.

The night being approched, the enemies got vp their ankers, to get the wind, and not to suffer our shippes to goe out of the Roade to sea, because they had trimmed viii. ships of fire, which with the corrent of the water, should haue put them selues amongst our ships, to haue burnt them. But my Lord the Duke, foreseeing y ^e dan­ger, preuented them, with cōmandement that the shippes that were neerest, should cut their Cables, & to take vp the others with a readinesse vncredible: and with this the enemies pretence was hindered, [Page 11] and so got the sea most brauely, and with such good fortune, that if he had not done it, our armie should haue ben in euil case, for in the very place which we left, there was shotte off by them, out of those fierie ships, such fires, & other engins, that were sufficient to burne the Sea, much more, ships which are made of wood and pitch.

In this departure, the Captaine of the Galeasses had a great mischance: for get­ting vp her Anker, a Cable fel foule of her Helme, that she could not follow the rest, which caused one of her sides to lie so hie, that her ordinance could not play, and so xxv. Pinases came and battered her, and withall this, if the mariners, souldiers, & rowers that were in her, had not cast themselues into the sea, it is holdē for cer­taine, that (m) Don Hugo de Mōcada had defended her, as he did vntil she came into Calleis, where at the entrance thereof, he was killed of two Caliuer shot, the people on shore defended the Galeasse, & all that was in her, and deliuered the same to our Soueraigne Lord the Kings ministers.

At this time, y ^e Duke had a very franke wind, & the like had the Queenes Fleete: and so they both passed by the sight of Dū ­kerke, insomuch as they on land knew the Gallion S. Martin, and others that went fighting with the English armie, and in this order they went till the twelfth.

Afterwards they write, that there came into Calleis a ship, which saith, that the (n) xii. day they did see the two Fleetes to­gether [Page 12] in fight: an other which came af­terwardes, said hee had seene some ships spoiled and torne, & from them they threw out (o) their baggage which they saued in boats, which argueth, they were ships of the enemies, for that our men had no place to saue them selues, nor there were none of them arriued into Flāders, which was their place of returne.

A Packe of Spa­nish lies. From Spaine.

8 OVt of Eng­lande was aduise gi­uen, that on y ^e xiii. arriued fifteene of the Queens ships, and they sayd that the Galleon Saint Martin, wherin my Lorde the Duke is, (whome God pre­serue) had encoun­tered with Drake, & had grapled his ship, & captiued his Person, and other Noble English mē, and taken other fif­teene ships, beside others y ^t were di­stressed, & the Duke with his fleete, fo­lowed [Page 13] his way to Scotland, because the winde was not come about.

With these news, his Maiestie re­steth verie much contented, and cau­sed them to be sent to the Empresse, by the hands of Fran­cisco Ydiaquez, his Secretarie of estate.

1 IT is wel knowen to all the worlde, how false all this relation is, and ei­ther falsly colou­red by the Letters remembred, or els both the post Ma­ster of Logrono, and the writers from Roan ought to be waged as Intelli­gencers for the deuill the father of lyes, whom they haue herein truely serued: and if they so continue in mayntenance thereof against the knowen trueth, their damnation is certaine, and hell is open for them.

( ^a) The Letters from the kings Ambassadour, whose name is Men­doza, agreeable to their Masters name, being the reporter of menda­cià mendacissima, & considering that hee 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 [Page 2] by his hande writing assure but his worst Iennet and his belles, he shall be answered for the said Sir Francis Drakes person, or any Nobleman, gentleman, or page so taken in the fight betweene the two Armies, for the rāsom of euery of the said priso­ners 40000. Crownes in the Royal Eschange of London. But the truth is, Sir Francis Drake was so farre off to be a prisoner, that hee was the ta­ker: for hee tooke Pedro de Valdez, and 400. moe Spanish prisoners at one time. And to proue this to be true, Mendoza shall haue if hee will require it, Pedro de Valdez owne hand to shewe, that he is prisoner to Sir Francis Drake, and 400. moe taken with him, and not one English man taken in that seruice.

( ^b) It is so false that there was any mutinie in the Q. Armie, that shee her selfe was there, with the greatest honour, loue, and applause re­ceiued, that coulde be imagined for a Lady and a Queene. She rode rounde about her Armie, and passed through euery part thereof, to their inestimable comfort: shee lodged and did eate in the Campe, as quietly as euer she did in her owne chamber. In the Armie was neuer any fray or discord: exercise of Armes was dayly vsed and shewed before her, to her great honour: yea, and with an vniuersall extolling of Gods Name euery day Morning and Euening, in loude prayers and psalmes: and the like song in her owne hearing against all tyrannie by inuasion of Gods enemies: and this euery man may iudge to bee farre from any colour of mutinie.

( ^c) 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 hee had his eyes restored to see his lyes, and then his tongue cutte out that vttered them, and his eyes cleane plucked out of his head, that he should neuer see any more written lyes. As for his eares, it were good to haue them open, to heare men call him iustly, a notable blinde lyar.

A Condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England.

2 THe Gouernour of Roan is accompted a worthy noble man, and therefore he shall do wel to make this report of him to bee kno­wen for a lie: for so surely he know­eth it to be, that there was neuer ei­ther a chiefe Pilote or the value of a boy of Captaine Drakes taken and brought to him as a prisoner.

The Gouernours of Bollen and Cal­leis can informe the Gouernour of Roan, how false a report it was, that the English Armie remained ouer­throwen 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 beatē, 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 Nauie in their best order for strēgth, without daring to abide any fight: yea, some one of the English shippes fought with 3. of their Galleasses, the Spaniards neuer attēpting to board any English, but as many of them as coulde saile away, fled with all their sailes, & were followed by the Eng­lish, vntil they were chased out of all the English seas, and forced then to runne a violent course about Scot­land, and so to Ireland, where a great [Page 4] number of their ships are drowned, their men taken, and many killed by the sauage people for their spoyle, and the English Nauie vpon good consideration left them, when they sawe them so hastily to flie desperat­ly into the Northren daungerous Seas, where the English Nauie did very certainely know that there would be no safety for them to folow the Spa­nish. Why durst any report that 22. English shippes were sunke, and 40. 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 bene sunke, a lyar might haue put the nomber of 20. for 2. and excused the lye by error of figuring: but of none in nomber, no nomber can bee made, but by falshood. The Gouernour of Roan being a man of great honour and vertue, ought to reuenge this shamefull lye made vpon him: for Lucian neuer did in all his lyes vse more impudencie, then these Spa­nish lyars doe report of him.

( ^d) If Drakes shippe 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 Reuenge is in harborow, ready for a reuenge by a newe seruice, no shippe lost, no ordi­nance missing.

( ^e) The foolish lyar maketh mention of Abspurg in Scotland: in all Scotland is no such place, in Germanie is a countrey called Habspurg, but any wager may be layd, that none of the Spanish came euer thither. Euery line, or euery sentence, conteineth a lye.

The Duke him selfe is returned: let him confirme this vntrueth, that he ouerthrewe the English armie: it can not be imagined, that hee, (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 hee not land to con­quere England? why did he neuer enter into any part of England? why did hee neuer cary any Ensigne of England into Spaine to shew, as very many of the Spanish were brought into Englande?

A condemnati­on of the Spa­nish lies. From England.

3 ALl this is likewise as full of lyes, as lines. Iohn Gamarra may be what he is: but if there be such a man, and that hee wrote as is mentioned, ex­cept hee bee a pro­fessed member of the Deuill to forge lyes, hee knoweth that he wrote falsly.

( ^f) Hee noteth also a Hauen in Scot­lande called Luxa­ten: none such was euer knowen there. In Vtopia there may bee such a one: no Spaniard can saye that they tooke any Hauē in Scotland: it is altogether vaine otherwise to reproue this: but al that is re­ported are lyes, & so let Gamarra repent, or follow the Deuill his master, the fa­ther of malici­ous lyes.

A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England.

4 THis Pedro Alua coulde bee content to send lies, but he is more warie in y ^e auowing of them: hee reporteth lyes, as hee saith, that came from other places. But of all other places, none coulde make a truer report then Calleis, where the Gouernour, and all the inhabitants saw the Spanish armie mightily bea­ten by the English, and it was affir­med by men there of great iudge­ment, that neuer was seene by any man liuing such a battery, so great for nomber, so furious, and of so long continuance, as the English made against the Spanish. Calleis sawe the Spanish armie first driuen from their ancres with fire: they sawe the grea­test Galliasse of the Spanish, whereof was Commander that worthy noble man Moncada, spoyled, & himselfe slaine in the Galliasse by the English. Calleis did see the next day, that the English Nauie fought and did beate the Spanish Armada from viii. of the clocke in the Morning, vntill 4. in the afternone without any ceasing.

Calleis sawe the Spanish hoyse vp al their sayles, & flie as fast as winde could driue, & the English to follow and pursue them, and yet Calleis saw a sufficient Nauie of England left a­fore Dunkirke, able to master all the Shipping that the Duke of Parma had prouided. ( ^g) The last part of [Page 7] this report is a like lye to the other: there is no such Port in Scotland, cal­led Trifla, neither did any of the Spa­niards take succour in any Hauen, nor yet could haue done, by reason of the contrary windes.

A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England.

5 HEre followeth the Moun­taine of lies. It is reason that if there were lyars in London, they should send them to Mendoza: for so Mendacia are of more price with him, then true reportes, and so was he accustomed when he was Ambassadour in Englande, to buye more lyes, because hee liked them, better then truethes.

If one should make a Section, or anatomie of this Mountaine and body of lyes, there is no piece, nor ioynt to be found sound. ( ^h) The Admirall Shippe, which was called the ARKE ROYALL, was safely brought home by the Lord Admi­ral of England L. Howard: he neuer changed her, shee is (thanked bee GOD) safe with other the Queenes Royal Shippes, she is able with the Lorde Admirall, to match in fight with the Duke of Medina, or any Prince of Christendome, in any ship that the King of Spaine hath. This [Page 8] is not spoken for ostentation: but Gods fauour is assured to Englande in the Iustice of the quarell, against any Inuadour.

( ⁱ) If there were a mutinie of Catholikes, they should haue bene hanged or punished: but it was not knowen that one Catholique did stir this Summer with hand or tōgue to mooue offence, neither was any one imprisoned, or otherwise pu­nished.

( ^k) The last line is a lye, with like errour as the former: for there is no Hauen in Scotland called Tra­pena Exaten. This Mendoza was very curious to forge a strange name, as it appeareth hee had read of some such in Peru or in new Spaine.

A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England.

6 THis Scottishman, (I thinke,) hath no name: a manifest lye it was, that Scottishmen had taken Armes against the English. Such a lie did Mendoza publish some yeres past, that the king of Scots had besie­ged and wonne Barwicke. I trust he remembreth now, how false a lye it [Page 9] was: but yet he hath no grace, as it seemeth, to forbeare frō forging of lyes, for his chollerike appetite. But a manifest trueth it is, that the King of Scots at the time meant, made a generall Proclamation, that no Scottishman should victuall any Spaniard, for that the King did knowe they came to haue conquered both England and Scotland. And on the other side, the King by Proclamation commaunded, that all succours should be giuen to the Armie of England, as being the armie of his Sister and confederate, and the Prince whom he knew to be inuaded most iniustly. Many Scottishmen might at Burdeaux haue reported this for a truth.

A condemnati­on of Spanish lies. From Eng­land.

7 AL these vn­true newes are sayde to haue come from the spa­nish Fleete, to the Kings Maiestie. By this tyme is it sure, that the Duke of Medina can tell the King his Master some other contra­ry matters: for else he had no cause to flie about Scotland and Ireland. ( ^l) He also wil not say, [Page 10] that eyther three Galiasses, & foure Galleōs of Eng­land were sunk, or that euer hee coulde see one ship or one boat of England sunk. He can tell the King with great griefe, that hee neuer had fortu­nate day, from his cōming from the Groine, till he returned with the losse of as many shippes, men, victuals, treasure, and or­dināce, as might haue made a good armie by sea: and great pi­tie it is for Chri­stendome, that both that which is lost, and that which remaineth had not beene v­sed by the King Catholik, against the Infidels, and not with ambitiō on to imploy such kinde of forces, to inuade Chri­stian countreys therewith, who [Page 11] if he would liue in peace with them, would be readye to ioine their for­ces with his, to dilate the fines of Christendome, & forbeare spen­ding of Christian blood amongst Christians.

(m) This Noble man was killed with a smal shot in the Gal­leasse, where in very trueth hee remayned in de­fence of the Gal­leasse, and sought not to flie away, as a great nom­ber did.

(n) If it be meant, the xii. of August, the vn­truth is apparant: for there was ne­uer fight after that afore Cal­leis, which was the xxix. of Iu­lie, Stilo antiquo, and the 8. of their August.

(o) It is ve­ry true, that the Spaniards ships [Page 12] to make them­selues light to flie, did cast a­way their boates, they threw their Moiles and horses in­to the seas.

A condemnation of the Spa­nish lies. From England.

8 THis that is sayd of the Dukes grapling with Drakes ship, and taking of him captiue, and many other Noble men of Eng­land, is like all the rest of the lyes.

The Duke after hee went from Calleis to­wards Scotland, neuer came neere to offer fight with any English shippe, neuer turned backe to the English that followed him, but fledde away as winde and sayle could serue him.

If he had this fortune thus falsely reported, it is sure that hee would haue brought both Drake and some of the Noble men home with him into Spaine, to haue beene presented to the king, and not to haue gone home to his owne house without sight of the King. But in truth, there was not one Noble man, or Gen­tleman of any Marke that went to the sea, that was either slaine or taken: all are liuing, and are as willing, by Gods fauour, to aduenture their liues, as euer they were against any of the Queens enemies, whē she shal cōmand them.

And where these newes did much content the King, it is likely that if he thought them true, he was glad thereof, for so had his Maiestie cause: but hee is thought too wise, to haue [Page 13] thought, that after hee vnderstoode that the Duke and all his armie had fled from the coast of Flanders & England, that euer they were like to haue any victorie of the English, No, contra­riwise the King and all his wise Counsellours had cause to lament the dangers, whereunto of necessitie his Armada should fall by passing the dangerous coastes, Ilandes, & monstruous rockes of Scotland, & Ireland, of more danger for his Nauie to passe, then to haue passed frō Lisborne to the Moloccas, and home againe.

It is to be thought, that if the Empresse gaue the secretarie Ydiaques any rewarde for the newes, as it is likely shee did: she may iustly require it againe frō him, and giue him charge not to bring her Maiestie, nor the King his ma­ster any such notorious lyes hereafter: for if he vse it often, he is vnworthie to be Secre­tarie to so great a King.