But, in consideration of the great danger,
merchants and private gentlemen fitted out vessels at their own
expense, and by midsummer a fleet of one hundred and ninety-seven
ships was placed at the disposal of the British admiral. In tonnage,
number of guns, and number of men, the strength of the whole fleet was
about one half that of the Armada.
21. But all England was aroused. For more than five centuries this was
the first foreign invasion that had threatened her shores. The years
of preparation had given time for the avowed purposes of Philip to
become known throughout the kingdom. There was anxiety everywhere, for
no one knew where and when the blow was to be struck; but there was no
thought of submission, and all England stood alert, eagerly watching
and waiting. Much to Philip's disappointment and chagrin, the great
Catholic families of England rallied to their country's defense as
readily as their Protestant neighbors, and all Englishmen stood
shoulder to shoulder in this supreme moment of the nation's peril.
Vessels patrolled the shores, to give notice of the coming ships;
soldiers drilled in every hamlet; and on the hill-tops piles of fagots
were placed so that signal-fires might speedily send the news to the
remotest parts of the kingdom.
WAITING FOR THE ARMADA.
22. Canon Kingsley has given a graphic picture of England's great
naval commanders, when the news was received that the Armada was off
the coast.
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