A Child's History of England.171

THIRD PART

On its being formally made known to Elizabeth that the sentence had been executed on the Queen of Scots, she showed the utmost grief and rage, drove her favourites from her with violent indignation, and sent Davison to the Tower; from which place he was only released in the end by paying an immense fine which completely ruined him. Elizabeth not only over-acted her part in making these pretences, but most basely reduced to poverty one of her faithful servants for no other fault than obeying her commands.

James, King of Scotland, Mary's son, made a show likewise of being very angry on the occasion; but he was a pensioner [领养老金者] of England to the amount of five thousand pounds a year, and he had known very little of his mother, and he possibly regarded her as the murderer of his father, and he soon took it quietly.

Philip, King of Spain, however, threatened to do greater things than ever had been done yet, to set up the Catholic religion and punish Protestant England. Elizabeth, hearing that he and the Prince of Parma were making great preparations for this purpose, in order to be beforehand with them sent out Admiral Drake (a famous navigator, who had sailed about the world, and had already brought great plunder from Spain) to the port of Cadiz, where he burnt a hundred vessels full of stores [物品]. This great loss obliged the Spaniards [西班牙人] to put off the invasion for a year; but it was none the less formidable for that [不因为那个就不可怕了], amounting to one hundred and thirty ships, nineteen thousand soldiers, eight thousand sailors, two thousand slaves, and between two and three thousand [2000~3000] great guns. England was not idle in making ready to resist this great force. All the men between sixteen years old and sixty, were trained and drilled [操练]; the national fleet of ships (in number only thirty-four at first) was enlarged by public contributions and by private ships, fitted out [配备人员] by noblemen; the city of London, of its own accord [without being asked or forced ], furnished double the number of ships and men that it was required to provide; and, if ever the national spirit was up in England, it was up all through the country to resist the Spaniards. Some of the Queen's advisers were for [want/intend] seizing the principal English Catholics, and putting them to death; but the Queen - who, to her honour, used to say, that she would never believe any ill [恶意] of her subjects, which a parent would not believe of her own children - rejected the advice, and only confined a few of those who were the most suspected, in the fens [沼泽地区] in Lincolnshire. The great body of Catholics deserved this confidence; for they behaved most loyally, nobly, and bravely.

So, with all England firing up like one strong, angry man, and with both sides of the Thames [泰晤士河] fortified, and with the soldiers under arms [武装起来], and with the sailors in their ships, the country waited for the coming of the proud Spanish fleet, which was called The Invincible [无敌] Armada [舰队]. The Queen herself, riding in armour on a white horse, and the Earl of Essex and the Earl of Leicester holding her bridal [马勒] rein [缰绳], made a brave speech to the troops at Tilbury Fort opposite Gravesend, which was received with such enthusiasm as is seldom known [罕见的热情]. Then came the Spanish Armada into the English Channel, sailing along in the form of a half moon, of such great size that it was seven miles broad. But the English were quickly upon it, and woe [悲哀] then to all the Spanish ships that dropped a little out of the half moon, for the English took them instantly! And it soon appeared that the great Armada was anything but invincible, for on a summer night, bold Drake sent eight blazing fire-ships right into the midst of it. In terrible consternation [惊慌] the Spaniards tried to get out to sea, and so became dispersed; the English pursued them at a great advantage; a storm came on, and drove the Spaniards among rocks and shoals [沙洲]; and the swift [quick] end of the Invincible fleet was, that it lost thirty great ships and ten thousand men, and, defeated and disgraced, sailed home again. Being afraid to go by the English Channel, it sailed all round Scotland and Ireland; some of the ships getting cast away on the latter coast in bad weather, the Irish, who were a kind of savages, plundered those vessels and killed their crews. So ended this great attempt to invade and conquer England. And I think it will be a long time before any other invincible fleet coming to England with the same object, will fare [progress, get on] much better than the Spanish Armada.

六级/考研单词: tertiary, execute, utmost, grief, rage, indignant, immense, ruin, obey, likewise, catholic, punish, princess, fame, navigate, sail, vessel, oblige, invade, formidable, slave, idle, drill, nationwide, fleet, enlarge, noble, accord, furnish, headmaster, advice, confine, confide, loyal, fortify, armour, rein, fort, enthusiasm, seldom, bold, blaze, midst, disperse, pursuit, swift, latter, savage, crew, conquer, fare