A PACK OF SPANISH LIES, SENT ABROAD IN THE WORLD: FIRST printed in SPAIN in the Spanish tongue, and translated out of the Original. Now ripped up, unfolded, and by just examination condemned, as containing false, corrupt, and detestable wares, worthy to be damned and burned. PSAL. 5. VERS. 6. Thou shalt destroy them that speak lies, the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queen's most excellent Majesty. 1588. A Pack of SPANISH lies. From Spain. 1 THE true relation of the success of the Catholic army against their enemies, by letters of the Post master of Logrono of the iiii. of September, and by letters from Rouen of the one & thirtieth of August, (a) and by letters from Paris of the King's Ambassador there: wherein he declareth the imprisonment of Francis Drake, and other great Nobles of England, and how the Queen is in the field with an army, (b) and of a certain mutiny which was amongst the Queen's army, with the success of the said Catholic army since they entered in the Groin, till they came on the coast of England, with two ballets compounded by Christover Bravo, a (c) blind man of Cordowa, Printed with licence by Gabriel Ramos Beiarano Printer. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. By a letter of Diego Peres, chief Postmaster of Logrono, dated the second of September. 1588. 2 THe news of England is confirmed here, by a letter of the Governor of Rouen. He writeth he hath in his power the chief Pilot of captain Drake, and that he knoweth that all the English army remained overthrown, having sunk two and twenty ships, and taken forty, (d) and imprisoned Francis Drake, having given them chase almost as high as (e) Abspurge, and slain many by the sword, and likewise sayeth that there was found in captain Drakes ship, a piece of ordinance of five and twenty foot long, which discharged a shot of a hundredth weight at once, made of purpose, with one only shot to sink our Spanish Admiral, and it pleased God although she was somewhat battered, yet was she repaired again, and overthrew the English army. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. Copy of a letter that john Gamarra wrote from Rouen the xxxi. of August of the same year. 3 THe English have lost above xl. ships in one encounter, where they could not fly, which was in (f) Luxaten a Haven in Scotland, to the which place, since the departure of the Spanish armies from caleis, the English army followed, and supposing they went to take that Haven, they got before ours to defend the entrance: we seeing them so near the English fleet, and that they could not retire, as they always did, when they pleased, to the English Havens, they set upon them so valiantly, that they sunk xx. of their ships, and they took xxvi. whole and sound, and the rest seeing their destruction, fled away with great loss of men, and their ships very much battered, & with this (they say) the Spanish army took the Haven, where they are very well lodged, as every one affirmeth, and so the news is here: I pray God give them good success: we understand by the Post come from caleis, that in England it is forbidden upon pain of death and loss of goods, that no body do write news from thence to any place: which confirmeth the news above. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. Copy of a Letter that Pedro de Alva did write from Rouen the first of September of the same year. 4 I Do not write news of the Spanish army, because they are divers, and would gladly write the very truth. Now by the news which runneth from divers places, as caleis, Deep, and holland, and presumptions from England, & other places, it is holden for certain, that they have fought with the English, & broken their heads, having sunk many of their ships, and taken others, & the rest which they say were xxvii. ships, returned very much battered to the River of London, which are all those that could escape: There goeth with this Post another Post of jorge Seguin of cales, which saith that certain Masters and Mariners of Zealand, did affirm to the Governors of caleis, monsieur de Gorden, that our fleet is in a Haven or River in Scotland called (e) Trifla, where they say there may ride two thousand Ships: this is that which commonly is currant here. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. Advise from London, which the Ambassador of our sovereign Lord the King resident in Paris, had from thence. 5 BY news from London of the xxvi. of August, it is known for most certain from people of credit, that the Queen's Admiral general was arrived in the river of London, with xxv. ships only without his Admiral ship, (h) which was taken by our Admiral Saint john, & it is well known in Enganld, that to hide the loss of their Admiral ship, they say he put himself in a smaller ship the better to follow our army: & it is known for certainty that he saved himself in a boat when he lost his ship. That Drake for certainty is taken or slain. The same is confirmed by the way of Holland, by a Pinnace of theirs. And from Austerland, that the Queen commanded upon pain of death, that no body should speak of her fleet, and that there was great sorrow in those parts of England, and that the Queen had in the field thirty thousand raw soldiers, betwixt Dover & Margate, & that (i) the catholics understanding that all their fleet was dispersed, moved a certain mutiny, which forced the Queen to go herself into the field, and for certain it is known that there is not brought in to England, neither ship nor boat of ours, more than the ship of Don Pedro valdez, & that our fleet was gone in to Scotland, and arrived in a Haven called (k) Trapena Euxaten. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. By a letter of the chief Post master of Bordeaux, written to the French Ambassador, the 2. of Sept. 1588. 6 AFter that I had written this, here is arrived a Scottishman, which saith that all the Spanish fleet is arrived in Scotland, & that the Scottishmen have taken arms against the English. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. Relation of that which hath passed till this day, the fifth of September 1588. till three of the clock in the after noon, known by the relations and advise come to his Majesty from the happy fleet, whereof is General the Duke of Medina, in the conquest of England. 7 THat upon the thirtieth of july, without seeing any sail of the enemies in the sea, he came to the Channel, six leagues from Plymouth: where understanding the enemies were, he gathered together and set in order all the fleet: and sailing the first of August, there was discovered some sails of the enemies, the which the second day were numbered to be lx. sail, of which the Duke took the wind, & passed without any fight, although he presented the same to them, howbeit they began to shoot at the Rearward: but the Duke in the Galleon S. Martin, set the Prow of his ship against the biggest of the enemies, the which being succoured by twenty others, fled away: of this fight and first encounter, there was sunk three Galleasses, & four mighty Galeons' of the Queens: there was burnt of ours by negligence of a Gunner, the Admiral of Oquendo, & the enemies took the chief ship of Don Pedro Valdez, which being entangled with others under his charge: was left without tackle, and so near the enemies, that she could not be succoured by others. With this, our fleet seeing that the enemy in every point did fly from giving battle, they sailed with some calm weather, & the enemies after them, shooting always at the Rearward, until the seventh, that our fleet anchored in the Road of S. john, betwixt caleis & bolin, nine leagues from Dunkirk, & the enemies did the like, the nearest they could to England. The night being approached, the enemies got up their anchors, to get the wind, and not to suffer our ships to go out of the Road to sea, because they had trimmed viii. ships of fire, which with the corrent of the water, should have put themselves amongst our ships, to have burnt them. But my Lord the Duke, foreseeing the danger, prevented them, with commandment that the ships that were nearest, should cut their Cables, & to take up the others with a readiness uncredible: and with this the enemy's pretence was hindered, and so got the sea most bravely, and with such good fortune, that if he had not done it, our army should have been in evil case, for in the very place which we left, there was shot off by them, out of those fiery ships, such fires, & other engines, that were sufficient to burn the Sea, much more, ships which are made of wood and pitch. In this departure, the Captain of the Galleasses had a great mischance: for getting up her Anchor, a Cable fell foul of her Helm, that she could not follow the rest, which caused one of her sides to lie so high, that her ordinance could not play, and so xxv. pinnaces came and battered her, and withal this, if the mariners, soldiers, & rowers that were in her, had not cast themselves into the sea, it is held for certain, that (m) Don Hugo de Moncada had defended her, as he did until she came into caleis, where at the entrance thereof, he was killed of two Caliver shot, the people on shore defended the galliass, & all that was in her, and delivered the same to our Sovereign Lord the King's ministers. At this time, the Duke had a very frank wind, & the like had the Queen's Fleet: and so they both passed by the sight of Dunkirk, insomuch as they on land knew the Gallion S. Martin, and others that went fight with the English army, and in this order they went till the twelfth. Afterwards they writ, that there came into caleis a ship, which saith, that the (n) xii. day they did see the two Fleets together in fight: an other which came afterwards, said he had seen some ships spoiled and torn, & from them they threw out (o) their baggage which they saved in boats, which argueth, they were ships of the enemies, for that our men had no place to save themselves, nor there were none of them arrived into Flanders, which was their place of return. A Pack of Spanish lies. From Spain. 8 Out of England was advise given, that on the xiii. arrived fifteen of the Queen's ships, and they said that the Galleon Saint Martin, wherein my Lord the Duke is, (whom God preserve) had encountered with Drake, & had grappled his ship, & captived his Person, and other Noble English men, and taken other fifteen ships, beside others that were distressed, & the Duke with his fleet, followed his way to Scotland, because the wind was not come about. With these news, his Majesty resteth very much contented, and caused them to be sent to the Empress, by the hands of Francisco Ydiaquez, his Secretary of estate. IMPRINTED in SEVIL in the house of Cosmo de lara Printer of Books, by licence of the Count of Orgaz, Assistant in SEVIL. JOAN. 8.44. Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he hath been a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, then speaketh he of his own: for he is a liar and the father thereof. A condemnation of the SPANISH lies. From England. 1 IT is well known to all the world, how false all this relation is, and either falsely coloured by the Letters remembered, or else both the post Master of Logrono, and the writers from Rouen ought to be waged as Intelligencers for the devil the father of lies, whom they have herein truly served: and if they so continue in maintenance thereof against the known truth, their damnation is certain, and hell is open for them. (a) The Letters from the king's Ambassador, whose name is Mendoza, agreeable to their Master's name, being the reporter of mendacià mendacissima, & considering that he hath written that Francis Drake is imprisoned, and many Nobles of England, if Mendoza will stand to his Letters, so as he would gauge, and by his hand writing assure but his worst jennet and his bells, he shall be answered for the said Sir Francis Drakes person, or any Nobleman, gentleman, or page so taken in the fight between the two Armies, for the ransom of every of the said prisoners 40000. Crowns in the Royal Eschange of London. But the truth is, Sir Francis Drake was so far off to be a prisoner, that he was the taker: for he took Pedro de Valdez, and 400. more Spanish prisoners at one time. And to prove this to be true, Mendoza shall have if he will require it, Pedro de Valdez own hand to show, that he is prisoner to Sir Francis Drake, and 400. more taken with him, and not one English man taken in that service. (b) It is so false that there was any mutiny in the Q. Army, that she herself was there, with the greatest honour, love, and applause received, that could be imagined for a Lady and a Queen. She road round about her Army, and passed through every part thereof, to their inestimable comfort: she lodged and did eat in the Camp, as quietly as ever she did in her own chamber. In the Army was never any fray or discord: exercise of Arms was daily used and showed before her, to her great honour: yea, and with an universal extolling of Gods Name every day Morning and Evening, in loud prayers and psalms: and the like song in her own hearing against all tyranny by invasion of God's enemies: and this every man may judge to be far from any colour of mutiny. (c) It was a meet occupation for a blind man, to put lies into songs: and if he knew how false his verses were when he published them, it were to be wished that he had his eyes restored to see his lies, and then his tongue cut out that uttered them, and his eyes clean plucked out of his head, that he should never see any more written lies. As for his ears, it were good to have them open, to hear men call him justly, a notable blind liar. A Condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England. 2 THe Governor of Rouen is accounted a worthy noble man, and therefore he shall do well to make this report of him to be known for a lie: for so surely he knoweth it to be, that there was never either a chief Pilot or the value of a boy of Captain Drakes taken and brought to him as a prisoner. The Governors of Bollen and caleis can inform the Governor of Rouen, how false a report it was, that the English Army remained overthrown afore caleis: the English army fought with the Spanish, chased the Spanish as a brace of Greyhounds would a herd of Deer: the Spaniards ships were beaten, spoiled, , sunk, some in the main seas afore Dunkirk, some afore Flushing, and the rest chased away, so as they fled continually afore the English Navy in their best order for strength, without daring to abide any fight: yea, some one of the English ships fought with 3. of their Galleasses, the Spaniards never attempting to board any English, but as many of them as could sail away, fled with all their sails, & were followed by the English, until they were chased out of all the English seas, and forced then to run a violent course about Scotland, and so to Ireland, where a great number of their ships are drowned, their men taken, and many killed by the savage people for their spoil, and the English Navy upon good consideration left them, when they saw them so hastily to fly desperately into the Northern dangerous Seas, where the English Navy did very certainly know that there would be no safety for them to follow the Spanish. Why durst any report that 22. English ships were sunk, and 40. were taken, when in truth there was not any one of the English ships sunk or taken? A strange disposition, to forge such great lies, whereof there was no ground, nor colour. If any one or two of the English had been sunk, a liar might have put the number of 20. for 2. and excused the lie by error of figuring: but of none in number, no number can be made, but by falsehood. The Governor of Rouen being a man of great honour and virtue, aught to revenge this shameful lie made upon him: for Lucian never did in all his lies use more impudency, than these Spanish liars do report of him. (d) If Drakes ship were taken, if there was such a piece of ordinance of such a length, in what Port is that ship? in whose possession is that piece? Drake is returned with honour: his ship called the Revenge is in harborough, ready for a revenge by a new service, no ship lost, no ordinance missing. (e) The foolish liar maketh mention of Abspurg in Scotland: in all Scotland is no such place, in Germany is a country called Habspurg, but any wager may be laid, that none of the Spanish came ever thither. Every line, or every sentence, containeth a lie. The Duke himself is returned: let him confirm this untruth, that he overthrew the English army: it can not be imagined, that he, (being a person of so great honour) will allow so notorious a lie to be taken for a truth: for if he had such a victory, why did he not land to conquer England? why did he never enter into any part of England? why did he never carry any Ensign of England into Spain to show, as very many of the Spanish were brought into England? A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England. 3 ALl this is likewise as full of lies, as lines. john Gamarra may be what he is: but if there be such a man, and that he wrote as is mentioned, except he be a professed member of the Devil to forge lies, he knoweth that he wrote falsely. (f) He noteth also a Haven in scotland called Luxaten: none such was ever known there. In Utopia there may be such a one: no Spaniard can say that they took any Haven in Scotland: it is altogether vain otherwise to reprove this: but all that is reported are lies, & so let Gamarra repent, or follow the Devil his master, the father of malicious lies. A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England. 4 THis Pedro Alva could be content to send lies, but he is more wary in the avowing of them: he reporteth lies, as he saith, that came from other places. But of all other places, none could make a truer report than caleis, where the Governor, and all the inhabitants saw the Spanish army mightily beaten by the English, and it was affirmed by men there of great judgement, that never was seen by any man living such a battery, so great for number, so furious, and of so long continuance, as the English made against the Spanish. caleis saw the Spanish army first driven from their anchors with fire: they saw the greatest galliass of the Spanish, whereof was Commander that worthy noble man Moncada, spoiled, & himself slain in the galliass by the English. caleis did see the next day, that the English Navy fought and did beat the Spanish Armada from viii. of the clock in the Morning, until 4. in the afternoon without any ceasing. caleis saw the Spanish hoist up all their sails, & fly as fast as wind could drive, & the English to follow and pursue them, and yet caleis saw a sufficient Navy of England left afore Dunkirk, able to master all the Shipping that the Duke of Parma had provided. (g) The last part of this report is a like lie to the other: there is no such Port in Scotland, called Trifla, neither did any of the Spaniards take succour in any Haven, nor yet could have done, by reason of the contrary winds. A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England. 5 HEre followeth the Mountain of lies. It is reason that if there were liars in London, they should send them to Mendoza: for so Mendacia are of more price with him, then true reports, and so was he accustomed when he was Ambassador in England, to buy more lies, because he liked them, better than truths. If one should make a Section, or anatomy of this Mountain and body of lies, there is no piece, nor joint to be found sound. (h) The Admiral Ship, which was called the ARK ROYAL, was safely brought home by the Lord Admiral of England L. Howard: he never changed her, she is (thanked be GOD) safe with other the Queen's Royal Ships, she is able with the Lord Admiral, to match in fight with the Duke of Medina, or any Prince of Christendom, in any ship that the King of Spain hath. This is not spoken for ostentation: but God's favour is assured to England in the justice of the quarrel, against any Inuadour. (i) If there were a mutiny of Catholics, they should have been hanged or punished: but it was not known that one Catholic did stir this Summer with hand or tongue to move offence, neither was any one imprisoned, or otherwise punished. (k) The last line is a lie, with like error as the former: for there is no Haven in Scotland called Trapena Exaten. This Mendoza was very curious to forge a strange name, as it appeareth he had read of some such in Peru or in new Spain. A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England. 6 THis Scottishman, (I think,) hath no name: a manifest lie it was, that Scottishmen had taken Arms against the English. Such a lie did Mendoza publish some years past, that the king of Scots had besieged and won Berwick. I trust he remembreth now, how false a lie it was: but yet he hath no grace, as it seemeth, to forbear from forging of lies, for his choleric appetite. But a manifest truth it is, that the King of Scots at the time meant, made a general Proclamation, that no Scottishman should victual any Spaniard, for that the King did know they came to have conquered both England and Scotland. And on the other side, the King by Proclamation commanded, that all succours should be given to the Army of England, as being the army of his Sister and confederate, and the Prince whom he knew to be invaded most injustly. Many Scottishmen might at Bordeaux have reported this for a truth. A condemnation of Spanish lies. From England. 7 ALL these untrue news are said to have come from the spanish Fleet, to the King's Majesty. By this time 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 fly about Scotland and Ireland. (l) He also will not say, that either three Galiasses, & four Galleons of England were sunk, or that ever he could see one ship or one boat of England sunk. He can tell the King with great grief, that he never had fortunate day, from his coming from the Groin, till he returned with the loss of as many ships, men, victuals, treasure, and ordinance, as might have made a good army by sea: and great pity it is for Christendom, that both that which is lost, and that which remaineth had not been used by the King catholic, against the Infidels, and not with ambition on to employ such kind of forces, to invade Christian countries therewith, who if he would live in peace with them, would be ready to join their forces with his, to dilate the fines of Christendom, & forbear spending of Christian blood amongst Christians. (m) This Noble man was killed with a small shot in the galliass, where in very truth he remained in defence of the galliass, and sought not to fly away, as a great number did. (n) If it be meant, the xii. of August, the untruth is apparent: for there was never fight after that afore caleis, which was the xxix. of julie, Stilo antiquo, and the 8. of their August. (o) It is very true, that the Spaniards ships to make themselves light to fly, did cast away their boats, they threw their moils and horses into the seas. A condemnation of the Spanish lies. From England. 8 THis that is said of the Duke's grappling with Drakes ship, and taking of him captive, and many other Noble men of England, is like all the rest of the lies. The Duke after he went from caleis towards Scotland, never came near to offer fight with any English ship, never turned back to the English that followed him, but fled away as wind and sail could serve him. If he had this fortune thus falsely reported, it is sure that he would have brought both Drake and some of the Noble men home with him into Spain, to have been presented to the king, and not to have gone home to his own house without sight of the King. But in truth, there was not one Noble man, or Gentleman of any Mark that went to the sea, that was either slain or taken: all are living, and are as willing, by God's favour, to adventure their lives, as ever they were against any of the Queen's enemies, when she shall command them. And where these news did much content the King, it is likely that if he thought them true, he was glad thereof, for so had his Majesty cause: but he is thought too wise, to have thought, that after he understood that the Duke and all his army had fled from the coast of Flanders & England, that ever they were like to have any victory of the English, No, contrariwise the King and all his wise counsellors had cause to lament the dangers, whereunto of necessity his Armada should fall by passing the dangerous coasts, Islands, & monstrous rocks of Scotland, & Ireland, of more danger for his Navy to pass, then to have passed from Lisbon to the Moloccas, and home again. It is to be thought, that if the Empress gave the secretary Ydiaques any reward for the news, as it is likely she did: she may justly require it again from him, and give him charge not to bring her Majesty, nor the King his master any such notorious lies hereafter: for if he use it often, he is unworthy to be Secretary to so great a King. Imprinted at London by the DEPUTIES of Christopher Barker, Printer to the Queen's most excellent Majesty. 1588. ZACH. 8.26. These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth unto his neighbour. EPHES. 4.25. Wherefore cast off lying, and speak every man truth unto his neighbour: for we are members one of another.