The royall English fleet, which did behold The martiall order of their nauall traine, Came sayling forward, and with courage bold, For England’s queene did waue their fleet amaine, Who in contempt soone waued them againe, Whereby defiance with vndaunted pride, By cannons cuffe was giuen from either side. 217. Then bloodie Ennyon thundring out aloud, Made each one thirst in fight his foe t’offend, And as fierce fire wrapt vp in dampish cloud, With violent force the sides thereof doth rend, And with pale lightning thunder downe doth send; So England’s warlike fleet wing’d with swift gale, Broke through the waues th’Iberians to assaile. 218. [Sidenote: The first fight before Plimmouth.] The drums did beat, the trumpets shrill did sound, Each aduerse force began the furious fight; Then in the aire the fierce claps did redound Of cannons hidious rore, and with affright, Fire flashing leapt about and maz’d their sight; And thus in furie did the fight begin With darknesse, horror, death and dreadfull din. 219. The seas did boile, the buxome aire did swell, A cloake of clouds did ouercast the skie, The echoing rockes the fight farre off did tell, The bullets thicke as haile from clouds on high, From either side in gloomie smoake did flie, And pale-fac’d death vnseene of all the throng, Aboue their heads in thicke fumes houering hung. 220. The fight grew fell, and of disaster haps In each blacke barke reports loud trumpet sings, While heau’n records the cannons roring claps, And the darke aire with grumbling murmurings Of whistling bullets, borne on fiery wings, Whose horrid thunder drown’d the volleies hot And lesser noise of many a thousand shot. 221. Oft did the English with the winde and weather, Charge on their foe-men’s ships with hot assay, Who for their safegard bound round vp together, Pluckt in their hornes and in a roundell lay, While on their sides the cannon still did play, Not daring fight, except to rescue those, That beaten were by their bold Britaine foes. 222. [Sidenote: Lord _Thomas Howard_ now Earle of Suffolke.] Both the bold _Howards_ and lord _Sheffield_ hight, With _Hawkins_, _Frobisher_, and famous _Drake_, Braue _Barker_, _Crosse_, and _Southwell_ that stout knight, There, where the foes the fight most hot did make, Through danger, dread and death their way did take, And gainst their foes did fierie vengeance spit, Which did their barks great bulkes in sunder split. 223.