Of the thirteen thousand came home six thousand, the rest having perished
of dysentery and other disorders. They had braved and insulted Spain,
humbled her generals, defied her power, burned some defenceless villages,
frightened the peasantry, set fire to some shipping, destroyed wine, oil,
and other merchandize, and had divided among the survivors of the
expedition, after landing in England, five shillings a head prize-money;
but they had not effected a revolution in Portugal. Don Antonio had been
offered nothing by his faithful subjects but a dish of plums--so that he
retired into obscurity from that time forward--and all this was scarcely
a magnificent result for the death of six or seven thousand good English
and Dutch soldiers, and the outlay of considerable treasure.

As a free-booting foray--and it was nothing else--it could hardly be
thought successful; although it was a splendid triumph compared with the
result of the long and loudly heralded Invincible Armada.

In France, great events during the remainder of 1588 and the following
year, and which are well known even to the most superficial student of
history, had much changed the aspect of European affairs. It was
fortunate for the two commonwealths of Holland and England, engaged in
the great struggle for civil and religious liberty, and national
independence, that the attention of Philip became more and more absorbed-
as time wore on--with the affairs of France. It seemed necessary for him
firmly to establish his dominion in that country before attempting once
more the conquest of England, or the recovery of the Netherlands. For
France had been brought more nearly to anarchy and utter decomposition
than ever. Henry III., after his fatal forgiveness of the deadly offence
of Guise, felt day by day more keenly that he had transferred his
sceptre--such as it was--to that dangerous intriguer. Bitterly did the
King regret having refused the prompt offer of Alphonse Corse on the day