New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-12
"ENGLISH SEAMEN."

rRorJDE's OXFORD LECTURES ON HAw-
KINs DRAKE AND OTHERs-A NAN
~ VIEW OF MANLY MEN AND OF
PATRIOTIC PR1vATEERING-
FROUDE's FAREWELL
TO OXFORD AND TO
LITERATURE
London. April 20.
How alive they are! And how fresh Is the
narratives in which Froude tells for the third or
fourth time the story Of these Protestant sea-
hero.s Of the sixteenth century! There. II you
like IN a real test of literary power; the power OF
renetition without WEAKNESS. without monotony,
without a trace Of anything In style or substance
IN suerest that the writer Is retreading familiar
ground. The title Of the first chapter gives
| vou the KEY to Froude's mind on this SUD-
| iect THE Sea Cradle Of the Reformation" he
writes OF sea power In this period OF history with
n sense of its Importance and OF Its decldng IN
huence upon the course OF events much al Gap
| tain Mahan might write. and with the same sure
| ness OF vision The English sea power. ne tells
ia. was the legitimate child OF the Reformation
vet the Reformation depended on Englands su-
| premacy at sea az England herself depends on H.
| The action and reaction or interaction OK these
influences Is as striking as anything can be. mat
| thew Parker and Bishop Jewel" says Froude,
| "the ,ud,cious Hooker himself excellent men as
| thev were would have written and preached to
anal, nurpose without Sir Francis brakes cannon
| - n,sv an accompaniment to their teaching
| And At the same time, equally true Is II that
"Drske,s cannon would not have roared so loudly
and 40 widely without seamen already trained IN
heart and hand 70 work his ships and level MS
artillery"
II was the Reformation. the revolt against Rome
| and against the ntolerable cruelties OF the In
ouisition which put the heart into these men,
| And II was Henry VIII who first gave England a
feet THE young King, like wise man, turned
his first attention to the broad ditch, as ne caieo
| the British Channel, which formed the natura'
defence OF the realm" Mr.. Gladstone Is credited
with having given It a prettier name. the silver
streak. That was his contribution to the secur'-
| ~ OF the Empire catching phrase
| Having done that he then proposed to abolish
II. and In place OF this natural defence to open a
| highway for invasion. But Mr.. Gladstone anu
Henry VIII are two different men. with different
conceptions Of what makes for the greatness OF
Great Britain Henry foresaw the revolution
| which eunpowder was going to cause In the art
| ~ war He saw that the opening OF the Atlantic
| reouIred larger ships. He repaired his dock
wards. built new and better ships. imported tall
| ans n cast him new cannon. And In some way he
| discovered one William Hawkins, who was after
| ward 10 play 80 considerable part In the new
warfare; little by himself, and much more by MS
greater son John Hawkins.
In the sumrner of 1874 the French attempt to In
wade England was made. In that way was Eng
land to be recovered TO the Papacy. But Henry
had zone on building ships. the famous Great
Harry one Of them There were $4,000 seamen In
his feet at Portsmouth Says Froude:
In this Portsmouth fleet lay undeveloped the
genius Of the future naval greatness OF England
4 small fact connected with 1t Is worth recording
The watchword on board was God save the
King; the answer was Long to reign over US
the earliest germ discoverable OF the English Ma
tional Anthem
The French came. 300 sail Of them. 1t was said
at the time; looked into spithead dawdled
while did not like the look Of the English fleet,
liked still less the pestilence which broke out on
their ships. and sailed Intellectually back to
Hayre. Then came after Henry's death. the long
| catalogue OF outrages which English seamen en-
dured at the hands Of the Holy ONCE 1t sounds
strange enough in these days that Spain or Span
ish ecclesiastics should have been suffered to
burn English Protestants az they liked--often for
no other crime than having Bible on board their
own ship In a Spanish harbor. But war was for
long time impossible. even under Elizabeth A
great part Of her subjects were Catholics first and
| English afterward. and gave Elizabeth enough 70
do at home in defending herself and her throne
against Catholic plots and conspracies
| Hence grew up among Professionals the habit OF
revenging their injuries at their own risk and In
their own way And thus from Edward VIths
time 10 the end Of the century privateering came
20 be the special occupation Of adventurous hon.
orable gentlemen, who could serve God their coun-
try and themselves in fighting Catholics" And
there we come pretty near to the true sources OF
| that long sea warfare which Hawkins and Drake
have made iilustrious for all time. Under Mary.
the fleet which her father had built was allowed
10 rot In harbor the forts lay dismantled. Calais
was lost the hearts OF her people were lost she
left the seas to the privateers and no trade -four
lshed save what the Catholics called piracy" The
pr,yateering Just suited Elizabeth when her turn
came. "she liked daring and adventure. She liked
men who would do her work without being paid
| for II. men whom she could disown when expedi-
emf. who would understand her and not resent H."
She had to look forward to the inevitable attack
| on her and her kingdom which waited only Phil
ms leisure. Time was wanted to restore the
navy The prvateers were a resource In the In
terval They might be called pirates while there
They were really the armed force Of the country"
Such is Froudes bold handling OF a question Of
ten discussed--always by Roman Catholics and
often BY sentimental modern Professionalism a
very different spirit. You will find him not less
bold when ne comes to consider Sir John Haw-
kins's slave trading expeditions. But whether
you agree with Froude or not you will like his
honest courage and bis manfulness In UNFOLDING
views which are sure to be denounced by peace
at-any price philosophers Of the nineteenth GEN.
fury. He has. moreover. In few flashing pages.
made the sea warfare Of those times conceivable
TO minds whose training is OF another kind than
was possible three centuries and more ago. He
has, like the artist he Is. prepared the stage
which his heroes are to tread. You see them In
q light which 10 both vivid and true; and you may
begin to Judge them. not according to the some
times starched morality Of the present but by tho