What  I  think  might  be  done  with  the  forces  at  present  at  your
Majesty's  disposal  is  (after  having  obtained  trustworthy  accounts
of  the  enemy  to  be  encountered,  who,  it  will  be  safest  to  conclude,
will  be  strong)  to  send  out  a  large  force  of  galleons  and  galleasses
and  some  galleys,  to  be  quite  on  the  safe  side,  and  prevent  a  greater
evil  happening  than  heretofore.  It  will  be  necessary  also  to  make
due  provision,  both  afloat  and  ashore,  on  the  coasts  of  Portugal
and  Galicia,  and  bring  thither  a  half  of  the  galleys,  in  order  to
guard  to  some  extent  against  the  evil  that  might  occur  there,
although  God  knows  whether  they  will  be  sufficient  to  prevent  the
enemy  from  landing.
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  fleet  to  be  sent  out  by  your
Majesty  to  redress  these  injuries  will  run  some  risk,  because  not
only  will  the  enemy  be  already  strong  there,  but  another  fleet  may
Bail  from  England  to  destroy  our  force,  so  that  it  will  be  in  danger
in  any  case,  and  if  it  were  lost  (which  God  forbid  !)  your  Majesty
would  be  very  unprotected.  For  this  reason  and  to  prevent  the
evils  which  might  result,  it  will  be  necessary  in  the  meanwhile  to
build  12  or  15  ships  of  the  new  invention  I  have  described,  which
would,  to  a  great  extent,  secure  us  from  danger  at  sea,  and  might
ha,ve  an  opportunity  of  destroying  a  fleet  of  the  enemy.  These
ships  might  be  finished  in  a  year  if  dihgence  is  used  with  them.
