By Englands Aid | Page 3

respective fortresses
in November. Orders were issued for the raising of an army for service
in the Low Countries, and Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was appointed by
the queen to its command. The decision of the queen was received with
enthusiasm in England as well as in Holland, and although the Earl of
Leicester was not personally popular, volunteers flocked to his
standard.
Breakfast at Hedingham Rectory had been set at an earlier hour than
usual on the 6th of December, 1585. There was an unusual stir and
excitement in the village, for young Mr. Francis Vere, cousin of the
Earl of Oxford, lord of Hedingham and of all the surrounding country,
was to start that morning to ride to Colchester, there to join the Earl of
Leicester and his following as a volunteer. As soon as breakfast was
over young Geoffrey and Lionel Vickars, boys of fourteen and thirteen
years old, proceeded to the castle close by, and there mounted the
horses provided for them, and rode with Francis Vere to Colchester.
Francis, who was at this time twenty-five years old, was accompanied
by his elder brother, John, and his two younger brothers, Robert and
Horace, and by many other friends; and it was a gay train that cantered
down the valley of the Colne to Colchester. That ancient town was all
astir. Gentlemen had ridden in from all the country seats and manors
for many miles round, and the quiet streets were alive with people. At
two o'clock in the afternoon news arrived that the earl was approaching,
and, headed by the bailiffs of the town in scarlet gowns, the multitude
moved out to meet the earl on the Lexden road. Presently a long train
was seen approaching; for with Leicester were the Earl of Essex, Lords

North and Audley, Sir William Russell, Sir Thomas Shirley, and other
volunteers, to the number of five hundred horse. All were gaily attired
and caparisoned, and the cortège presented a most brilliant appearance.
The multitude cheered lustily, the bailiffs presented an address, and
followed by his own train and by the gentlemen who had assembled to
meet him, the earl rode into the town. He himself took up his abode at
the house of Sir Thomas Lucas, while his followers were distributed
among the houses of the townsfolk. Two hours after the arrival of the
earl, the party from Hedingham took leave of Mr. Francis Vere.
"Good-bye, lads," he said to the young Vickars. "I will keep my
promise, never fear; and if the struggle goes on till you are old enough
to carry arms, I will, if I am still alive, take you under my leading and
teach you the art of war."
Upon the following day the Earl of Leicester and his following rode to
Manningtree, and took boat down the Stour to Harwich, where the fleet,
under Admiral William Borough, was lying. Here they embarked, and
on the 9th of December sailed for Flushing, where they were joined by
another fleet of sixty ships from the Thames.
More than a year passed. The English had fought sturdily in Holland.
Mr. Francis Vere had been with his cousin, Lord Willoughby, who was
in command of Bergen-op-Zoom, and had taken part in the first brush
with the enemy, when a party of the garrison marched out and attacked
a great convoy of four hundred and fifty waggons going to Antwerp,
killed three hundred of the enemy, took eighty prisoners, and destroyed
all their waggons except twenty-seven, which they carried into the town.
Leicester provisioned the town of Grave, which was besieged by the
Duke of Parma, the Spanish commander-in-chief. Axel was captured by
surprise, the volunteers swimming across the moat at night, and
throwing open the gates. Doesburg was captured, and Zutphen
besieged.
Parma marched to its relief, and, under cover of a thick fog, succeeded
in getting close at hand before it was known that he was near. Then the
English knights and volunteers, 200 in number, mounted in hot haste
and charged a great Spanish column of 5000 horse and foot. They were

led by Sir William Russell, under whom were Lords Essex, North,
Audley, and Willoughby, behind the last of whom rode Francis Vere.
For two hours this little band of horse fought desperately in the midst
of the Spanish cavalry, and forced them at last to fall back, but were
themselves obliged to retreat when the Spanish infantry came up and
opened fire upon them. The English loss was 34 killed and wounded,
while 250 of the Spaniards were slain, and three of their colours
captured. Among the wounded on the English side was the very noble
knight Sir Philip Sidney, who was shot by a musket-ball, and died three
weeks afterwards.
The successes of the English during