AGAIN, when the Spanish Armada swooped down upon England (1588) a terrible tempest dispersed a part of the enemy’s fleet.* Many of the vessels were wrecked and only a few were left to creep back, crippled and disheartened, to the ports of Spain. When Queen Elizabeth publicly thanked the leaders of her valiant navy for what they had done to repel the Spanish forces, she also acknowledged how much England owed to the protective power of wind and wave.
The same elements taught Napoleon a lesson which he never forgot. He had carefully planned an expedition against England, but violent and long-continued storms compelled him to abandon the hazardous undertaking (1804). The great French commander felt himself invincible on land, but he was obliged to confess that “a few leagues of salt water” had completely out-generalled him.*
In fact, ever since England organized a regular navy (1512) the encircling arms of the ocean have been her closest and surest friend.
See The Spanish Armada.
He was not the first great ruler to be frustrated by an ‘overgrown river’. See Xerxes Scourges the Hellespont.
About the Author
David Henry Montgomery (1837-1928) was an American historian and educator, best known for his ‘Leading Facts’ series of textbooks outlining the history of America, France and England. He researched the last of these while on a visit to the United Kingdom, and consulted a dazzling array of primary and secondary sources to “illustrate the great law of national growth, in the light thrown upon it by the foremost English historians.” Short, clear outlines of history reinforced belief in the progress of nations through personal liberty, responsibility and industrial enterprise, in contrast with bloodshed and the glorification of Power. His textbooks were popular in American schools from the 1890s to the 1920s.
Archive
Find this and neighbouring posts in The Archive
Find this post and others dated 1893 in The Tale of Years
Tags: International Relations (41) History (954) British History (493) Modern History (343) D. H. Montgomery (12)
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Armada. Demand. Few.
2 Both. Dishearten. Send.
3 All. Storm. Valiant.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. People. 2. League. 3. Race. 4. Demand. 5. Regular. 6. Storm. 7. Queen. 8. Hold. 9. Force.
Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.
Opposites Find in Think and Speak
Suggest words or phrases that seem opposite in meaning to each of the words below. We have suggested some possible answers; see if you can find any others.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
Show Useful Words (A-Z order)
Begin. Few. Learn. Pacific. Peaceable. Promptly. Remember. Repeatedly. Small. Start. Worse.
Variations: 1.instead of opposites, suggest words of similar meaning (synonyms). 2.use a word and its opposite in the same sentence. 3.suggest any 5 opposites formed by adding dis-.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
bns (7+3)
See Words
bans. beans. bins. bones. bonus. boons. buns.
beanies. bonsai. boonies.