Sluys at an early period of the siege, four regiments of Walloons,
four of Germans, one of Italians, one of Burgundians, fifty-two
companies of Spaniards, twenty-four troops of horse, and forty-eight
guns. This would give a total of at least 17,000 men, and further
reinforcements afterwards arrived.

Against so overwhelming a force as this, it could not be hoped
that the garrison, outnumbered by more than ten to one, could
long maintain themselves, and the Duke of Parma looked for an easy
conquest of the place. By both parties the possession of Sluys was
regarded as a matter of importance out of all proportion to the
size and population of the town; for at that time it was known in
England that the King of Spain was preparing a vast fleet for the
invasion of Britain, and Sluys was the nearest point to our shores
at which a fleet could gather and the forces of Parma embark to
join those coming direct from Spain. The English, therefore, were
determined to maintain the place to the last extremity; and while
Parma had considered its capture as an affair of a few days only,
the little garrison were determined that for weeks at any rate they
would be able to prolong the resistance, feeling sure that before
that time could elapse both the States and England, knowing the
importance of the struggle, would send forces to their relief.

The view taken as to the uselessness of defending the castle was
fully justified, as the Spaniards on the following day removed the
guns that they had employed in battering it, to their works facing
the western gate, and fire was opened next morning. Under cover
of this the Spanish engineers pushed their trenches up to the very
edge of the moat, in spite of several desperate sorties by the
garrison. The boys had been forbidden by Captain Vere to take their