Hauing therefore determinately purposed to put on this habite of a
souldier, I grew doubtfull whether to employ my time in the wars of the low
Countries, which are in auxiliarie maner maintained by her maiestie, or to
folow the fortune of this voiage, which was an aduenture of her and many
honorable personages, in reuenge of vnsupportable wrongs offered vnto the
estate of our countrey by the Castilian king: in arguing whereof, I find
that by how much the chalenger is reputed before the defendant, by so much
is the iourney to be preferred before those defensiue wars. For had the
duke of Parma his turne bene to defend, as it was his good fortune to
inuade: from whence could haue proceeded that glorious honor which these
late warres haue laid vpon him, or what could haue bene said more of him,
then of a Respondent (though neuer so valiant) in a priuate Duell: Euen,
that he hath done no more then by his honor he was tied vnto. For the gaine
of one towne or any small defeat giueth more renoume to the Assailant, then
the defence of a countrey, or the withstanding of twentie encounters can
yeeld any man who is bound by his place to guard the same: whereof as well
the particulars of our age, especially in the Spaniard, as the reports of
former histories may assure us, which haue still laied the fame of all
warres vpon the Inuader. And do not ours in these dayes liue obscured in
Flanders, either not hauing wherewithall to manage any warre, or not
putting on armes, but to defend themselues when the enemie shall procure
them? Whereas in this short time of our aduenture, we haue won a towne by
escalade, battered and assaulted another, ouerthrowen a mightie princes
power in the field, landed our armie in 3 seueral places of his kingdom,
marched 7 dayes in the heart of his country, lien three nights in the
suburbs of his principall citie, beaten his forces into the gates thereof,
and possessed two of his frontier forts, as shall in discourse thereof more
particularly appeare: whereby I conclude, that going with an Inuader, and
in such an action as euery day giueth new experience, I haue much to vaunt
of, that my fortune did rather cary me thither then into the wars of