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Nor had the other
foreign men-of-war a much better chance, because they too were crowded
with soldiers, carried only a few light guns, and were far less handy
than the English vessels under sail. They were, in fact, nothing very
much better than armed transports full of soldiers, who were dangerous
enough when boarding took place, but who were mere targets for the
English guns when kept at arm's length.
The actual Portsmouth campaign of 1545 was more like a sham battle than
a real one; though the French fleet came right over to England and no
one can doubt French bravery. Perhaps the best explanation is the one
given by Blaise de Montluc, one of the French admirals: "Our business
is rather on the land than on the water, where I do not know of any
great battles that we have ever won." Henry VIII had seized Boulogne
the year before, on which Francis I (Jacques Cartier's king) swore he
would clear the Channel of the English, who also held Calais. He
raised a very big fleet, partly by hiring Italian galleys, and sent it
over to the Isle of Wight.


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