A million and a half pounds could sustain England for years. Without it, Elizabeth would not have survived much longer. England was perpetually on the brink of being swallowed up by the Spanish. In that event, which seemed all too likely, Spain would annex the island nation, and the Protestant revolution would founder. Now everything was different, thanks to the gold and silver captured by Drake. Even English government officials were alarmed by the unexpected change in the status quo.
