L'Inde. The inclusion of India in Philip's dominions can hardly be justified. As King of Spain he possessed nothing in India, and as King of Portugal only a few trading stations and fortresses.
For Hugo's conception of the power and position of Spain at this epoch, see Le Rhin: Conclusion, II, III.
L. 130. Prescott describes Philip as being habitually grave in manner, unsocial and sombre, and always dressed in black. The Order of the Golden Fleece was the only jewel he ever wore.
L. 137. 'Better a ruined kingdom, true to itself and its king, than one left unharmed to the profit of the Devil and the heretics.'—Correspondence of Philip, quoted by Prescott in the History of Philip II.
Burgos, the ancient capital of Old Castile. Aranjuez, a town in the province of Toledo, where Philip had a summer residence.
la toison d'or, the Golden Fleece, an order of knighthood founded by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in 1420.
grincer un sourire: a bold and vivid expression, grincer meaning 'to gnash the teeth.'
gastadour, from the Lat. vastator, ravager, despoiler.
l'Escaut, the Scheldt. The Adour is a river in Southern France, but no ships for the Armada came from France. One suspects the influence of gastadour in the line above.
mestre de camp, an old term for commander of a regiment.