hosc ships alal, intel h st:ty with him on the Narrw Seas; and so parting comlanies the same m,rning athwart of Dt, vcr, and with a fleasant gale all the way long, came and arrived this day, being fle 231, al.ut eight of the clock in the morning, at this lgwt of Plymouth, whence Sir Fran.is lh'ake came tirth with ixty ail very well appoi,te, l to meet with me; and st,, casting ah,,ut, he pat with me into the haven ain, where [ mean to stay there two days tt water our fleet, and afterwards, Go,l willing, to take the qqortmdty of the first win,l scrvin tr the cnst of Spain, with intentin to lie on and off hetwixt Eng]:md :tnd that e-at to watch the ming of the Sl,:mish
When, on 3Ity 2th, Howtrd ain wrote to ]urhley t the fleet ws, coltrary to the commander-in-chief's expectations, still t l'lymouth.
"[ have receive, t a letter," he said, "fi-om my man Burnell, e whom I lel to come aler us with the ten ships with victuals. 1 I,erccive hy his leter that the ships, and also the victuals, be nothing in that readiness that I looke, l they should be in, nor as Mr. Quarles s di,l promise ile: tr he did ensure me that within seven or eight ,lays at the farthest they shauhl he dispatched after my departure from the Court, which was the 14th of this 111ult]l. Burnell's ]eter mto me I:treth date of the 20th, and siifieth unto me that Mr. Quarles aa,l Mr. l'eter t,l,I hint that it wonhi not be ready to depart in 12 or 1 days after; and besides that the ships were in no readiness that should bring it, and that there wonld be no mariners gotten for them .... We have here n.w but 18 days' victual, and there is nanc to le gttten in all this country; and what that is to go withal t, sea, your L,,r, lshils may judge."
He had lredy learnt that the Armad was to httve sailed with the first fair wind; and, relisin the dtnger of delsey, expresd his inntion of silin, short of .stores though he was, "for go we will, though we stytree"; seein that he did not know whether the Spaniards were 1,ound for Elgltnd, Ireland, or Scotltnd. "I believe surely," he tdded, "if the wid hld here but six days, they will kocic t our door. If they do so, the ftult is not ours; far I hope we hve lst n,,t aue hour nor minute of time, l,r will suffer ny fter to be lost." Ad in sec,nd letter 4 of the same day he said: "There is het'c the gtll:tntest c,mpazy of capttins, soldiers, ad tariners thtt [ thik ever was seen il England. It were pity they sh,ld ltck m'at, when they are so desirous to spend their lives i her Mjesty's service."
Vals3ngham n Jtme 9tb, t the queen's dix,ction, wrote s to H,wrd, desirin him uot to cruise, as he htd intended, so l'tr to
S. P. Dom. ccx. 35. e Francis Burnell, -f Act,,n Bornell. lie was then col,rain of the .Uar Rose, and later joine, l the ..Irk. From ,no 1,ninth ,sf his Izmily are descended the Italiau Actohs, m,I Lord Acton; frtm antther, Col,rain .h.,lm 'oke Burnell (1), ILN. s James Quarles was Baeshe's soecess,,' in the Victualling 1 epartment.
a S. P. Dom. cox. 36. lb., ccxi. 8.