Very wroth was Lord Henry at being deprived of his share in the chase.  “The Lord-Admiral was altogether desirous to have me strengthen him,” said he, “and having done so to the utmost of my good-will and the venture of my life, and to the distressing of the Spaniards, which was thoroughly done on the Monday last, I now find his Lordship jealous and loath to take part of the honour which is to come.  So he has used his authority to command me to look to our English coast, threatened by the Duke of Parma.  I pray God my Lord Admiral do not find the lack of the Rainbow and her companions, for I protest before God I vowed I would be as near or nearer with my little ship to encounter our enemies as any of the greatest ships in both armies.”

There was no insubordination, however, and Seymour’s squadron; at twilight of Tuesday evening, August 9th—­according to orders, so that the enemy might not see their departure—­bore away for Margate.  But although Winter and Seymour were much disappointed at their enforced return, there was less enthusiasm among the sailors of the fleet.  Pursuing the Spaniards without powder or fire, and without beef and bread to eat, was not thought amusing by the English crews.  Howard had not three days’ supply of food in his lockers, and Seymour and his squadron had not food for one day.  Accordingly, when Seymour and Winter took their departure, “they had much ado,” so Winter said; “with the staying of many ships that would have returned with them, besides their own company.”  Had the Spaniards; instead of being panic-struck, but turned on their pursuers, what might have been the result of a conflict with starving and unarmed men?

Howard, Drake, and Frobisher, with the rest of the fleet, followed the Armada through the North Sea from Tuesday night (9th August) till Friday (the 12th), and still, the strong southwester swept the Spaniards before them, uncertain whether to seek refuge, food, water, and room to repair damages, in the realms of the treacherous King of Scots, or on the iron-bound coasts of Norway.  Medina Sidonia had however quite abandoned his intention of returning to England, and was only anxious for a safe return:  to Spain.  So much did he dread that northern passage; unpiloted, around the grim Hebrides, that he would probably have surrendered, had the English overtaken him and once more offered battle.  He was on the point of hanging out a white flag as they approached him for the last time—­but yielded to the expostulations of the ecclesiastics on board the Saint Martin, who thought, no doubt, that they had more to fear from England than from the sea, should they be carried captive to that country, and who persuaded him that it would be a sin and a disgrace to surrender before they had been once more attacked.

On the other hand, the Devonshire skipper, Vice-Admiral Drake, now thoroughly in his element, could not restrain his hilarity, as he saw the Invincible Armada of the man whose beard he had so often singed, rolling through the German Ocean, in full flight from the country which was to have been made, that week, a Spanish province.  Unprovided as were his ships, he was for risking another battle, and it is quite possible that the brag countenance might have proved even more successful than Howard thought.