"'Opus est aliquo Daedalo,' to direct us out of the maze," said that much puzzled statesman; but he hardly seemed to be making himself wings with which to lift England and himself out of the labyrinth.

The ships were good ships, but there was intolerable delay in getting a sufficient number of them as ready for action as was the spirit of their commanders.
"Our ships do show like gallants here," said Winter; "it would do a man's heart good to behold them.

Would to God the Prince of Parma were on the seas with all his forces, and we in sight of them.

You should hear that we would make his enterprise very unpleasant to him." And Howard, too, was delighted not only with his own little flag-ship the Ark-Royal--"the odd ship of the world for all conditions,"-- but with all of his fleet that could be mustered.

Although wonders were reported, by every arrival from the south, of the coming Armada, the Lord-Admiral was not appalled.