His army was to consist of 27,000 infantry, and 2000 horse; yet at midsummer it had not reached half that number.

Lord Chamberlain Hunsdon was to protect the Queen's person with another army of 36,000; but this force, was purely an imaginary one; and the lord-lieutenant of each county was to do his best with the militia.
But men were perpetually escaping out of the general service, in order to make themselves retainers for private noblemen, and be kept at their expense.

"You shall hardly believe," said Leicester, "how many new liveries be gotten within these six weeks, and no man fears the penalty.
It would be better that every nobleman did as Lord Dacres, than to take away from the principal service such as are set down to serve." Of enthusiasm and courage, then, there was enough, while of drill and discipline, of powder and shot, there was a deficiency.

No braver or more competent soldier could be found than Sir Edward Stanley--the man whom we have seen in his yellow jerkin, helping himself into Fort Zutphen with the Spanish soldier's pike--and yet Sir Edward Stanley gave but a sorry account of the choicest soldiers of Chester and Lancashire, whom he had been sent to inspect.

"I find them not," he said, "according to your expectation, nor mine own liking.