igh having once dared to oppose the generals, he received instant
moral support. All the other commanders and gentlemen present clustered
round him and entreated him to persist. Essex now declared himself
convinced, and begged Raleigh to repeat his arguments to the Lord
Admiral. Raleigh passed on to Howard's ship, 'The Ark Royal,' and by the
evening the Admiral also was persuaded. Returning in his boat, as he
passed the 'Repulse' Raleigh shouted up to Essex 'Intramus,' and the
impetuous Earl, now as eager for a fight by sea as he had been a few
hours before for a fight by land, flung his hat into the sea for joy,
and prepared at that late hour to weigh anchor at once.

It took a good deal of time to get the soldiers out of the boats, and
back into their respective ships. Essex, whom Raleigh seems to hint at
under the cautious word 'many,' 'seeming desperately valiant, thought it
a fault of mine to put off [the attack] till the morning; albeit we had
neither agreed in what manner to fight, nor appointed who should lead,
and who should second, whether by boarding or otherwise.' Raleigh, in
his element when rapid action was requisite, passed to and fro between
the generals, and at last from his own ship wrote a hasty letter to the
Lord Admiral, giving his opinion as to the best way to arrange the order
of battle, and requesting him to supply a couple of great fly-boats to
attack each of the Spanish galleons, so that the latter might be
captured before they were set on fire.

Essex and Howard were completely carried away by Raleigh's vehement
counsels. The Lord Admiral had always shown deference to Raleigh's
nautical science, and the Earl was captivated by the qualities he could
best admire, courage and spirit and rapidity. Raleigh's old faults of
stubbornness and want of tact abandoned him at this happy moment. His
graceful courtesy to Essex, his delicacy in crossing dangerous ground,
won praise even from his worst enemies, the satellites of Essex. It was
Raleigh's blossoming hour, and all the splendid gifts and vigorous
charms of his brain and character expanded in the sunrise of victory.
Late in the busy evening of the 20th, the four leaders held a final
council of war, amiably wrangling among themselves for the post of
danger. At last the others gave way to what Raleigh calls his 'humble
suit,' and it was decided that he should lead the van. Essex, Lord
Howard of Effingham, and the Vice-Admiral, Lord Thomas Howard, were