When at last they had crippled their foes, they would either close upon them and carry them by boarding, or, leaving them helpless wrecks upon the water, would hoist all sail and again overtake the Spanish fleet.
The battle continued day and night for five days, with scarce an intermission, the various English admirals sometimes attacking all together, sometimes separately.

The same tactics ever prevailed, the Spaniards sailing on and striving to keep in a compact body, the English hovering round them, cutting off every ship which lagged behind, breaking the ranks of the enemy, and separating vessels from their consorts.

Hard was it to say that, in that long struggle, one man showed more valor than another, but the deeds of the ships commanded by the Devonshire gentlemen were second to none.
On the 27th their ships were signaled to sail to join those assembled near Dunkirk, to check the progress of the Duke of Parma's fleet.

They reached the English fleet in time, and soon the Spaniards were seen approaching.

They kept in a compact mass, which the English ships could not break.
For a while the fight went badly, and then a number of fire ships were launched at the Spaniards.