CHAP. been given fonr years before, but which had appeared fo XLIV. unufual, that they had voted it fhould never afterwards be regarded as a precedent.

1587.

THE Commons, this feffion, ventured to engage in two controverfies about forms with the houfe of peers; a prelude to those encroachments, which, as they affumed more courage, they afterwards made upon the preroga tives of the crown. They complained, that the lords failed in civility to them, by receiving their meffages fitting with their hats on; and that the keeper returned an anfwer in the fame negligent pofture. But the upper houfe proved, to their full fatisfaction, that they were not entitled, by cuftom, and the ufage of parliament, to any more respect Y. Some amendments had been made by the lords, to a bill fent up by the commons; and these amendments were written on parchment, and returned with the bill to the commons. The lower house took umbrage at the novelty: They pretended, that thefe amendments ought to have been written on paper, not on parchment; and they complained of this innovation to the peers. The peers replied, that they expected not fuch a frivolous objection from the gravity of the house; and that it was not material, whether the amendments were written on parchment or on paper, nor whether the paper was white, black, or brown. The commons were offended with this reply, which feemed to contain a mockery of them; and they complained of it, though without obtaining any fatisfaction 2.

AN application was made, by way of petition to the queen, from the lower houfe, against monopolies; an abule which had rifen to an enormous height: and they received a gracious, though a general anfwer; for which they returned their thankful acknowledgments A. But not to give them too much encouragement in fuch applications, fhe told them, in the fpeech which the delivered at their diffolution, "That with regard to thefe patents, "the hoped, that her dutiful and loving fubje&ts would

not take away her prerogative, which is the chief "flower in her garden, and the principal and head pearl "in her crown and diadem; but that they would rather "leave these matters to her difpofal B." The commons

alfo

Y D'Ewes, p. 539, 540, 580, 585. Towfennd, p. 93, 94, 95. 2D'Ewes, P. 576, 577. A Ibid. P. 547.

P. 57, 573,

В

B Ibid.

alfo took notice, this feffion, of fome tranfactions in the CHA P. court of high commiffion; but not till they had previ- XLIV. oufly obtained permiffion from her majesty to that purpofe c.

ELIZABETH had reafon to forefee, that parliamentary fupplies would now become more neceffary to her than ever; and that the chief burthen of the war with Spain would thenceforth lie on England., Henry had received an overture for peace with Philip; but before he would proceed to a negociation, he gave intelligence of it to his allies, the queen and the ftates; that, if poffible, a general pacification might be made by common confent and agreement. These two powers fent ambassadors to France, in order to remonftrate against peace; the queen, fir Robert Cecil, and Henry Herbert; the States, Juftin Naffau, and John Barnevelt. Henry faid to thefe minifters, that his most early education had been amidst war and danger, and he had paffed the whole courfe of his life either in arms of in military preparations: That after the proofs, which he had given of his alacrity in the field, no one could doubt, but he would willingly, for his part, have continued in a course of life, to which he was now habituated, till the common enemy was reduced to fuch a condition as no longer to give umbrage either to him or to his allies: That no private interests of his own, not even those of his people, nothing but the most inevitable neceffity, could ever induce him to think of a separate peace with Philip, or make him embrace measures not entirely conformable to the wishes of all his confederates: That his kingdom, torn with the convulfions and civil wars of near half a century, required fome interval of repofe, ere it could reach a condition, in which it might fuftain itself, much more fupport its allies: That after the minds of his fubjects were compofed to tranquillity and accustomed to obedience, after his finances were brought into order, and after agriculture and the arts. were reftored, France, inftead of being a burthen, as at prefent, to her confederates, would be able to lend them effectual fuccour, and amply to repay them all the affiftance, which he had received during her calamities: And that, if the ambition of Spain would at present grant them fuch terms as they fhould think reafonable, he hoped, that, in a little time, he should attain fuch a fitu

© Ibid. p. 557, 558.

ation

1598.

CHAP. ation as would enable him to mediate more effectually, XLIV. and with more decifive authority, in their behalf.

THE ambaffadors were fenfible, that thefe reasons were 1598. not feigned; and they therefore remonftrated with the lefs vehemence against the meafures, which, they faw, Henry was determined to purfue. The States knew, that that monarch was interested never to permit their final ruin; and having received private affurances, that he would ftill, notwithstanding the peace, give them affistance both of men and money, they were well pleased to remain on terms of amity with him. His greatest concern was to give fatisfaction to Elizabeth for this breach of treaty. He had a cordial esteem for that princefs, a fympathy of manners and a gratitude for the extraordinary favours, which he had received from her, during his greatest difficulties: And he ufed every expedient to apclogize and atone for that measure, which neceffity extorted from him. But as Spain refused to treat with the Dutch as a free state, and Elizabeth would not negociate Peace of without her ally, Henry found himself obliged to conVervins. clude, at Vervins, a feparate peace, by which he recovered poffeffion of all the places feized by Spain during the course of the civil wars, and procured himself leisure to attend to the domeftic fettlement of his kingdom. His capacity for the arts of peace was not inferior to his military talents; and, in a little time, by his frugality, order, and wife government, he raifed France, from the defolation and mifery, in which he was involved, to a more flourishing condition than fhe had ever before enjoyed.

THE queen knew, that she could alfo, whenever the pleafed, finish the war on equitable terms; and that Philip, having no claims upon her, would be glad to free himfelf from an enemy, who had foiled him in every conteft, and who had it ftill fo much in her power to make him feel the weight of her arms. Some of her wifeft counsellors, particularly the treafurer, advised her to embrace pacific meafures; and fet before her the advantages of tranquillity, fecurity, and frugality, as more confiderable than any fuccefs, which could attend the greatest victories. But that high-fpirited princefs, though at firft averfe to war, feemed now to have attained fuch an afcendant over the enemy, that he was unwilling to ftop the courfe of her profperous fortune. She confi

dered

1598.

dered, that her fituation and her paft victories had given CHA P. her entire fecurity against any dangerous invafion; and XLIV. the war must thenceforth be conducted by fudden enterprizes and naval expeditions, in which the poffeffed an undoubted fuperiority: That the weak condition of Philip in the Indies opened to her the view of the most defirable advantages; and the yearly return of his treasure by fea afforded a continual profpect of important, though more temporary, fucceffes: That, after his peace with France, if the alfo fhould consent to an accommodation, he would be able to turn all his force against the revolted provinces of the Netherlands, which, though they had furprizingly increafed their power by commerce and good government, were ftill unable, if not fupported by their confederates, to maintain war against so potent a monarch: And that as her defence of that commonwealth was the original ground of the quarrel, it was unfafe, as well as difhonourable, to abandon their caufe, till she had placed them in a state of greater fecurity.

THESE reafons were frequently inculcated on her by the earl of Effex, whofe paffion for glory, as well as his military talents, made him carneftly defire the continuance of that war, from which he expected to reap fo much advantage and diftinction. The rivalfhip between this nobleman and lord Burleigh made each of them infift the more strenuously on his own counfel; but as Effex's The earl of perfon was agreeable to the queer, as well as his advice Essex. conformable to her inclinations, the favourite feemed daily to acquire an afcendant over the minifler. Had he been endowed with caution and felf-command, equal to his fhining qualities, he would have fo rivetted himself in the queen's confidence, that none of his enemies had ever been able to impeach his credit: But his lofty fpirit could ill fubmit to that implicit deference, which her temper required, and which she had ever been accustomed to receive from all her fubjects. Being once engaged in a difpute with her about the choice of a governor for Ireland, he was fo heated in the argument, that he entirely forgot the rules both of duty and civility; and turned his back upon her in a contemptuous manner. Her anger, naturally prompt and violent, rofe at this provocation; and the inftantly gave him a box on the ear; adding a paffionate expreffion, fuited to his impertinence. Instead of recollecting himfelf, and making the fubmiffions due

to

CHAP. to her fex and flation, he clapped his hand to his fword, XLIV. and fwore he would not bear fuch ufage, were it from

Henry the eighth himfelf; and, in a great paffion, he im1598. mediately withdrew from court. Egerton, the chancellor, who loved Effex, exhorted him to repair his indifcretion by proper acknowledgments; and entreated him not to give that triumph to his enemies, that affliction to his friends, which must enfue from his fupporting a contest with his fovereign, and deferting the fervice of his country: But Effex was deeply stung with the difhonour,which he had received; and feemed to think, that an infult, which might be pardoned in a woman, was become a mortal affront when it came from his fovereign. "If the "vileft of all indignities," faid he," is done me, does

66

66

religion enforce me to fue for pardon? Doth God require it? Is it impiety not to do it? Why? Cannot "princes err? Cannot fubjects receive wrong? Is an earthly power infinite? Pardon me, my lord, I can never fubfcribe to these principles. Let Solomon's "fool laugh when he is ftricken; let thofe that mean to "make their profit of princes, fhew no fenfe of princes' "injuries: Let them acknowledge an infinite abfolutenefs 66 on earth, that do not believe an abfolute infiniteness in "Heaven." (Alluding, probably, to the character and conduct of Sir Walter Raleigh, who lay under the reproach of impiety.) "As for me," continued he, "I

have received wrong, I feel it: My caufe is good, I "know it; and whatfoever happens, all the powers on "earth can never exert more ftrength and conftancy in "oppreffing, than I can fhew in fuffering every thing "that can or fhall be impofed upon me. Your lordship, "in the beginning of your letter, makes me a player, and yourself a looker on: And me a player of my own 66 game, fo you may fee more than I: But give me leave "to tell you, that fince you do but fee, and I do fuffer, "I muft of neceínty feel more than you.'

D

THIS fpirited letter was fhewn by Effex to his friends; and they were fo imprudent as to difperfe copies of it: Yet notwithstanding that additional provocation, the queen's partiality was fo prevalent, that the reinstated him. in his former favour; and her kindness to him appeared rather to have acquired new force from this fhort interval of anger and refentment. The death of Burleigh, his antagonist,

D See note at the end of the volume.