1599. ticians had ftudied his character; and finding, that his CHA P. open and undaunted spirit, if taught temper, and reserve XLV. from oppofition, muft become invincible, they refolved rather to give full breadth to thofe fails, which were already too much expanded, and to push him upon dangers, of which he seemed to make such small account Y. And the better to make advantage of his indifcretions, fpies were set upon all his actions, and even expreffions; and his vehement fpirit, which, while he was in the midst of the court and environed by his rivals, was unacquainted with disguise, could not fail, after he thought himself furrounded by none but friends, to give a pretence for malignant fufpicions and conftructions. ESSEX left London in the month of March, attended by the acclamations of the populace; and what did him more honour, accompanied by a numerous train of nobility and gentry, who, from affection to his perfon, had attached themselves to his fortunes, and fought fame and military experience under fo renowned a commander. The first act of authority which he exercised, after his arrival in Ireland, was an indifcretion, but of the generous kind; and, in both these respects, fuitable to his character. He appointed his intimate friend, the earl of Southampton, general of the horse; a nobleman, who had incurred the queen's displeasure, by fecretly marrying without her confent, and whom the had therefore enjoined Effex not to employ in any command under him. She no fooner heard of this inftance of difobedience than the reprimanded him, and ordered him to recal his commiffion to Southampton. But Effex, who had imagined, that some reasons, which he opposed to her first injunctions, had convinced her, had the imprudence to remonftrate against these orders 2; and it was not till the reiterated her commands, that he could be prevailed on to difplace his friend. ESSEX, on his landing at Dublin, had deliberated His ill with the Irish council, concerning the proper methods of success. carrying on war against the rebels; and here he was guilty of a capital error, which was the ruin of his enterprize. He had always, while in England, blamed the conduct of former commanders, who artfully protracted the war, who harraffed their troops in fmall enterprizes, Y Camden. Ofborne, p. 371. vol. ii. p. 421, 451. and Z Birch's Memoirs, XLV. CHA P. and who, by agreeing to truces and temporary pacifica tions with the rebels, had given them leisure to recruit their broken forces. In conformity to these views, he 1599. had ever infifted upon leading his forces immediately into Ulfter against Tyrone, the chief enemy; and his inftructions had been drawn agreeably to these his declared intentions and resolutions. But the Irish counsellors perfuaded him, that the season was too early for the enterprize, and that, as the moraffes in which the northern Irith ufually sheltered themselves, would not, as yet, be paffable to the English forces, it would be better to employ the prefent time in an expedition into Munfter. Their fecret reafon for this advice was, that many of them poffeffed eftates in that province, and were defirous to have the enemy diflodged from their neighbourhood B. But the fame selfish fpirit, which had induced them to give this counfel, made them foon after difown it, when they found the bad confequences with which it was attended C. ESSEX obliged all the rebels of Munster either to submit or to fly into the neighbouring provinces: But as the Irifh, from the greatnefs of the queen's preparations, had concluded, that the intended to reduce them to total subjection, or even utterly to exterminate them, they confidered their defence as a common caufe; and the English forces were no fooner withdrawn, than the inhabitants of Munster relapfed into rebellion, and renewed their confederacy with their other countrymen. The army, mean while, by the fatigue of long and tedious marches, and by the influence of the climate, was become fickly; and on its return to Dublin, about the middle of July, was furprizingly diminished in number. The courage of the foldiers was even much abated: For though they had prevailed in fome leffer enterprizes, against lord Cahir and others; yet had they fometimes met with more ftout refiftance than they expected from the Irish, whom they were wont to defpife; and as they were raw troops and unexperienced, a confiderable body of them had been put to flight at the Glins, by an inferior number of the enemy. Effex was fo enraged at this misbehaviour, that he cafhiered all the officers, and decimated the private men D. But this inftance of feverity, though neceffary, had intimidated A Birch's Memoirs, p. 431. midated the foldiers, and had encreased their averfion to CHAP. the present service. THE queen was extremely disgusted, when she heard, that fo confiderable a part of the season was confumed in thefe frivolous enterprizes; and was still more furprized, that Effex persevered in the same practice, which he had fo much condemned in others, and which he knew to be fo much contrary to her purpose and intention. That nobleman, in order to give his troops leifure to recruit from their fickness and fatigue, left the main army in quarters, and marched with a fmall body, of fifteen hundred men, into the county of Ophelie, against the O'Connors and O'Mores, whom he forced to a submisfion But, on his return to Dublin, he found the army fo extremely diminished, that he wrote to the English council an account of his condition, and informed them, that, if he received not immediately a reinforcement of two thousand men, it would be impoffible for him this season to attempt any thing against Tyrone. That there might be no pretence for farther inactivity, the queen im-mediately sent over the number demanded ; and Effex began at laft to affemble his forces for the expedition into Ulfter. The army was fo extremely averse to this enterprize, and fo terrified with the reputation of Tyrone, that many of them counterfeited ficknefs, many of them deferted and Effex found, that, after leaving the neceffary garrifons, he could fcarcely lead four thousand men against the rebels. He marched, however, with this fmall army; but was foon fenfible, that, in so advanced a season, it would be impoffible for him to effectuate any thing against an enemy, who, though fuperior in number, was determined to avoid every decifive action. He hearkened, therefore, to a meffage fent him by Tyrone, who defired a conference; and a place, near the two camps, was appointed for that purpose. The generals met without any of their attendants, and a river ran between them, into which Tyrone entered to the depth of his faddle: But Effex ftood on the oppofite bank. After half an hour's conference, where Tyrone behaved with great submission and respect to the lord lieutenant, a ceffation of arms was concluded to the first of May, renewable from fix weeks to fix weeks; but which might E Birch's Memoirs, vol. ii. p. 430. Cox, p. 421. ney's Letters, vol. ii. p. 112, 113. F Syd XLV. 1599. CHAP. might be broken off by either party upon a fortnight's XLV. warning G. Effex alfo received from Tyrone proposals for a peace, in which that rebel had inferted many unreason1599. able and exorbitant conditions: And there appeared afterwards some reason to fufpect, that he had here commenced a very unjustifiable correspondence with the enemy H. So unexpected an iffue of an enterprize, the greatest and most expensive that Elizabeth had ever undertaken, provoked her extremely against Effex; and this disgust was much augmented by other circumstances of that nobleman's condu&. He wrote many letters to the queen and council, full of peevish and impatient expreffions: complaining of his enemies, lamenting that their calumnies fhould be believed against him, and discovering fymptoms of a mind equally haughty and discontented. She took care to 'inform him of her diffatisfaction ; but commanded him to remain in Ireland till farther orders. ESSEX heard at once of Elizabeth's anger, and of the promotion of his enemy, Sir Robert Cecil, to the office of mafter of the wards, an office to which he himself afpired: And dreading, that, if he remained any longer abfent, the queen would be totally alienated from him, he haftily embraced a refolution, which, he knew, had once fucceeded with the earl of Leicester, the former favourite of Elizabeth. Leicester being informed, while in the Low Countries, that his mistress was extremely displeased with his conduct, difobeyed her orders by coming over into England; and having pacified her by his prefence, by his apologies, and by his flattery and infinuation, disappointed all the expectations of his enemies'. Effex, therefore, weighing more the fimilarity of circumftances than the difference of character between himself and LeiReturns to cefter, immediately fet out for England; and, making England. fpeedy journeys, he arrived at court before any one was in the leaft apprized of his intentions K. Tho' befmeared with dirt and fweat, he haftened up stairs to the presencechamber, thence to the privy-chamber; nor ftopped till he was in the queen's bed-chamber, who was newly rifen, and was fitting with her hair about her face. He threw H Winwood, vol. i. G Sydney's Letters, vol. ii. p. 125. P. 118. threw himself on his knees, kiffed her hand, and had CHAP fome private conference with her; where he was fo gra- XLV. ciously received, that, on his departure, he was heard to express great fatisfaction, and to thank God, that tho' 1599. he had suffered much trouble and many storms abroad, he found a sweet calm at home 1. BUT this placability of Elizabeth was merely the refult of her furprize, and of the momentary fatisfaction, which the felt on the fudden and unexpected appearance of her favourite: After fhe had leifure for recollection, all his faults recurred to her memory; and the thought it neceffary, by fome fevere difcipline, to fubdue that haughty and imperious fpirit, who, prefuming on her partiality and indulgence, had pretended to domineer in her councils, to engrofs all her favour, and to act, in the most important affairs, without regard to her orders and inftructions. When Effex waited on her in the afternoon, Is difhe found her extremely altered in her carriage towards graced him: She ordered him to be confined to his chamber. ; to be twice examined by the council; and though his anfwers were calm and fubmiffive, the committed him to the cuftody of the lord keeper Egerton, and held him sequestered from all company, even from that of his countefs; nor was so much as the intercourfe of letters permitted between them. Effex dropped many expreffions of humiliation and forrow, none of refentment: He profeffed an entire submission to the queen's will: Declared his intention of retiring into the country, and of leading thenceforth a private life, remote from courts and bufinefs. But though he affected to be fo entirely cured of his afpiring ambition, the vexation of this difappointment, and of the triumph gained by his enemies, preyed upon his haughty fpirit; and he fell into a diftemper, which seemed to put his life in hazard. THE queen had always declared to all the world, and even to the earl himself, that the purpose of her severity was to correct, not to ruin him M ; and when he heard of his condition, he was not a little alarmed with the danger. She ordered eight physicians, of the best reputation and experience, to confult of his case; and being informed, that the iffue was much to be apprehended, the fent L Sydney's Letters, vol. ii. p. 127. |