1583-1603 The dread of a renewal of a Spanish invasion was productive of even greater mischief in Ireland than in England. In 1594 a rising in Ulster was headed by Hugh O'Neill, known in England as the Earl of Tyrone. O'Neill again applied to the king of Spain for help; but Spain failed. In 1598 O'Neill utterly defeated an English army on the Blackwater. All Celtic Ireland rose in his support, and in 1599 Elizabeth sent her favorite, Essex, to conquer Ireland in good earnest, lest it should fall into the hands of the king of Spain. Essex, through mismanagement, failed entirely, and after a great part of his army had melted away he came back to England without leave. On his arrival, knowing Elizabeth's fondness for him, he hoped to surprise her into forgiveness of his disobedience, and rushed into Elizabeth's presence in his muddy and travel-stained clothes. The queen, who was not accustomed to allow even her favorites to run away from their posts without permission, ordered him into confinement. In 1600, indeed, she restored him to liberty, but forbade him to come to court. Essex could not brook the disgrace, especially as the queen made him suffer in his pocket for his misconduct. As she had little money to give away, Elizabeth was in the habit of rewarding her courtiers by grants of monopoly-that is to say, of the sole right of selling certain articles, thus enabling them to make a profit by asking a higher price than they could have got if they had been subjected to competition. To Essex she had given a monopoly of sweet wines for a term of years, and now that the term was at an end she refused to renew the grant. Early in 1601 Essex-professing not to want to injure the queen, but merely to force her to change her ministers-rode at the head of few followers into the city, calling on the citizens to rise in his favor. He was promptly arrested, and in the course of the inquiries made into his conduct it was discovered that when he was in Ireland he had entered into treasonable negotiations with James VI. At his trial, Bacon, who had been most kindly treated by Essex, shocked at the disclosure of these traitorous proceedings, turned against him, and, as a lawyer, argued strongly that he had been guilty. The Earl was convicted and executed. In 1600, after Essex had deserted Ireland, Lord Mountjoy was sent to take his place. He completed the conquest systematically, building forts and devastating the country. A Spanish force was completely defeated in 1601. At last, in 1603, O'Neill sub 1601-1603 mitted. Ireland had been conquered by England as it had never been conquered before. The conquest of Ireland was expensive and in 1601 Elizabeth summoned Parliament to ask for supplies. The House of Commons voted the money cheerfully, but raised an outcry against the monopolies. Elizabeth knew when to give way, and she announced her intention of canceling all monopolies which could be shown to be burdensome. These were the last words spoken by Elizabeth to her people. She had many faults, but she cared for England, and, more than anyone else, she had made England united and prosperous. She had found it distracted, but by her moderation she had staved off civil war, till the country had rallied round the throne. No doubt those who worked most hard towards this great end were men like Burghley and Walsingham in the state, and men like Drake and Raleigh at sea; but it was Elizabeth who, being what she was, had given to each his opportunity. If either Edward VI. or Mary had been in her place, such men would have found no sphere in which their work could have been done, and, instead of telling of "the spacious times of great Elizabeth," the historian would have had to narrate the progress of civil strife and of the mutual conflict of ever-narrowing creeds. The last days of the great queen were gloomy, as far as she was personally concerned. Burghley, the wisest of her ministers, died in 1598. In his last days he had urged the queen to bring to an end the war with Spain, which no longer served any useful purpose; and when Essex pleaded for its continuance, the aged statesman opened the Bible at the text, "Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days." In 1603 Elizabeth herself died at the age of sixty-nine. According to law the heir to the crown was William Seymour, who inherited the claims of the Suffolk line. There were, however, doubts about his legitimacy. Elizabeth had always refused to allow her heir to be designated; but as death approached she indicated her preference for James, as having claim to the inheritance by descent from her own eldest aunt, Margaret. "My seat," she said, "hath been the seat of kings, and I will have no rascal to succeed me.” “And who," she added, "should that be but our cousin of Scotland?" |