CHAPTER XXVI. 1597 AND 1598. Fresh expedition against Spain proposed.—Extracts from Whyte's letters.- Raleigh reconciles Essex and R. Cecil. ·Essex master of the ordnance. Anecdote of the queen and Mrs. Bridges.- Preparations for the expedition.Notice of lord Southampton.-Ill success of the voyage. -Quarrel of Essex and Raleigh.-Displeasure of the queen.-Lord Admiralmade earl of Nottingham.-Anger of Essex. He is declared hereditary earl-marshal.-Reply of the queen to a Polish ambassador—to a proposition of the king of Denmark.-State of Ireland.-Treaty of Vervins.- Agreement between Cecil and Essex.- Anecdotes of Essex and the queen. Their quarrel.-Letter of Essex to the lord-keeper.—Dispute between Burleigh and Essex. -Agreement with the Dutch.-Death and character of Burleigh.- Transactions between the queen and the king of Scots, and an extract from their correspondence.-Anecdote of sir Roger Aston and the queen. Anecdote of archbishop Hutton.-Death of Spenser.-Hall's satires.-Notice of sir John Harrington.-Extracts from his note-book. A FRESH expedition against the Spaniards was in agitation from the beginning of this year, which occasioned many movements at court; and, as usual, disturbed the mind of the queen with various perplexities. Her captious favor towards Essex and the arts employed by him to gain his will on every contested point, are well illustrated in the letters of Rowland Whyte; to which we must again recur. On February twenty-second he writes: "My lord of Essex kept his bed the most part of all yesterday; yet did one of his chamber tell me, he could not weep for it, for he knew his lord was not sick. There is not a day passes that the queen sends not often to see him; and himself every day goeth privately to her." Two days after he reports, that "my lord of Essex comes out of his chamber in his gown and night-cap..... Full fourteen days his lordship kept in; her majesty, as I heard, resolved to break him of his will and to pull down his great heart; who found it a thing impossible, and says he holds it from the mother's side; but all is well again, and no doubt he will grow a mighty man in our state." -The earl of Cumberland made "some doubt of his going to sea;" because lord Thomas Howard and Raleigh were to be joined with him in equal authority; the queen mentioned the subject to him; and on his repeating to herself his refusal, he was "well chidden." In March, Raleigh was busied in mediating a reconciliation between Essex and Robert Cecil, in which he was so far successful that a kind of compromise took place; and henceforth court favors were shared without any open quarrels between their respective adherents. The motives urged by Raleigh for this agreement were, that it would benefit the country; that the queen's "continual unquietness" would turn to contentment; and that public business would go on to the hurt of the common enemy. Essex however was malcontent at heart; he began to frequent certain meetings held in Blackfriars at the house of lady Russel, a busy puritan, who was one of the learned daughters of sir Anthony Cook. "Wearied," says Whyte, "with not knowing how to please, he is not unwilling to listen to those motions made him for the public good." He was soon after so much offended with her majesty for giving the office of warden of the cinque ports to his enemy lord Cobham, after he had asked it for himself, that he was about to quit the court; but the queen sent for him and, to pacify him, made him master of the ordnance. It is mentioned about this time, that the queen had of late "used the fair Mrs. Bridges with words and blows of anger." This young lady was one of the maids of honor; and the same referred to in a subsequent letter, where it is said; "it is spied out by envy that the earl of Essex is again fallen in love with his fairest B." On which Whyte observes, "It cannot choose but come to the queen's ears; and then is he undone, and all that depend upon his favor." A striking indication of the nature of the sentiment which the aged sovereign cherished for her youthful favorite! In May our intelligencer writes thus: "Here hath been much ado between the queen and the lords about the preparation to sea; some of them urging the necessity of setting it forward for her safety; but she opposing it by no danger appearing towards her any where; and that she will not make wars but arm for defence. Understanding how much of her treasure was already spent in victual, both for ships and soldiers at land, she was extremely angry with them that made such haste in it; and at Burleigh for suffering it, seeing no greater occasion. No reason nor persuasion by some of the lords could prevail, but that her majesty hath commanded order to be given to stay all proceeding; and sent my lord Thomas (Howard) word that he should not go to sea. How her majesty may be wrought to fulfil the most earnest desire of some to have it go forward, time must make it known." It was by the reconciliation brought about by Raleigh between Essex and the Cecils, that the war-party was at this time rendered so strong, that the scruples of the queen were at length overruled; and a formidable armament was sent to sea, with the double object of destroying the Spanish ships in their harbours and of intercepting their homeward-bound West-India fleet. Essex was commander-in-chief by sea and land; lord Thomas Howard and Raleigh were vice and rear admirals; lord Montjoy was lieutenant-general; sir Francis Vere, marshal. Several young noblemen attached to Essex joined the expedition as volunteers; particularly lord Rich his brother-in-law, the earl of Rutland, afterwards married to the daughter of the countess of Essex by sir Philip Sidney, lord Cromwel, and the earl of Southampton. The last, whose friendship for Essex afterwards hurried him into enterprises still more perilous, appears to have been attracted to him by an extraordinary conformity of tastes and temper. Like Essex, he was brave and generous; but impetuous and somewhat inclined to arrogance:—like him a munificent patron of the genius which he loved. Like his friend again, he received from her majesty tokens of pe culiar favor which she occasionally suspended on his giving indications of an ungovernable temper or too lofty spirit; and which she finally withdrew, on his presuming to marry without that consent which to certain persons she could never have been induced to accord. This earl of Southampton was grandson of that ambitious and assuming but able and diligent statesman, lord chancellor Wriothesley, appointed by Henry VIII. one of his executors; he was father of the virtuous Southampton lord treasurer; and by him, grandfather of the heroical and ever-memorable Rachel lady Russel. A storm drove the ill-fated armament back to Plymouth, where it remained wind-bound for a month; and Essex and Raleigh posted together up to court for fresh instructions. Having concerted their measures, they made sail for the Azores; and Raleigh with his division arriving first, attacked and captured the isle of Fayal without waiting for his admiral. Essex was incensed; and there were not wanting those about him who applied themselves to aggravate the quarrel; and even urged him to bring sir Walter to a court-martial: but he refused; and his anger soon evaporating, the difference was accommodated by lord Thomas Howard, and the rivals returned to the appearances of friendship. Essex was destitute of the naval skill requisite for the prosperous conduct of an enterprise of this nature: owing partly to his mistakes and partly to several thwarting circumstances, the West-India fleet escaped him; and three rich Havannah ships, which served to defray most of the expenses, were the only trophies of his "Island Voyage;" from |