ENGLAND. 



663 



History, 



terly discomfited, that not one halt' of its ships returned 

 to Spain, and nothing but want of ammunition in the 

 English fleet saved it from total destruction : ( See the 

 article ARMADA.) This defeat of the armada inspired 

 the English nation with a kind of enthusiastic passion 

 for enterprizes against Spain; and scarcely a single year 

 was suffered to elapse without some successful attack 

 being directed against the dominions of Philip. In 

 1 jgd', particularly, a powerful expedition was fitted out 

 against Cadiz, which defeated the Spanish fleet in the 

 bay, took the city by storm, and destroyed in the har- 

 bour a fleet of merchant ships of immense value. It 

 was in this reign, and by these enterprizes, that the 

 English navy began to acquire that irresistible superio- 

 rity which it has never ceased to maintain, and that 

 many of its most able and adventurous commanders 

 were produced. In this reign, also, notwithstanding 

 the imperious character of the sovereign, the spirit of 

 liberty, following the progress of reformation in reli- 

 gion, presumed to shew itself in the proceedings of the 

 English parliament. Elizabeth, indeed, was sufficiently 

 tenacious of all her prerogatives, and frequently exerci- 

 sed them with a degree of despotism unequalled by 

 many of her predecessors. She repeated!}- discharged 

 the House of Commons from discussing, without her 

 permission, any matters relating either to the church or 

 the state ; defined their liberty of speech to extend no 

 farther than aye or no ; and, without hesitation, com- 

 mitted to the Tower every member who presumed to 

 press any topic contrary to her wishes. But amidst 

 the tamest submissions and most fulsome flatteries from 

 successive parliaments, a few resolute individuals, (who 

 have generally been branded with the contemptuous 

 name of Puritans, while they deserve to be revered as 

 the fathers of British freedom,) persisted, without dis- 

 may, in assailing public grievances, and asserting par- 

 liamentary privileges, whenever they could procure 

 the smallest support ; and so far at length did their spi- 

 rit and numbers increase, that, in the last parliament 

 which Elizabeth assembled, she found it necessary, 

 while she held the most absolute tone in her messages, 

 to abandon, in a great measure, the oppressive system 

 of monopolies, which she- was accustomed to grant as 

 rewards to her courtiers, and which the Commons had 

 brought in a bill to abolish. 



Though the signal advantages gained by the arms of 

 Elizabeth over the Spaniards, and the uncontrouled 

 authority which she exercised over her own subjects, 

 gave complete security to her throne, she continued 

 to regard her heir, the king of Scotland, with the 

 came malignant jealousy which had influenced her 

 conduct towards the unhappy Mary. James had, in- 

 deed, succeeded to all the claims of his mother ; but, 

 as a Protestant prince, he did not possess the fa- 

 vour with the Catholics, which could render his preten- 

 sions dangerous ; and his indolent, unambitious dispo- 

 sition, sufficiently secured her from any disturbance in 

 the possession of the crown. Still, however, she cau- 

 tiously abstained from satisfying the nation by any de- 

 claration in favour of his title ; and was as anxious to 

 prevent every circumstance which might augment his 

 credit or power, as if lie had been her immediate com- 

 petitor for the kingdom. 



The authority of the English in Ireland had been hi- 

 tner * litt' e more than nominal ; and the complete sub- 

 jugation of that country had been always deferred, by 

 the necessity of watching the more formidable powers 

 of the continent. But the rebellion in that kingdom 

 having now risen, under the conduct of the Earl of 



Tyrone, to a more alarming height than at any former History, 

 period, and the Spaniards having exerted themselves, as -" /"*' 

 the most effectual mode of diverting the power of the 

 English from their coasts, in sending succours to the 

 natives, it was therefore resolved to push the war in 

 that quarter with more vigorous measures ; and the 

 young Earl of Essex, who had succeeded, since the 

 death of the Earl of Leicester, to the queen's favour, 

 obtained the government of Ireland, and the command 

 of the army destined for its reduction. Having disgust- 

 ed the queen by his ill success and insolent behaviour, 

 he returned suddenly to England to make his peace at 

 court; but Lord Mountjoy, who was then appointed as 

 deputy-governor to the command, by his able and in- 

 defatigable exertions, defeated the rebels in every quar- 

 ter, and at length compelled Tyrone to make an abso- 

 lute surrender of his life and fortunes to the queen's 

 mercy. 



Essex, in the mean time, who had long possessed a 

 powerful hold of Elizabeth's affections, but whose un- 

 governable spirit she found it requisite to humble, was 

 brought to trial before the privy-council, and condemn- 

 ed to retirement in his own house, till the queen should 

 be pleased to restore him to office. He expressed in 

 his defence the most dutiful submission to his sovereign's 

 pleasure ; and, as Elizabeth herself had openly declared, 

 that her severity was intended to correct and not to ruin 

 him, it was generally expected that he would soon re- 

 gain all his ascendancy over her mind, and reappear a 

 greater favourite than ever. Persuaded, however, by 

 his enemies, that his lofty spirit was far from being sub- 

 dued, she pushed her rigorous treatment to a degree 

 whicii impressed him with a belief that she was altoge- 

 ther inexorable, and drove his impatient temper to the Insurrec- 

 inost fatal extremities. He threw off all appearance of tion . and e 

 d'.ity and respect, and even indulged himself in great K^." 

 liberties of speech, respecting the queen's advanced age 1601.' 

 and decayed beauty. He used every art to increase his 

 popularity, which was already greater than what any 

 other subject enjoyed ; and he entered into a secret cor- 

 respondence with the King of Scotland, whose right of 

 succession he proposed to compel Elizabeth to acknow- 

 ledge. Having formed a strong party of malecon tents, 

 and trusting chiefly to his great authority with the po- 

 pulace, he formed at length the desperate attempt of 

 seizing the queen's person, removing his enemies from 

 office, and settling, with the advice of his partisans, a 

 new plan of government. Finding, however, that his 

 designs were suspected, and the queen upon her guard, 

 yet determined to make some open effort before they 

 should be completely discovered, lie adopted the wild 

 project of ruining the city of London in his favour ; and 

 madly imagined, that by the mere good will of the mul- 

 titude, he should be able to overturn the wise and well- 

 established government of Elizabeth. Sallying forth 

 with about 200 attendants, and calling aloud " for the 

 queen ! for the queen ! a plot is laid for my life !" he 

 proceeded to the house of the sheriff, upon whose aid 

 he placed great reliance. The citizens, in the mean 

 time, flocked around him in amazement, but discovered 

 no disposition to join him in arms. Observing their 

 coldness, and hearing that he was proclaimed a traitor, 

 he began to despair of success, and to think of retreat- 

 ing to his own house. Attempting to force his way 

 through the streets, which were now barricaded and 

 guarded, he was beaten back and wounded in the 

 thigh ; but at length, by putting his followers on board 

 of small boats, he escaped down the river to his house, 

 which lie proceeded to fortify in the best manner that 



