NOTE 4 C. 



Attourney himselfe, onely to meete with the rebels curiosity, which had an 

 opinion, that all treason in Ireland might be interpreted treason against her 

 maiesties person, and therefore would trust no pardon without ,that clause. 

 That in making the Earle of Southampton generall of the horse, the deceive- 

 able guide which misled him, was an opinion that her majesty might have 

 been satisfied with those reasons which moved him, as also with those reasons 

 which he had alleaged in his letters, for continuance of him in the place, 

 but that after he perceived her maiesties mind plainely in her second letter, 

 he displaced him the next day. For his journey into Mounster, hee alleaged 

 divers things, principally that the time of the yeere would not serve for an 

 Vlster journey, and then the advice of the counsel there, which he protested 

 to alleage not to excuse himselfe, but rather to accuse his owne errours, and 

 the errours of the counsellors in Ireland : and whereas some of them to ex 

 cuse themselves, and charge him the deeper, had now written the contrary to 

 the counsell : he protested deepely that therein they had dealt most falsely, and 

 it seemeth (saith he) that God his just revenge hath overtaken two of them 

 already, the Earle of Ormond by blindnesse, and Sir William St. Leger, by vio 

 lent death. For his making of knights, he alleaged the necessity and straights 

 he was driven unto, that being the onely way he had to retaine the voluntaries, 

 the strength and pride of the army ; that he made but two of his servants, and 

 those men of speciall desert and good ability : that he thought his service ought 

 not to be any barre against them, for the receiving the reward of their deserts. 

 But before he had thus waded through halfe his answer, my Lord Keeper inter 

 rupted him, and told him, that this was not the course that was like to doe him 

 good; that be beganne very well in submitting himselfe unto her maiesties mercy 

 and pardon, which he, with the rest of the lords, were glad to heare ; and no 

 doubt but her princely and gracious nature was by that way most like to be 

 inclined to him : that all extenuating of his offence was but the extenuating of 

 her maiesties mercy in pardoning : that he, with all the rest of the lords, would 

 cleere him of all suspition of disloyalty ; and therefore he might doe well to 

 spare the rest of his speech, and save time, and commit himselfe to her maiesties 

 mercy. And when the earle replied, that it might appeare by that hedge which 

 he diligently put to all his answers, that he spake nothing but only to cleere 

 himselfe from a malicious corrupt affection. My Lord Keeper told him againe, 

 that if thereby he meant the crime of disloyalty, it was that which he needed 

 not to feare; he was not charged with it, as the place and course taken against 

 him might warrant ; all that was now laied unto him was contempt and disobe 

 dience. And if he intended to persuade them, that he had disobeyed indeed, 

 but not with a purpose of disobeying, that were frivolous and absurd. Then 

 my Lord Treasurer beganne to speake, and cleering the earle from suspition of 

 disloyalty, did very soundly controll diuers of his other excuses. After him 

 Master Secretary, making a preface why he spake before his turne, by reason of 

 his place, tooke the matter in hand, and first notably cleering the earle from all 

 suspition of disloyalty, which he protested he did from his conscience, and after 

 wards often iterated the same, and preserved it unto him entire, he spake singu 

 larly for the justifying of her majesty s special care and wisdom for the warres 

 in Ireland, in providing whatsoever could be demanded by the earle for that 

 service before his going out ; with supplying him afterwards with whatsoever 

 hee could aske, so it were possible to bee given him : in prescribing that course, 

 which had it beene followed, was the onely way to have reduced that realme, 

 and which being forsaken, was the onely ruine and losse of that royall army. 

 And as for all those excuses which the earle alleaged for himselfe, hee cleerely 

 cut them off, shewing that his excuse of following the counsell of Irelands 

 advice, was nothing, his commission being so large, that he was not bound to 

 follow them ; and if he had beene, yet were they a counsell at his command ; he 

 might force them to say what he list : his own letters which he alleaged, might 

 be provisionary, written of purpose then to excuse him now. To be short, he 

 greatly justified her maiesties wisdome, in managing that whole action, as much 

 as lay in her, and laid the whole fault of the bad successe in Ireland upon the 

 carles ominous iourney (so he called it) into Mounster. And thus, in the be- 



