CONCERNING THE EARL OF ESSEX. 253 



before his lordship s going into Ireland, as in former 

 time : yet, nevertheless, touching his going into Ire 

 land, it pleased him expressly, and in a set manner, 

 to desire mine opinion and counsel. At which time 

 I did not only dissuade, hut protest against his 

 going ; telling him, with as much vehemency and 

 asseveration as I could, that absence in that kind 

 would exulcerate the queen s mind, whereby it 

 would not be possible for him to carry himself so 

 as to give her sufficient contentment ; nor for her to 

 carry herself so as to give him sufficient counte 

 nance : which would be ill for her, ill for him, and 

 ill for the state. And because I would omit no 

 argument, I remember I stood also upon the diffi 

 culty of the action ; setting before him out of histo 

 ries, that the Irish was such an enemy as the an 

 cient Gauls, or Britons, or Germans were ; and that 

 we saw how the Romans, who had such discipline 

 to govern their soldiers, and such donatives to en 

 courage them, and the whole world in a manner to 

 levy them ; yet when they came to deal with ene 

 mies, which placed their felicity only in liberty, and 

 the sharpness of their sword, and had the natural 

 elemental advantages of woods, and bogs, and hard 

 ness of bodies, they ever found they had their hands 

 full of them ; and therefore concluded, that going 

 over with such expectation as he did, and through 

 the churlishness of the enterprize not like to answer 

 it, would mightily diminish his reputation : and 

 many other reasons I used, so as I am sure I never 

 in any thing in my life-time dealt with him in like 



