CONCERNING THE EARL OF ESSEX. 255 



speech with me. Whereupon I, who was still awake, 

 and true to my grounds, which I thought surest for 

 my lord s good, said to this effect : &quot; Madam, I 

 &quot; know not the particulars of estate, and I know 

 &quot; this, that princes actions must have no abrupt 

 &quot;periods or conclusions ; but otherwise I would think, 

 &quot; that if you had my lord of Essex here with a white 

 &quot; staff in his hand, as my lord of Leicester had, and 

 &quot; continued him still about you for society to your- 

 &quot; self, and for an honour and ornament to your at- 

 &quot; tendance and court in the eyes of your people, 

 &quot; and in the eyes of foreign ambassadors, then were 

 &quot; he in his right element ; for to discontent him as 

 &quot; you do, and yet to put arms and power into his 

 &quot; hands, may be a kind of temptation to make 

 &quot; him prove cumbersome and unruly. And there- 

 &quot; fore if you would imponere bonam clausu- 

 &quot; lam, and send for him, and satisfy him with ho- 

 &quot; nour here near you, if your affairs, which, as I 

 &quot; have said, I am not acquainted with, will permit 

 &quot; it, I think were the best way.&quot; Which course, your 

 lordship knoweth, if it had been taken, then all had 

 been well, and no contempt in my lord s coming 

 over, nor continuance of these jealousies, which that 

 employment of Ireland bred, and my lord here in his 

 former greatness. Well, the next news that I heard 

 was, that my lord was come over, and that he was 

 committed to his chamber for leaving Ireland with 

 out the queen s licence; this was at Nonesuch, where, 

 as my duty was, I came to his lordship, and talked 

 with him privately about a quarter of an hour, and 



