THE EARL OF ESSEX. 293 



&quot; when you have there so many inferiors able, might 

 &quot; victual a fort, or seek revenge against those who 

 &quot; have lately prospered against our forces. And 

 &quot; when we call to mind how far the sun hath run his 

 &quot; course, and what dependeth upon the timely plan- 

 &quot; tation of garrisons in the North, and how great 

 &quot; scandal it would be to our honour to leave that 

 &quot; proud rebel unassayed, when we have with so 

 &quot; great an expectation of our enemies engaged our- 

 &quot; selves so far in the action ; so that, without that 

 &quot; be done, all those former courses will prove like 

 &quot; via navis in mari ; besides that our power, which 

 &quot; hitherto hath been dreaded by potent enemies, 

 &quot; will now even be held contemptible amongst our 

 &quot; rebels : we must plainly charge you, according to 

 &quot; the duty you owe to us, so to unite soundness of 

 &quot; judgment to the zeal you have to do us service, 

 &quot; as with all speed to pass thither in such sort, as 

 &quot; the axe might be put to the root of that tree, 

 &quot; which hath been the treasonable stock from whom 

 &quot; so many poisoned plants and grafts have been de- 

 &quot; rived ; by which proceedings of yours, we may 

 &quot; neither have cause to repent of our employment 

 &quot; of yourself for omitting those opportunities to 

 &quot; shorten the wars, nor receive in the eye of the 

 &quot; world imputation of so much weakness in ourself, 

 &quot; to begin a work without better foresight what 

 &quot; would be the end of our excessive charge, the ad- 

 &quot; venture of our people s lives, and the holding up 

 &quot; of our own greatness against a wretch, whom we 

 &quot; have raised from the dust, and who could never 



