OF ROBERT EARL OF ESSEX. 317 



of captains and voluntaries, and such as he thought 

 were most affectionate unto himself, and most reso 

 lute, though not knowing of his purpose. So as 

 even at that time every man noted and wondered 

 what the matter should be, that my lord took his 

 most particular friends and followers, from their 

 companies, which were countenance and means unto 

 them, to bring them over. But his purpose, as in 

 part was touched before, was this ; that if he held 

 his greatness in court, and were not committed, 

 which, in regard of the miserable and deplored estate 

 he left Ireland in, whereby he thought the opinion 

 here would be that his service could not be spared, 

 he made full account he should not be, then, at the 

 first opportunity, he would execute the surprise of 

 her majesty s person. And if he were committed to 

 the Tower, or to prison, for his contempts, for, be 

 sides his other contempts, he came over expressly 

 against the queen s prohibition under her signet, it 

 might be the care of some of his principal friends, 

 by the help of that choice and resolute company 

 which he brought over, to rescue him. 



But the pretext of his coming over was, by the 

 efficacy of his own presence and persuasion to have 

 moved and drawn her majesty to accept of such 

 conditions of peace as he had treated of with Tyrone 

 in his private conference ; which was indeed some 

 what needful, the principal article of them being, 

 That there should be a general restitution of rebels 

 in Ireland to all their lands and possessions, that 

 they could pretend any right to before their going 



