D E V E R E U X. 
. queen gave him the office of matter of the ordnance ; 
and, upon the rumour of an intended invafion of Ireland 
by the Spaniards, (lie appointed him to the chief com¬ 
mand of a fleet equipped to oppofe them. After this 
had once been put back by a ftorm, it failed again, with 
the double purpofe of burning the Spanifn men of war in 
their harbours, and intercepting their Weft-India fleet. 
Nothing, however, was done but tlie taking of Fayal, 
by fir,Walter Raleigh, with a feparate fquadron, which 
occattoned a difpute between him and the earl of Elfex ; 
and the fleet returned with little glory. -Mutual accufa- 
tionsenfued, and Elfex retired in ill-humour, which was 
at length foothed by his elevation to the dignity of earl 
marlhal of England, December, 1597. 
The next year, when a peace with Spain was in agita¬ 
tion, it was much oppofed by Elfex, either from real re¬ 
gard to the interetts of his country, or the habits and fen- 
timents of a military man. The old treafurer, lord Bur¬ 
leigh, was greatly difpleafed at hisoppotttion, and, after 
fume warm debate, drew out a prayer book, from which 
he read to Elfex, “ Men of blood lhall not live out half 
their days.” Effex, on this occalion, drew up an elo¬ 
quent apology for hiinfelf, addreffed to his intimate 
friend, Antony Bacon. On the death of Burleigh, he 
fucceeded him in the chancellorlhip of the univerfity of 
Cambridge. About this time, a lingular incident took 
place, which ftrongly marks his character, and that of 
jhe queen, and probably had no lmall influence over his 
after-fortune. A private council was held upon the choice 
of a proper perfon to be fent as governor of Ireland. Ef- 
fex propofed fir George Carew, but the queen was more 
inclined to fir William Knolles. The difpute became 
warm, and Elfex, unable to perfuade her majefty, con- 
temptuoufly turned his back upon her. Provoked at 
this infolence, fhe, in her ufual coarfe manner, bade him 
“ Go, and be hanged,” and gave him a box on the ear. 
He immediately clapped his hand upon his fword, and 
fworc he neither could nor would put up with fuch an 
affront, which he would not have taken from HenryVIII. 
himfelf. The lord admiral interpofed, and Elfex was 
induced to make acknowledgments, which reltored him 
to apparent favour, though there is reafon to believe 
that his violence was never forgotten by the queen. 
The troubles in Ireland, from the rebellion of Tyrone, 
at this time continuing, it was propofed to lend over a 
new governor ; and they who were jealous of the influ¬ 
ence Elfex had acquired at home, promoted his appoint¬ 
ment to that poll:. With fome hefitation, he accepted the 
offer, as the likelielt means to obliterate the memory of 
late events ; but his conflicts of mind, on the occalion, 
may be comprehended from the letter he wrote to the queen 
before his departure, which for the energetic exprellion of 
internal anguilh, is fcarcely to be paralleled. It begins, 
“ From a mind delighting in forrow, from fpirits waited 
with pallion, from a heart torn in pieces with care, grief, 
and travel ; from a man that hateth himfelf, and all 
things elfe that keep him alive ; what fervice can your 
majefty expeCt, fince any fervice pail deferves no more 
than bnnilhment and profeription to the curfedeft of all 
iflands ?” With fuch an ill-omened difpofition did he 
alfume a government, rendered more confiderable in 
powers, forces, and appointments, than it had been in 
the hands of any of his predeceifors. He was attended 
out of London by a great crowd of people, and many of 
the nobility, and arrived in Ireland, in April, 1599. By 
the Interefted advice of the Irifli council, he was per- 
fuaded to march into Munfter, in order to quell a rebel¬ 
lion there, before he proceeded into Ulfter againft Ty¬ 
rone. This was a fatal error; for, though he foon 
brought Munfter to a temporary fubmiflion, yet his troops 
were greatly haralfed with fatigue and ficknefs, and, up¬ 
on his return to Dublin, were much diminifhed in num¬ 
ber. A party of them were alfo difgracefully routed in an 
encounter, with which Elfex was fo much provoked, that, 
though his natural temper was not cruel, he thought fit 
Vol. V. No. 313. 
to praCtife the feverc difeipline of decimating the fugi¬ 
tives. He obtained a reinforcement front England, and 
then marched againft Tyrone with a lmall and difpirited 
army, f hiding himfelf unable to effeCt any thing of con- 
lequence, he agreed to hold a conference with the Irilh 
chief, which was followed by a fufpeniion of arms, and 
propofals of peace. The news of thefe tranfadfions, fo 
contrary to the great expectations which had been form¬ 
ed in England, was received by the queen and her coun¬ 
cil with high difpleafure, and feveral ll.arp letters patted 
on both lldcs. Elfex, refolviwg to give up his command, 
left Ireland, contrary to the exprefs commands of his 
miftrel*, and battened to the court. He directly went npj 
flairs'to the prefence-chamber, and, finding the queen in 
her bed-chamber newly rifen, he fell on his knees, made 
his apology, and was received more gracioufly than he 
could have expected. But this was only the effect of 
the lurprize conlequent upon his Hidden appearance. 
He was foon alter treated with harllinefs, committed to 
private cuftody, examined with rigour before the coun¬ 
cil, and fufpended from all his employments, except that 
of matter of the horfe. He received thefe chaftifements 
with great fubmiflion, though the inward druggie with his 
haughty fpirit was fuch as to throw him into a difeafe, 
in which lie had the fatisfaCtion' of being favoured with 
fome extraordinary tokens of the queen’s remaining re¬ 
gard, which, indeed, had always feemed to partake of an 
amorous pallion. He was at length fet at liberty, and 
might (till have been a favourite, had not the queen’s 
refufal of renewing to him a gainful monopoly of fweet 
wines thrown him into fuch an irritation, as to difregard 
all the fuggeftiop.s of prudence. He liltened to the dan¬ 
gerous counlels of Cufie, who had been his lecretary in 
Ireland, a man ot a daring and arrogant character ; cul¬ 
tivated the friendfhip ot difalieCfed perfons ; and indulg¬ 
ed himfelf in freedoms of fpeecli refpeCting the queen. 
One ot his exprefiiofts, which was repeated to her, and 
could never be forgotten, was,That the queen grew 
old and cankered, and that her mind was become as 
crooked as her carcafe.” He alfo carried on a fecret 
correfpondence with Janies king of Scotland, the objeCt 
ot which was to procure a public declaration of his right 
of fuccettion to tlie Englilh throne ; and he even would 
have engaged his friend, lord Mountjoy,, deputy of Ire¬ 
land, to bring over troops in order to compel.this mea- 
fure. But his zeal in rhis matter, imprudent as it might 
be, feenvs completely to acquit him of. any intention to 
claim the crown for himfelf,. with which he has been 
charged ; though it appears that fome of his fanguine 
parti fans did niention-him among the pretenders to the 
fuccettion, in virtue of his maternal.defeent. When his 
own imprudences on the one hand, and the ill-offices of 
his . enemies on the other, had brought his fortune to a 
crifis, and he was become ripe for the 1110ft defperate pro¬ 
jects, a confpiracy was formed in his council of friends, 
to feize on the queen’s perfon, remove his enemies, and 
fettle a new plan of government, Some circumftances 
inducing him to believe that this was difeovered, his re¬ 
maining refource was to endeavour to raife in his favour 
the city of London, where lie flattered himfelf with being 
extremely popular. The queen, being informed of his 
delign, fent the lord-keeper Egerton, with other perfons 
of rank, to Elfex-houfe, 111 order to confer with him-TThey 
found there a number of perfons in arms, and were them- 
felves detained as prifoners, while the earl, accompanied 
by about two hundred gentlemen, went into the city. 
Such had been the previous meafures taken there, that, 
inftead of being joined, he found himfelf publicly pro¬ 
claimed a traitor, and the ftreets barricaded againft his 
return. Making his way to the Thames, with his prin¬ 
cipal followers, he got back in boats to his houfe in the 
Strand, where he was foon invefted by the queen’s forces, 
and obliged to funender at,diferetion. He was commit¬ 
ted to the Tower, with his chief adherent, the earl of 
Southampton, and a jury of peers was appointed for theis 
9 L trial,. 
