to them, and the queen's commissioners doing their best to sectre as much as possible. The qucen's anxiety on the subject was probably well reflected in a letter addressed on August 10th from the Cottoefl at Greenwich to the joint generals.

In spite of all his efforts to vindicate his conduct, Essex fell into some disfavom' at com't. Lediard suggests that the uneasiness thus occasioned him may have led him into the extravagant projects which in the end cost him his life. l"robably he proved himself at times a difficult colleague of the Lord High Admiral: possibly he often allowed zeal to outxm discretion. /3ut it is abundantly clear that in all he did dtu'ing the Cadiz expedition he was animated by the best motives, and not by that personal greed which remains a blot upon the record of some of his most noted contemporaries: and the fact that all his proposals for the more complete humiliation of Spain seem to have been supported by 1)uijve,xvoorde, a a seaman of experience, is one which speaks very strongly in f'avottr of his general conduct.

In 1596, Ctuuberland sent his niuth expedition to sea. He fit fitted out the Scourge of Malice, obtained the Dreadnought from her majesty, and chartered some small craft. Vith these he sailed, but the Scourge of Malice was presently dis;;bled iu a storm, and the expedition had to put back. He then fitted out a vessel called the .-lsccnsion, of 300 tons and thirty-four guns, and dispatched her to cruise trader Francis Slingsby. She also was damaged and forced home by a gale, but, sailing again, fought some gallant, though indecisive, actions off Lisbon ere she returned?

The immediate effect of the Cadiz expedition was to stimulate Spain to a fresh effort. lhilip lost no time in assembling at Lisbon as many ships as he could collect from all parts of his extensive dominions and in taking up such suitable foreign vessels as lay in his ports. The fleet thus formed proceeded in the spring of 1597 to Ferrol, and there received on board a considerable body of troops and a 'eat number of fugitives from Ireland. The intention seems to have been to land all these forces in Ireland; but soon after the fleet had quitted Ferrol it fell in with such terrible weather, and suffered so severely, that it put back, capable of prosecuting its

I Printed at length in Ledlard, 336, 337. '-' He was knighted for his services on the occasion. Camden, iii. 737, 738.

Purehas, iv. 1148.

Thirty-six sail were reported to have been lost in this storm.