Catalogue description The QUEEN to the LORDS JUSTICES, LORD LIEUTENANT, and COUNCIL.

"You shall understand that upon the arrival of Essex from his charge, he hath delivered us particular relations of the state of our affairs. First, that he hath left the government of that kingdom to you two [Archbishop Loftus and Sir George Carey.] as our Justices, and to you our cousin of Ormond as Lieutenant of our army, of which distribution we do allow, and hereby do confirm the same in manner and form as he left it by virtue of our commission.

"Secondly, he did impart unto us many particulars of the courses which our forces held, and of the ill success happened in his time to divers ill-guided and conducted troops of ours, wherein we took occasion to expostulate with him, his long tergiversation in the Northern action, whereby all opportunity was past, our army weakened, and the rebels grown strong and increased in their pride, and so our whole year's charge consumed to no purpose.

"He did plainly answer us, that whatsoever he did in that point, he did it contrary to his own proposition and desire, rather choosing to assent to so general a contestation in all you of the Council, who dissuaded it, than to venture to be taxed for a singularity in a matter whereof the success was doubtful.

"Lastly, he declared that upon a meeting with Tyrone he had found in him an internal desire to become a good subject, and that he had made divers offers and petitions, whereupon to be received to our grace and favour; which being examined by him, and appearing in many things unreasonable, he would no way conclude until our pleasure was first had, but suspended all final answer therein, and yielded to a cessation from six weeks to six weeks, if 14 days' warning were not given; which in effect is but an abstinence for 14 days. And therein also we do note that it had been an argument of more duty in Tyrone to have submitted that condition to a less equality, seeing he is to win our grace by lowly and humble conditions, and not by loftiness. Nevertheless, for that point of the cessation, our pleasure is that you do [no] way break it, for in whatsoever any word is passed from him that representeth our person, we will have no pretext to warrant any violation of that which we have ever held so precious.

"And yet to you we cannot hide that we are displeased that our kingdom hath been so ill ordered as that we must accept of such proceedings before the rebel had tasted somewhat of our power; neither could we like his [Essex's] judgment in coming over so suddenly to us in person, knowing well that upon this abrupt departure every ill spirit would fashion sinister conjectures, some that the State was desperate, others that himself (upon whose judgment it was likely that we would rely) would imagine it fit to have his offer taken in all points, or else that he would rather have written than come. In which consideration, to the intent that no man hereafter should leave such a charge so suddenly without making any end one way or other, we could do no less than sequester him from our presence for some time into the house of one of our Privy Council, as an argument of our mislike thereof. For although it be known to us that the treaty set on foot between the King of Spain and us taketh away any doubt that he will now give any succours to those rebels, yet was it more than he knew but that the remain of the forces at the Groyne, [Logroñ in Spain.] being frustrated of other attempts, might have been sent thither; which, if it should have happened during his absence, could not but have wrought confusion in that State.

"Of this much we think fit that you be informed, lest it might be conceived that we misliked to hear of any submission, or that the traitor might think we meant to reject him. And, therefore, we would have him understand from you our cousin of Ormond, that although we mislike divers particulars in his offers, yet do we both allow of his desire to be forgiven, and are resolved (if the fault be not in himself) to restore him to our grace and favour. But forasmuch as his petitions consist of many considerable circumstances, wherein we must have regard to our honour above all things, we will defer our final answer for some few days, and then return to him our pleasure under our hand by some so confident personage, as when he looketh down into the centre of his faults, and up to the height of our mercy, he shall find and feel that he is the creature of a gracious Sovereign, that taketh more contentment to save than to destroy the work of our own hands.

"If you shall think good to choose our Secretary Fenton, with some assistant, to deliver them this much, and thereby to see how he stand affected, we shall well allow that election, or of any other that you shall think fit for our service, if sickness or any other sufficient cause do hinder his employment.

"It remaineth now that we command you, the Justices, to forbear making knights, granting of leases, wards, pardons, or pensions, and further to advise us what is the state of our army and of our treasure, and what accidents have happened since Essex his return; and whensoever you shall have heard anything from the traitor, to certify that also to our Council here. And where we have heard that some of our Council there are desirous to come over for their own private business, our pleasure is that you do not license any of them until you receive further order from us, or that we shall have with some further time settled a more certain course in that State.

"At the Court at Richmond, the 6th of October 1599."

Copy.

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts preserved in the Archiepiscopal Library at Lambeth, ed. J. S. Brewer & W. Bullen (6 vols., 1867-73, vol. III, document 323.