Mountjoy, Who, Having Twice Or Thrice
Stole Away Into Brittany, Where, Under Sit John Norris, He Had Then
A Company, Without The Queen's Leave And Privity, She Sent A Message
Unto Him With A Strict Charge To The General To See Him Sent Home.
When he came into the Queen's presence, she fell into a kind
railing, demanding of him how he durst
Go over without her leave.
"Serve me so," quoth she, "once more, and I will lay you fast enough
for running; you will never leave till you are knocked on the head,
as that inconsiderate fellow Sidney was; you shall go when I send.
In the meantime, see that you lodge in the Court" (which was then at
Whitehall), "where you may follow your book, read, and discourse of
the wars." But to our purpose. It fell out happily to those, and,
as I may say, to these times, that the Queen during the calm time of
her reign was not idle, nor rocked asleep with security, for she had
been very provident in the reparation and augmentation of her
shipping and ammunition, and I know not whether by a foresight of
policy, or any instinct, it came about, or whether it was an act of
her compassion, but it is most certain she sent no small troops to
the revolted States of Holland, before she had received any affront
from the King of Spain, that might deserve to tend to a breach of
hostility, which the Papists maintain to this day was the
provocation to the after-wars; but, omitting what might be said to
this point, these Netherland wars were the Queen's seminaries or
nursery of very many brave soldiers, and so likewise were the civil
wars of France, whither she sent five several armies.
They were the French scholars that inured the youth and gentry of
the kingdom, and it was a militia, where they were daily in
acquaintance with the discipline of the Spaniards, who were then
turned the Queen's inveterate enemies.
And thus have I taken in observation her DIES HALCYONII - I.E., these
years of hers which were more serene and quiet than those that
followed, which, though they were not less propitious, as being
touched more with the points of honour and victory, yet were they
troubled and loaded ever, both with domestic and foreign
machinations; and, as it is already quoted, they were such as
awakened her spirits and made her cast about her to defend rather by
offending, and by way of provision to prevent all invasions, than to
expect them, which was a piece of the cunning of the times; and with
this I have noted the causes and PRINCIPIUM {57} of the wars
following, and likewise points to the seed-plots from whence she
took up these brave men and plants of honour who acted on the
theatre of Mars, and on whom she dispersed the rays of her grace;
who were persons, in their kinds of care, virtuous, and such as
might, out of their merit, pretend interest to her favours, of which
rank the number will equal, if not exceed, that of her gown-men, in
recount of whom I will proceed with Sir Philip Sidney.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 44 of 65
Words from 23156 to 23697
of 35052
