that had any touch or tincture of Mars in their inclinations, and to steal away without license, and the Queen's privity, which had like to have cost some of them dear; so predominant were their thoughts and hopes of honour growing in them, as we may truly observe in the expositions of Sir Philip Sidney, my Lord of Essex, Mountjoy, and divers others, whose absence, and the manner of their eruptions, was very distasteful to her whereof I can here add a true, and no impertinent story, and that of the last Mountjoy, who having twice or thrice stolen away into Britain, (where under Sir John Norris, he had then a company,) without the Queen's leave and privity; she sent a messenger 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 of reviling, demanding 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 it until you are knock

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ed on the head, as that inconsiderate fellow

Sidney was; you shall go when I send you, in the mean time 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 those times, that the Queen, during the calm 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 an instinct it came about, or whether it was an act of her compassion, but it is most certain, that she sent levies, and no small troops, to the assistance of the revolted states of Holland, before she had received any affront from the King of Spain, that might deserve or tend to a breach in hostility, which the Papists, to this day, maintain, was the provocation and cause of the after wars: but omitting what might be said to this point,

those Netherland wars were the Queen's seminaries, and the nurseries of very many brave soldiers; and so were likewise, the civil wars of France (whither she sent five several armies) the fence-schools, that inured the youth and gallantry of the kingdom, and it was a militia wherein they were daily in acquaintance with the discipline of the Spaniards, who were then turned the Queen's inveterate enemies.

And this have I taken into observation, her dies halcionii, those 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 point of honour and victory, yet were they troubled, and ever clouded over, both with domestic and foreign machinations; and it is already quoted, they were such as awakened her spirits, and made her cast about how to defend, rather by offending, and by the way of diverting to prevent all invasions than to expect them, which was a piece of policy of the times and with this

I have noted the causes or principia of the wars following, and likewise pointed to the seed-plots from whence she took up those brave men and plants of honour, which acted on the theatre of Mars, and on whom she dispersed the rays of her grace, which were persons in their kinds of rare virtues, and such as might (out of height of merit) pretend interest to her favour, of which rank the number will equal, if not exceed that of the gown-men, in recount of whom I proceed with Sir Philip Sidney.

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

He was son to Sir Henry Sidney, LordDeputy of Ireland, and President of Wales, a person of great parts, and in no mean grace with the Queen. His mother was sister to my Lord of Leicester; from whence we may conjecture, how the father stood up in the place of honour and employment, so that his descent was apparently noble on both sides: For his education, it was such as travel and the University could afford, or his tutors infuse; for after an incredible proficiency in all the species of learning, he left the academical life for that of the court, whither he came by his uncle's invitation, famed afore-hand by a noble report of his accomplishments, which, together with the state of his person, framed by a natural propension to arms, he soon attracted the good opinion of all men,