The Sun.
London, England, 1817-09-01 00:00:00

'yot!i,nitt by natare an l polley.on7yl bat I,ty an!,
saered 'bond whereiti rine. SIaJJ-st y of Crud
!lath Hy t lie,rui,e. of Christianit n4ligett.fon:, •
Essex's reply presents perhaps the truest picture extant
trot only.-of his oaruralliot• of his I. afifioal ehampter ;of the
grandeur of his allot!, and of the tyranny of his passions; of his
habitual- loyalty ,'and iticlioations.. In this ad•
mirabie letter we find the tollo.. fig vivaci..ms expressions of
defianee.—' %%lien the vilest of all indi;;iiities are ilooe unto
me, dot Ii religion inforce the to sac ? God la quire. it. ?,
Is•it impiety not to do it ? Why ? Cannot Princes err ? Can's
riot sabjects receive wrong? •Is art caAltly power infinite.?
Pardon me, pardon me, toy' Lord ; I can never sabscribe to,
these -principles. Let. • Solomon's fool faugh tvi,au :!e is
stricken. Let-those that tie-in to make their ,protit of Princes
suety to have no sense ofPriuces' injuries. Let them at:ltnosys,
Ledge ail infinite absoluteness on earth that do notbeireve an
Joanne alisoltiteuess for toe, 1, have reeeived
wroo u
g ;i feels it : Nly case is good; I and, what,-
.ieere.ar comes, all tire powers on earth can never ShifeYnitire
reugth. or constant). iii oppressing that) 1 can strew in Stltr,
it..1"1114 ali,its.eser Call or :mall he no/op.:et! On river." He.
was ,it length tersuaded to make a proii.l saLtini_ssivu, and
Was ,!;;-viii received iato your, which
,seelotai
even y (*.tap:have liven but bule impaired.
_
" i he affairs .of irelitoil appear indeed to have been at that
time EsseN"s frevonri/e putitical study. lie hail
.1 rt que. I ly,
in the debates 'of the Council, complained of an unreason-.
pfirsiamity with sylich he charged the Ministers in the
Govei 'intent of that 'moony, and, of reStrictions `by which
they' had long fettered the 'acuities of the Queen's I)eputies.
His,erionies determined to avail themselves of this disposi•
turn, and to tempt bins by an otter of that iutporhint and
honourable -joist, with tutusually enlarged authority, and
the command of a more numerous army than had ever hewn.
sent. thit-Imia 'l'o' conquer rebellions tactiolis ; to civilize a
people at 011ee badlaroll9 and generous ;. to adiniiiister strict
justice t !trough. the weans of absolute power; were 'ruble ob-
jects in_ t he view of one whose character united with a haughty
and conrageous spirit the mildest humanity, and the most
.taialted moral - principles. . Prudence too, if he ever nsed it,
now ihallaps reminded him that anger is best cooled by ab-
tenet., and that past errors are frequenty forgott ea ill the
;grateful sense of new services. lie accepted the office how-
ever'with reluctance and-disgust, inless we are to consider
'the billowing
_exquisite little .epistle to Elizabeth,. which is.
said; I know not on what groutitl, to have been written nes
tween the dates of his -appointment mot his departure, merely
as a general appeal- to her I..elins, and a strong effort to re-
gain the 'Alines, of her, t'svour, for which he Juane his commis-
sion to li eland the pretext. •
" Frtan a mind delighting in sorrow ; from spirits wasted
with passion ; -from a heart .torn in pieces a th care, grief,
and travei ; trios a wan that hatetlohimself, aria all things
else that keep film ante; what service can pore ,;.I,,ijesty ex-
pect, since ally sereiee past desta•vesne more than banishment
arid 'pi oscription to the enrsedt'st of all- islands ? It is your
rebels pride and success initst.give pie leave to ransom iny-
- sell-tout of this hateful prismi ; out of thy I.attired body ~
which, it it happened sir, your Majesty shall have no cause to
mislike the fashion of toy death, since the course of my life
could never please-you.
' Happy he could ti!iish forth his file ,
• In smile iintiatioted desart, most obscure
. From all soeietyVfroin. love and hate
Of worldly folk ; then-should tie. sleep secure ;
Then-wake again, and Yield God ever pi trite ;
Content with kips, atid‘haws, and du:ninth:berry,
.In emiteiliplatiou passing out his days,- •
Anti chatrge of bitty thoughts, to make him merry.;. ,
Who when he dies his tomb mad
-be a bash, •
WilmY harmless Robin dells with gentle Thrash.
Your Majesty's exiled servant, -
li()13EltI ESSEX.'
"On the 27th of March 1599, Ire left-Lundon,. °ulna way
towards Ireland, to the great joy of those who haul thus.
freed tl4onselves of 'his imweleorne pretence tro'phree.. friar"
amid:4 perils 'which they Weil knees bow to increase.. Their
efforts bowevyr were needless. • The.short-term of ins:govern-
fittn ait 'ws a‘t issue of in:prudence, 'confusion, an., nristnattne,
tle pas-4eil'the first two mOnths in matting journeys 'Of' obsers
vittaini,l4l4l plattS• for action, nod laid the frtrits of those la-•
bimre belara the at, large in a letter- of et-instant:mete.
.ablity. • Elizabeth slighted his opiiiions,atid blamed his coq-
duct in tier ery first military enterprise which he midi ark.
During-Ilia irritation vial need' by t hese,crosses a large body of
his troops. was.worsted by the Irish, and he punished
maind of the intachnimit, emit rat yto his !lit ureavith fright-.
fat st•veii",c. 11, an unsuccessfulexpedition`tiiiitra-
n:ytutlieQtiee:t's express order to march his army into another
provinze, sod a Iterwar els, in o!reying that order, wits yet.tittKe
unfort ea Fl e demanded ri niforceineots,hial obtaiced theat;
march, d iu person, at the head of his main many, to atraek
the rebels, under the 'command of ; and, Without
stiihir g a blow concluded a ilisg-rac\efal treaty with that,
chieftain. .Ilis incessant reflection at that period
.on the de-
signs of his enemies in England seems to have been
the eattSe• of the cunsetissence of tt degree Of actual insanity
which never alter left him. funned a seriuua, resoll.llloa
to return With his army, And' to employ it in subduing than,
-and it was with much diffictilty that some of his dearest•
friends succeeded in slisSuatiusg hint front that antinstrOUs at-
tempt. Shortly after, on receiving a reproachful letter trim'
the Qocen, he suddenly quitted Ireland, almost aloe, and
travelling with the utmost speed,appeared must intexpectedly
in her tretence atNonesuch ou the a wenty-eighth'.of Sep-
.tember, i 599„ andsimplored her to listen to his apology. .
Elizabeth was touched by the sii,gular character of this
appeal, which once 'iii; tre excited in some d:'grce her tender.:
'ness, while it flatteret\ her. pride. Essex, once so beloved;
whose' disobedience spa had threatened_ with condign panish-
merit ; whose rebellious resistance she had been tatigl't to
; ii,st end of per.sisting itl his contumacy; or stamina;
a!ouf.to treat fur pintail ; or eniPloying friends to intercede
ein his behalf; had tied fltnia• ors army which. atitir.eil•Lim. and
crossed the se:r, to throw himself singly on her mercy and
her Wisdoto. She received him with ..complacency, ana ad-
mitted hiarto a long conference, in the 'conclusion of which
she Conimabdtal lion nut to quit his apin-tanetit in the Coort,
and soon after CommittelPhiin In an honourable, though close,
confinement in 'the bonseurthe Lori Keeper. It is more
thanprobable that,• had onagers been left wholly to her un-
disturbed decision, tie might evert nowhave escaped with very
light p.m:hies,: but another. powerful. passion . had been
awakened in lief breast, dud, terrified at the representations
whicb were every hour laid before her of the dangers to be
apprehended ftrint his popularity and violence, site -consented
at length fig leave his case to the Privy Council, before which
it been somewhat ag'itatechtnniejliately after leis arrival.
Lie had remained lung a 'prisoner, still occasionally enema,
.raged, and with cemnivitnee, to hope that no niere
was intended than to humble hi. spirit, and that lie might
he again restrrred to her grace; till, int the filth ofaulte, I Goo,
he was bianiglit'Pobliciy befOre the Council, and, after an
exinninallurv4 'elYeen hours, foe the most part of which he
was kopt 'kneeling, it was.deterniiited: that he should be de-,
priced of his scat in that. body, and of all his offices, except
that of ltaster orthe,-FrOfSe, and should remain in custody
••dirrit, gibe Queen's pie-mitre. He was finally enlarged on the
. twenty- seventh.of the .following August, .and,retired to one
of his scot, in the coontry. . . •
'• die Wa§ntili" cast. Es,:et considered bis Situation to be
desperate,. and thdreimeeit effectually rendered it so. In the
beginning of the -winter 'he Ectorned to lain4ssa, and his
house -becathe not only the resott but the reside:ice of the
. idle, the prbfligate, and the disaffected, or all ranks. Ctiffe,
who had been his. secretary in Ireland,. a Mall of considerable
talents, .reitelared useless, or worse, like bis own, by an iitt-
},ctuous temper, undertook to execute his plains, if laity rte.
.served ter he so callesl.• Few circurbstances of our hiclnYy ;ire
better 'known than (base Which compose the sad Sequel of Es-
sex's story. He seems to have-conceived the extravagant, and
indeed utterly impracticable'design, of working simultaneous-
.ly oo the of eetiou and the feltrs of Elizabeth. Declaring his
.praiforind Itiyaltv, and the. most earnest personal regard, he
armed his little baud FrofeSseilly force' her to hearphis
grierances, and to dismiss her servants. Terrified fierfrips,
but Still interested in his favour, instead of employing the
ample means to reduce liim,,which were- in tier power, she
ordered that he shoo-id be summoned before her Codicil,
• and he. disobeyed. 'rite next Morning She. sent-the Lord
KeePerc the Lord Chief Justice, and others of het-Connell, to
his house, to receive his complaints, and lie impriSoned them.'
li then sallied forth,'at the head of his adherents, andi
sought ineffectually for volunteers in the city ; returned by
the ricer, and fortified' his hod-e; and, when no means
'monied to save hint Irmo the perdition to which he -seemed,
to Inlet. devoted himself, was at length proclainil;cl a traitor,
besii&ged and taken prisoner. 'These strange eiretnnstane,eS
eeentred On the 7th and'ath of February, IGOE, NaS. and
on'the Vlth he was brought to .his.trial before the peers, and
condi:mm.(lth die.' Of his treaisou there could be no doubt,
fur it had been cominitted iu the sight 'of thousands ; but 'for
11.14, Atotives, sarinn the simple .impulses of a most fiery and
ithltruilent spirit, we can look only to his own declaration,
tharbis first object was to gain access to the Qiieun's person,
and his final view, to the establishment otthe succession in
the Kink cif Scots, for the charge -preferred against him of a
secret design to set-up ,e claim to the Crown on his own part,
in right of a remote maternal .tescent front the !louse of York,
is utterly incridihlr. The Queen. was anxious try the last to
. sp:q his life. Of .the well known, but.weakly antheuticiated,
tale of the Countess of gotiingham, and the ring, with which
many waiters have beru fond .uf atuplifying the last scene of