Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 14.djvu/432

Devereux hat in the royal presence (, Memorials, p. 31). After visiting Wanstead, the home of Leicester, who was about to marry his mother, Essex returned to Cambridge. In 1580 he spent his vacations with Lord Rich, the future husband of his sister Penelope. His chief friend at the university was a youth named Anthony Bagot (b. 1558), son of a country neighbour, Richard Bagot of Blithfield, Staffordshire (d. 1596), and the extant letters of both father and son contain much information about the earl. Essex was created M.A. 6 July 1581. In 1582 he apologised to Burghley for having passed ` the bounds of frugality.' For the two succeeding years he lived in peaceful seclusion at his house at Llanfey in Pembrokeshire, chiefly engaged in study. He signed and sealed for the county the instrument of association for the defence of the queen late in 1584.

Soon afterwards Essex's stepfather, Leicester, induced him to reappear at court,where his `goodly person' and ` innate courtesy' made him popular. In the autumn of 1585 he was irritated by the queen's proposal to confine Mary Queen of Scots in his house at Chartley. His consent was not asked, and he told Walsingham that the house was small, ill-furnished, and required by himself. His maternal grandfather, Sir Francis Knollys, added that it was bad policy to lodge the queen `in so young a man's house' (Knollys to Walsingham, 6 Oct.) In spite of these remonstrances Mary was a prisoner at Chartley from January to 24 Sept. 1586, but at the time Essex was out of England. In August 1585 he was appointed `general of the horse' to the expedition sent under Leicester to the aid of the States-General. He spent 1,000l. in equipping his attendants, `a wasteful prodigality' which excited the anger of his grandfather Knollys. In Holland nearly twelve months were spent in camp in feasting and quarrelling with his fellow-officers; but his boldness in the skirmish before Zutphen (21 Sept. 1586), where Sidney fell, was rewarded by Leicester with the dignity of a knight banneret.

In 1587 Essex—now a handsome youth of twenty—was again at court, and the queen showed him unmistakable attentions. `When she is abroad,' wrote Anthony Bagot, 3 May, `nobody with her but my lord of Essex, and at night my lord is at cards, or one game or another with her, that he cometh not to his own lodging till birds sing in the morning.' Leicester was said to have thrust his stepson forward in order to diminish Sir Walter Raleigh's influence with his sovereign. It is certain that Essex and Raleigh from the time of their first meeting were on bad terms. In July 1587 Essex attended the queen on a visit to the Earl of Warwick at North Hall. His sister—either Penelope, the wife of Lord Rich, or Dorothy, who had recently married Thomas Perrot—was staying in the house, and the queen declared herself affronted by her presence. Late one night Essex boldly remonstrated with Elizabeth for offering an insult to his family, `only to please' (he asserted) `that knave Raleigh.' The queen defended Raleigh. Essex grew hotter in his denunciations, left the house with his sister near midnight, and hurried to Lord Burghley's mansion at Theobalds. The next day his rage was unabated, and he rode to Sandwich, resolved to return to the Low Countries, but Sir Robert Carey was sent by Elizabeth to bring him back. The quarrel was soon at an end, and on 23 Dec. 1587 Essex was appointed master of the horse, an office which he had coveted since May. A similar exhibition of temper quickly followed. Essex's boyish vanity was hurt by the favour Elizabeth showed to Charles Blount (1563-1606) [q. v.] on his first appearance at court. He noticed that Blount wore about his arm a gold chess-queen which the queen had given him, and he remarked at sight of it, ` Now I perceive every fool must wear a favour.' Blount was informed of the expression, and a duel took place in Marylebone Park, in which Essex was disarmed and slightly wounded. Both courtiers were reprimanded by Elizabeth, and became good friends afterwards. `By God's death,' Elizabeth truly said of Essex, `it were fitting some one should take him down and teach him better manners, or there were no rule with him'.

On 11 April 1588 Essex was incorporated M.A. at Oxford, where Leicester was chancellor, and on 24 April was installed K.G. While the Spanish armada threatened the coast Essex was kept, against his will, in personal attendance on Elizabeth at Tilbury. When his stepfather died in September, Essex expressed a desire to succeed him as chancellor of Oxford, but Sir Christopher Hatton was nominated. In December 1588 Essex was again quarrelling with Raleigh, and sent him a challenge, but the council endeavoured to bring about a reconciliation before the Queen heard of the affair (Cal. State Papers, 581-90, p. 566). Restless and dissatisfied with his position at court, the earl made his escape early in 1589. On Thursday, 8 April, he rode to Plymouth when Norris and Drake were about to set sail with a naval expedition to support Don Antonio, a claimant to the throne of Portugal, whom Philip II had notoriously maltreated. The earl induced the captain of the Swiftsure to leave Plymouth harbour at once, and he was at Falmouth 