Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/250

 436 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 59. The sons of English, knights and gentlemen, no longer contented with the old routine of duties and a stationary place in the social scale, were out in search of adven- tures on the wide world. The ancient order of Europe had broken down. The shores of the political ocean were strewed with wrecks for the boldest hand to plunder. The Atlantic was a highway where the privateer, with no more risk than gave flavour to the employment, could nil his sea-chests with doubloons or ingots from the Indian mines. And caring little for legality, the young English rover was craving only to do some .deeds which would bring him name and fame, or at least would better his private fortunes. Excited by the difficulties of the Government, or perhaps directly invited to come forward, a number of gentlemen of this kind, chiefly from Somersetshire and Devonshire Gilberts, Chichesters, Carews, Grenvilles, Courtenays twenty- seven in all, volunteered to relieve Elizabeth of her trouble with Ireland. Some of them had already tried their fortunes there ; most of them, in command of pirates and privateers, had made acquaintance with the harbours of Cork and Kerry. They were prepared to migrate there altogether on conditions which would open their way to permanent greatness. The surrender of the Desmond estates created the opportunity. The}^ desired that it should be followed up by the despatch of a Commission to Minister to examine into the titles of the chiefs, and where the chiefs had no charters to produce, to claim the estates