Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/292

 272 REIGN OF ELIZABETH [CH. 59. pected his destination. He had seven or eight Celtic cavaliers with him, with their servants and horses, and a miscellaneous crew of adventurers. They had em- barked as if for London, 1 and Sidney professed to believe that they were going there but the story reads like collusion. When clear of the harbour they made for the ocean ; a few days after they landed in Grallicia, and sent messengers to Philip to announce their arrival. The Archbishop of Cashel, not at that time knowing much of Stukely, and hearing merely that a party of gentlemen had arrived from Ireland, supposed that their errand was like his own, and recommended Philip to receive them. 2 The Duke of Feria, who had per- haps heard of Stukely from Don Guerau, made himself responsible for "his character, and the King sent for him to the Court, knighted him, loaded him with presents, gave him a palace at Madrid and a splendid allowance for his expenses. He threw himself into Philip's schemes. He represented his influence as enormous, and Philip was delighted to believe him. He was the very man to deal with the Irish difficulty as the Pope and the King of Spain desired. It was to no purpose that the Archbishop remon- strated when he found how the wind was turning. The 1 The account sent from Ireland agrees exactly with the Archbishop's story at Madrid : Stukely had with him two 0' Neils, a Geraldine, a Mac- mahon, a Magenis, a MacPhilip, and another described as ' Murty Paddy.' In the Spanish list they are called ' Salbaxes,' savages. Notes of the Irish with Stukeky in Spain, February, 1571 : MSS. Ire- land. 2 El Arzobispo de Cashel al Hey, Julio 26, 1570 : MSS. Simancas.