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104 vow myself to someone that will protect me, (as all men of the like profession doth) and I not knowing to whom my poor service belongeth more than to your Honour, maketh me hope that your Honour will with some little favour help my poor fortunes forward."

As usual, Sir Robert responded effectively to his nephew's appeal, using his influence to obtain for him the captaincy of an English foot company. Edward expressed his deep gratitude for his uncle's "extraordinary favours" to him and added, "I hold it honour and happiness to spend my life for the honour of the house; accounting your Honour the house as the principalest part of it, and myself the unnecessaryest." His ambition, however, was to be a cavalry commander. "If you ever wish to be a soldier," Sir Francis Vere told him, "get up on horseback." This was a much more difficult matter, for there were few troops of horse in the Low Countries, and the competition for them was great. But Captain Cecil was strongly supported by Vere, as well as by his father and Sir Robert, and in May, 1600, he obtained the command of a troop of cavalry, paying £500 to the retiring captain, Sir Nicholas Parker. A few weeks later he was present at the battle of Nieuport, and distinguished himself in a decisive cavalry charge. After this there was a lull in the military operations, and Cecil took advantage of it to return to England.