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 POLITICAL HISTORY and Flanders to land men. One Wylforde is the governour, and by report a man that might be dealt with ; and if he would allow the fleet to land there he might have for himself and his soldiers any money in reason.'^ The father added that ' there are many gentlemen in Sussex that are our friends,' and the spy notes in the margin the name of Thomas Leedes, a prominent recusant. Indeed, in spite of the general loyalty of the county, several Sussex men were involved in the various conspiracies of this reign. Thus in 1569 the Earl of Arundel, Lord Lumley, and Viscount Montague were all concerned in the Duke of Norfolk's plot, and it w^as even intended to carry off Mary, Queen of Scots, to Arundel Castle.* Nicholas Woolfe of Ashington was involved in Somerville's attempt of 1583, and when presented by the church- warden for not attending church called him ' a heretick,' and said that within a year he should ' singe a newe songe ... or els he will frye with a fagot,' and that ' if all thinges had happened right as it was meante,' the queen would not be on the throne.^ In the Throck- morton conspiracy of the next year the Earl of Northumberland's name was mentioned in connection with secret meetings with the Pagets at Petworth.^ On 28 July 1588, the Armada having passed the Sussex coast, orders were at once issued for the dismissal of the county forces,^ and a week later the 2,000 men formerly sent to London returned,^ the last sign of the military preparations being removed in October, when the beacons were discontinued.' Next year an English army was sent to assist Henri IV, of France, and Sussex was called on to supply 1,000 men, to serve under Sir John Burgh and Sir Nicholas Parker.^ Arrange- ments were made for them to embark at Chichester, Arundel, New- haven and Rye, at which last port all the transports were to assemble f but when the troops arrived they were found to be so badly equipped that Lord Buckhurst had to re-arm most of them out of his own armoury, and a sharp letter was sent to the justices to explain how they came to make such a bad selection of men and arms."" This was not the only occasion on which such a complaint was made; in 1585 the troops sent under Mr. Wilgoose to Gravesend were insufficient in number and had to be re-armed at the county's expense ;" and in 1591 Captains Christmas and Power complained of the soldiers sent from Sussex as ' lose and ragged fellows without apparrell, armour, weapon or money in theire purse,' and said that if Sir Nicholas Parker had not partly remedied their defects at his own expense they would have refused to take them. As it was they had expected trained men, but received ' a company of very rogues ragd without apparrell, without armour and in suche miserable case as they doubte the greate parte of them will starve for want and colde so sone as they are on the other syde.'" Several 1 S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccix. 57. 2 Cecil MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), i. 1436. 3 S.P. Dom. Eliz. chdii. 74. ' Ibid, clxxi. 79. 6 Jets of P.C. xvi. 194. « Ibid. p. 215. • Ibid. p. 297. 8 Ibid, iviii. 87. ^ Ibid. p. 113. >" Ibid. p. 166. » Harl. MSS. 703, f. 38. -^ Ibid. f. 66. 519