in the cause, and the States particularly desired his appointment.
"The name of your Excellency is so very agreeable to this people," said
they in a letter to the Earl, "as to give promise of a brief and happy
end to this grievous and almost immortal war." The Queen was, or
affected to be, still undecided as to the appointment. While waiting
week after week for the ratifications of the treaty from Holland, affairs
were looking gloomy at home, and her Majesty was growing very uncertain
in her temper.

"I see not her Majesty disposed to use the service of the Earl of
Leicester," wrote Walsingham. "I suppose the lot of government will
light on Lord Gray. I would to God the ability of his purse were
answerable to his sufficiency otherwise." This was certainly a most
essential deficiency on the part of Lord Gray, and it will soon be seen
that the personage of quality to be selected as chief in the arduous and
honourable enterprise now on foot, would be obliged to rely quite as much
on that same ability of purse as upon the sufficiency of his brain or
arm. The Queen did not mean to send her favourite forth to purchase
anything but honour in the Netherlands; and it was not the Provinces only
that were likely to struggle against her parsimony. Yet that parsimony
sprang from a nobler motive than the mere love of pelf. Dangers
encompassed her on every side, and while husbanding her own exchequer,
she was saving her subjects' resources. "Here we are but book-worms,"
said Walsingham, "yet from sundry quarters we hear of great practices
against this poor crown. The revolt in Scotland is greatly feared, and
that out of hand."

Scotland, France, Spain, these were dangerous enemies and neighbours to a
maiden Queen, who had a rebellious Ireland to deal with on one side the
channel, and Alexander of Parma on the other.