governor's administration; and of this sum one hundred and forty thousand
had been paid by England. There was a portion of the sum, over and above
their monthly levies; for which the States had contracted a debt, and
they were extremely desirous to obtain, at that moment, an additional
loan of fifty thousand pounds from Elizabeth; a favour which--Elizabeth
was very firmly determined not to grant. It was this terror at the
expense into which the Netherland war was plunging her, which made the
English sovereign so desirous for peace, and filled the anxious mind of
Walsingham with the most painful forebodings.

Leicester, in spite of his good qualities--such as they were--had not
that most necessary gift for a man in his position, the art of making
friends. No man made so many enemies. He was an excellent hater, and
few men have been more cordially hated in return. He was imperious,
insolent, hot-tempered. He could brook no equal. He had also the fatal
defect of enjoying the flattery, of his inferiors in station. Adroit
intriguers burned incense to him as a god, and employed him as their
tool. And now he had mortally offended Hohenlo, and Buys, and Barneveld,
while he hated Sir John Norris with a most passionate hatred. Wilkes,
the English representative, was already a special object of his aversion.
The unvarnished statements made by the stiff counsellor, of the expense
of the past year's administration, and the various errors committed, had
inspired Leicester with such ferocious resentment, that the friends of
Wilkes trembled for his life.

["It is generally bruited here," wrote Henry Smith to his brother-
in-law Wilkes, "of a most heavy displeasure conceived by my Lord of
Leicester against you, and it is said to be so great as that he hath
protested to be revenged of you; and to procure you the more
enemies, it is said he hath revealed to my Lord Treasurer, and