'52 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 64. of his dominions. 1 If she was misinformed she promised to see justice done, but she must be guided by the be- haviour of the King to the Irish insurgents. Until the Irish question was settled she could give Mendoza no audience as a public ambassador, ' but his behaviour in England,' she said, ' had generally pleased her, and if he would visit her as Don Bernardino, she would be happy to receive him.' Mendoza replied to her messenger with quiet sarcasm, that he regretted she should have thought it necessary to tell him what he could prove so distinctly to be un- true. Besides burning and destroying ships, and rob- bing towns, Captain Drake was believed to have brought home a million and a half of money belonging to his master or his master's subjects ; he could say no more till he had received instructions from home. With re- spect to the rest of her message, he was highly honoured, and would have been delighted to kiss her Majesty's hands, but as long as he was in England he could not divest himself of his office, and was obliged to decline.
- I have thought it my duty/ he continued in relat-
ing what he had done to Philip, 'to answer their large talk with some choler. I have given out that unless complete restitution be made of all that has been taken, there will be perpetual war with Spain : and I have tried to make men feel here that if they break with us they are lost.' 1 'Hallaba que no habia sido haciendo dano a vassallo de V. Mag d ui en tierras de su dominio.' Des- cifrada. de Don Bernardino, Oct. 23 : MSS. Simaneas.
