Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/313

I572-] STATE OF IRELAND. 293 ster/ ' to submit his private quarrels to her Majesty's judges/ and, 'if she would give him shot and guns/ ' to bring all Ireland to obedience/ l Elizabeth preferred to wait till she had seen the result of Perrot's experiment. The shot and guns she justly thought might be used for other purposes : and thus three years passed over Desmond's head, while London had been seething with the great Catholic conspiracy, into some secrets of which he had been himself admitted. At length, weary of restraint, and Lady Desmond promising to present him with an heir, he began a second time to meditate flight. His child, if born in England, might be detained as a hostage, and he applied to Martin Frobisher, whose fame upon the seas was emulating the rising distinction of Drake, to assist him. Frobisher was one of the many Englishmen who had held out hopes to the Spaniards that they were ready to sell their services. It was thus perhaps that Des- mond heard of and was led to trust him. But Fro- bisher's treachery was like that of Hawkins ; he had affected to listen to Don Ghierau only to betray him ; in the same spirit he accepted the advances of Des- mond, and when his preparations for escape were com- pleted he gave notice to the council. 2 Happily for the Earl, it was at a time when the collapse of English power in Ireland was compelling Elizabeth to retrace her steps. The failure of Perrot was but one symptom 1 Desmond to the Council, December, 1571 - Declaration of Martin Frobisher, December 4, 1572 : MSS. Ireland.