Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/578

558 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [en. 46. Whatever becomes of me you will have as woeful a busi- ness here as. you had in Calais if you do not look to it in time/ 1 Elizabeth was not contented till she had written out her passion to Sidney with her own hand. She told him that she disapproved of all that he was doing. If he chose to persist, she would give him half the men that he required, and with those he might do what he could on his own responsibility. 2 It seemed however that she had relieved her feelings as soon as she had expressed them. A week later she yielded to all that was required of her. Cecil soothed Sidney's anger with a gracious message ; 3 Sidney, since she was pleased to have it so, consented to remain and do his duty; and thus, after two months had been consumed in quarrels, the prepara- tions for the war began in earnest. The troops from England were to go direct to Lough Foyle ; to land at the head of the lake and to move up to Liiford, where they were to entrench themselves and wait for the Deputy, who would advance from the Pale to join them. The command was given to Colonel Edward Randolph, an extremely able officer who had served at Havre ; and the men were marched as fast as they could be raised to Bristol, the port from which the expedition was to sail, while Sidney was setting a rare example in Dublin, and spending the time till he could take the field ' in hearing the people's causes/ 1 Sidney to Cecil, June 24 : Irish MSS. Rolls House 2 Elizabeth to Sidney, June 15 : MS. Ibid. 3 Cecil to Sidney, June 24 : MS. Ibid