ROBERT DEVEREU1, EARL OF Essex., the son of the preceding, was born at Netherwood, in Herefordshire, in November 1567, and was educated, according to his father's wish, uuder the superintendence of Lord Burleigh, by whose direction lie was sent to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1577, and remained there four years. Upon leaving the university, he retired for some time to his estate in South Wales, and did not appear at court till 1581. His station, hie agreeable manners, handsome person, and vigorous mind soon brought him Into notice. Ile was reconciled to Leicester, now his fatherinlaw ; and received the appointment of Master of the Horse from the hands of the queen, who also made him a Knight of the Garter. Elizabeth at the same time remitted the debt to the exchequer incurred by his father ; and when Leicester went with an army into the Netherlands in 1587, she gave to Essex, who accompanied him, the responsible commission of a captain-general of the cavalry. On the death of Leicester in 1588, Essex became her chief favourite. In 1589 he suddenly joined the expedition of Drake and Norris, who had under taken to restore Antonio to the throne of Portugal. The queen, exasperated at his departure from court without licence, despatched the Earl of Huntingdon to Plymouth with a peremptory order for his return. The messenger was too late ; Essex had sailed. He joined the expedition on the coast of Portugal, marched to Lisbon as a volunteer, behaved himself throughout the enterprise with great gallantry and humanity, and on his return to England found that, in spite of his disobedience, he retained beyond all comparison the first place in the queen's favour. His chief rivals in her esteem wore Sir Walter Raleigh, whose removal from cloud by the means of an appoint, meat in Ireland had been attributed to the contrivance of Essex, and Sir Charles Blount, of whom he was so jealous, that upon the queen's bestowing a trifling mark of favour upon him at n tiltiug.match, Essex need such insulting expressions to him that a duel ensued, in which the earl was wounded in the knee. In 1590 he married a daughter of Sir Francis Waleinglinm, the widow of Sir Philip Sidney, and iu the following year was despatched to assist Henry IV. of France in his resistence of the King of Spain, who sought t obtain possession of the duchy of Brittany. Ile encamped under Rouen, and here, as at Lisbon, idly challenged the governor to a duel. The expedition was wholly unsuccessful, and the earl lost, by a musket ahot, his only brother Walter Devereux, to whom ha was greatly attached.
In 1594, Essex, who bad once before come into collision with the Cecile respecting the appointment of the queen's secretary, became a second time at variance with them. Having, as ho conceived, die covered a plot in which Lopez and others had resolved to murder the queen, he apprised her Majesty of his suspicions; but Lord Burleiall and Sir Robert Cecil, who, at the queen's desire, had examined into the case, declared the accusation to be unfounded, so that the queen severely rebuked Essex. Mortified both at this rebuke and at the conduct of his rivals, ho renewed the inquiry, and eventually elicited evidence upon which Lopes and his confederates were executed. The opposition of the Cecils to the counsels of the Earl of Essex was renewed in 1596. Lord Howard, then lord admiral, advised the queen again to invade Spain, a proposal which Essex warmly seconded ; Burleigh, on the contrary, denounced the schema as impolitic and imprudent. The queen gave her convent to the expe dition : Howard and Essex sailed; Cadiz was taken, plundered, and burned; fifty-seven Spanish ships of war and merchaotmeu were taken or destroyed; and the Spanish government suffered considerable loss. But though the enterprise was eucceesful, and commanded with the greatest gallantry, the benefits resulting to the English govern ment were hardly equivalent to the expense incurred. After some trifling attacks upon the coast of Spain, the fleet, which had been absent little more than two months, returned to England. The enemies of Essex had endeavoured during his absence to poison the mind of the queen to his prejudice, but his publication of the 'Censure of the Omissions in the Expedition to Cadiz' completely reiustated him in her favour. Ho continued to meet with disappointments in his endeavour to obtain official situations for his friends, but was himself created Master of the Ordnance. In July 1597, Ease:, as commander in-chief, with Lord Thomas Howard as viceadmiral, and Sir Walter Raleigh as rear-admiral, sailed against the Spanish fleet, with a view also of making conquests among the Azores. The English ships, shattered and crippled by a storm, were immediately driven back to Plymouth. In August they agaiu set sail, and though they could not burn the Spanish ships which they now found in harbour, they 'suc ceeded in making captures to the amount of 100,000L, with which booty they returned to England in November. The queen received Essex with reproaches and discontent, and the expedition was gene rally deemed a failure. Ho now retired to Wanstoad, angry on several accounts : the chief of these was the, elevation of the lord admiral to the earldom of Nottingham, by 0116 he thought himself doubly affronted ; first, because Lord Howard's services at Cadiz were recited, and, iu the second place, because by his new title Lord Howard gained precedence of him according to a regulation made in the reign of Henry VIII. He was pacified by being appointed hereditary earl marshal, which by the same regulation restored him to his rank. In 1598 a quarrel occurred between the queen and Essex, who, having differed from her respecting an Irish appointment, angrily and con temptuously turned his back upon her in the presence of several of the ministers. The queen, unable to bear the affront, gave him a box
on the ear, and bade him "go and be hanged." Essex immediately seized his sword. and the lord admiral stepping in between, he swore "that he neither could nor would put up with an affront of that nature, nor would he have taken it at the bands of Henry the Eighth himself." He withdrew from the court, and some months passed before be would make any submission. His friends dated his ruin from this unfortunate circumstance. It was hastened by the death of Burleigh, which was on the whole a great misfortune to Essex. Had Eurleigh lived Essex might not have undertaken the unfortunate Irish expedition on which he at this time entered (1599). The province of Ulster was in a state of rebellion; and with the hope that his rank and military popularity might prevail in that country, he accepted the commission of lord lieutenant of Ireland. His government in that country was inconsiderate and ill-advised ; and his opposition to the queen's wishes in the nomination of Lord Southampton to the generalship of the horse, which he was peremptorily ordered to revoke, gave great offence. His delay in sending troops to Ulster, the loss of men and money consequent on the delay, and the ultimate failure of the expedition, were the causes of many and loud reproaches. Essex returned to England in September : at their first interview the queen received him in a friendly manner, but on the following day he was put into "free custody," and detained a prisoner in his house. In Juue 1600 he was denied the privileges and authority of his offices; and it was not until the 26th of August that he was liberated. The queen still denied him access to court, and refused the renewal of a valuable patent for the monopoly of sweet wines, which his friends used all their endeavours to procure, declaring that "in order to manage an ungovernable beast, he must be stinted in his provender." The weight of these grievatiess upon his haughty and impetuous mind told the more heavily from the knowleige that his general popu larity was un liminished. So deep was his impression of resentment against those whom he conceived to have biassed the queen against him, that he listened to the rash and desperate advice of Cuffe, his secretary, to remove Cecil, Cobham, and Raleigh by force from the queen's councils. In order to strengthen his interest, the gates of Essex I louse were with almost inconceivable imprudence thrown open to all persons who professed to be discontented with the queen or her advisers. With the same view, be courted both the Roman Catholics and Puritans, and a concourse met daily to hear sermons in his house. The multitude that attended the delivery of these discourses could not fail to attract the attention of the vigilant government. Essex was warned to be careful of his safety, and his attendance was required before the council. At this summons he took alarm, fearing a renewal of his imprisonment, and consequently the defeat of his scheme. He determined therefore to commence his proceedings on the following morning (Sunday, February 8, 1600-1); and during the night messen gers were sent iu all directions to acquaiut Essex's friends that his life was threateoed by Raleigh and Lord Cobham. In consequence of this intelligence, Lords Sandys and Monteagle, the earls of Rutland and Southampton, with nearly three hundred other gentlemen, assem bled at Essex House, where it was divulged that Essex had resolved at once to rid himself of his enemies by forcing his way to the queen, and informing her of his danger from those who had so long abused their influence with her majesty. Essex having shut up within his gates the lord keeper, the chief justice, and others whom the queen, aware of what was passing, had sent to inquire into the cause of the tumult, proceeded with his friends to the city, where, crying " For the queen, for the queen, a plot is laid against my life," he tried to enlist the citizens iu his favour. But, as might have been anticipated, not withstanding his popularity, not one man was found mad enough to take np arms. At length the earl endeavoured to return home, but a party of soldiers met him at Ludgate, and a skirmish ensued, in which he was twice shot through the hat. He however reached Essex House, but after a short defence he was compelled to surrender himself, and with Lord Southampton was committed to the Tower : the rest of the conspirators were lodged in various other prisons. He was triad for treason in Weetininster Hall on the I9th of February, condemned, and executed the 25th of the same month. (' Criminal Trials.' vol. L) Essex was undoubtedly a bravo and high-spirited man, and with many brilliant qualities possessed an ardent and susceptible mind, and was naturally disposed to the admiration of all that is great and beautiful. Towards his friends ha was amiable, to his inferiors and dependents frank, generous, and considerate ; but all his good qualities were-ren dered useless to his country and dangerous to his friends by his over weening vanity and ambition, and his utter disregard of common prudeuce, and even common sense, in carrying his purely personal objects.
He left one son (of whom we give an account below) and two daughters. Frances married first the Earl of Hertford, and after wards the Duke of Somerset. Dorothy was the wife first of Sir Henry Shirley, cud lastly of William Stafford, of Blatherwyck, in Northamptonshire.