poison, and that the poison was administered at
the desire of the Earl of Leicester, who soon after divorced his own
wife, and married the widow of his late rival Essex complained bitterly,
in his letter to Sir Henry Sidney, of the way in which he had been
treated in his projected plantation of Clannaboy, and protested against
the injustice which had been done through him on O'Donnell, MacMahon,
and others, who were always peaceable and loyal, but "whom he had, on
the pledged word of the Queen, undone with fair promises." Probably,
only for his own "undoing," he would have had but scant pity for others.

Yet Essex could be generous and knightly with his friends, kind and
courtly, at least to his English dependents. There are some curious
accounts of his expenses while he was "_Lord-General of Ulster_," in a
State Paper, from which it will appear that he could be liberal, either
from natural benevolence or from policy. The entries of expenditure
indicate a love of music, which he could easily gratify in Ireland,
still famous for the skill of its bards. He gave ten shillings to the
singing men of Mellifont, then inhabited by Edward Moore, to whom it had
been granted at the suppression of monasteries. A harper at Sir John
Bellew's received three shillings; "Crues, my Lord of Ormonde's harper,"
received the large sum of forty shillings, but whether in compliment to
the bard or the bard's master is doubtful. The Earl of Ormonde's
"musicians" also got twenty shillings. But there are other
disbursements, indicating that presents were gratefully received and
vails expected. "A boy that brought your lordship a pair of greyhounds"
had a small donation; but "M'Genis, that brought your lordship two
stags," had 13s. 4_d_., a sum equivalent to L7 of our money. Nor were
the fair sex forgotten, for Mrs. Fagan, wife of the Lord Mayor of
Dublin, was presented with a piece of taffeta "for good entertainment."

Sir Henry Sidney returned to Ireland in 1575. He tells us himself how he
took on him, "the third time, that thanklesse charge; and so taking
leave of her Majesty, kissed her sacred hands, with most gracious and
comfortable wordes, departed from her at Dudley Castell, passed the
seas, and arrived the xiii of September, 1575, as nere the city of
Dublin as I could saufly; for at that tyme the city was greevously
infested with the contagion of the pestilence."[438] He proceeded thence
to Tredagh (Drogheda), where he received the sword o