oined the expedition
as volunteers; as lord Rich his brother-in-law, the earl of Rutland,
afterwards married to the daughter of the countess of Essex by sir
Philip Sidney; lord Cromwel, and the earl of Southampton. The last,
whose friendship for Essex afterwards hurried him into an enterprise
still more perilous, appears to have been attracted to him by an
extraordinary conformity of tastes and temper. Like Essex, he was brave
and generous, but impetuous and somewhat inclined to arrogance:--like
him, a munificent patron of the genius which he loved. Like his friend
again, he received from her majesty tokens of peculiar favor, which she
occasionally suspended on his giving indications of an ungovernable
temper or too lofty spirit, and which she finally withdrew, on his
presuming to marry without that consent which to certain persons she
could never have been induced to accord. This earl of Southampton was
grandson of that ambitious and assuming but able and diligent statesman,
lord chancellor Wriothesley, appointed by Henry VIII. one of his
executors; he was father of the virtuous Southampton lord treasurer, and
by him, grandfather of the heroical and ever-memorable Rachel lady
Russel.

A storm drove the ill-fated armament back to Plymouth, where it remained
wind-bound for a month, and Essex and Raleigh posted together up to
court for fresh instructions. Having concerted their measures, they made
sail for the Azores, and Raleigh with his division arriving first,
attacked and captured the isle of Fayal without waiting for his admiral.
Essex was incensed; and there were not wanting those about him who
applied themselves to fan the flame, and even urged him to bring sir
Walter to a court-martial: but he refused; and his anger soon
evaporating, lord Thomas Howard was enabled to accommodate the
difference, and the rivals returned to the appearance of friendship.
Essex was destitute of the naval skill requisite for the prosperous
conduct of such an enterprise: owing partly to his mistakes, and partly
to several thwarting circumstances, the West India fleet escaped him,
and three rich Havannah ships, which served to defray most of the
expenses, were the only trophies of his "Island Voyage," from which
himself and the nation had anticipated results so glorious.

The queen received him with manifest dissatisfaction; his severity
towards Raleigh was blamed, and it was evident that matters tended to
involve him in fresh differenc