1 5 74-] THE DESMOND REBELLION. 52$ but as Sidney's reluctance was not yet overcome, the Queen could not resolve to recall either of them. She was not displeased with the massacre of the O'Neils. Her occasional disapprobation of severities of this kind was confined to cases to which the attention of Europe happened to be especially directed. She told Essex that 'he was a great ornament of her nobility; she wished she had many as ready as he to spend their lives and fortunes for the benefit of their country.' 1 Taking courage at the overthrow of Sir Brian, she was half persuaded into allowing Essex to follow up his success, and break the power by similar means of all the north- ern chiefs. She empowered him to levy the forces of the Pale, and rebuked Fitzwilliam for want of forward- ness in giving him assistance. She encouraged him to continue his preparations till the intended invasion of Tirlogh Lenogh was on everybody's lips. Then sud- denly, either alarmed at the expense, or for some other reason, she changed her mind. Essex, she said, might be surprised, that having so lately desired him to re- sume his enterprise, she should so soon be of another opinion ; but she had been afraid of a general revolt if it had been suddenly known to be abandoned, and in fact had never meant the conquest to be seriously re- sumed at all: she had found occasion to look more earnestly into her estate at home, and had discovered causes which made an Irish war at that time undesir- able, and Essex was ordered to make peace with the 1 The Queen to Essex, April 1 1 MSS. Ireland.
