Sidney fell, and Hollock was dangerously wounded in the attack which was soon afterwards made upon the fort.  He was still pressed to afford the promised satisfaction, however, and agreed to do so whenever he should rise from his bed.

Strange to say, the Count considered Leicester, throughout the whole business, to have taken part against him.

Yet there is no doubt whatever that the Earl—­who detested the Norrises, and was fonder of Pelham than of any man living—­uniformly narrated the story most unjustly, to the discredit of the young Captain.  He considered him extremely troublesome, represented him as always quarrelling with some one—­with Colonel Morgan, Roger Williams, old Reade, and all the rest—­while the Lord Marshal, on the contrary, was depicted as the mildest of men.  “This I must say,” he observed, “that all present, except my two nephews (the Sidneys), who are not here yet, declare the greatest fault to be in Edward Norris, and that he did most arrogantly use the Marshal.”

It is plain, however, that the old Marshal, under the influence of wine, was at least quite as much to blame as the young Captain; and Sir Philip Sidney sufficiently showed his sense of the matter by being the bearer of Edward Norris’s cartel.  After Sidney’s death, Sir John Norris, in his letter of condolence to Walsingham for the death of his illustrious son-in-law, expressed the deeper regret at his loss because Sir Philip’s opinion had been that the Norrises were wronged.  Hollock had conducted himself like a lunatic, but this he was apt to do whether in his cups or not.  He was always for killing some one or another on the slightest provocation, and, while the dog-star of 1586 was raging, it was not his fault if he had not already despatched both Edward Norris and the objectionable “Mr. P. B.”

For these energetic demonstrations against Leicester’s enemies he considered himself entitled to the Earl’s eternal gratitude, and was deeply disgusted at his apparent coldness.  The governor was driven almost to despair by these quarrels.

His colonel-general, his lord marshal, his lieutenant-general, were all at daggers drawn.  “Would God I were rid of this place!” he exclaimed.  “What man living would go to the field and have his officers divided almost into mortal quarrel?  One blow but by any of their lackeys brings us altogether by the ears.”

It was clear that there was not room enough on the Netherland soil for the Earl of Leicester and the brothers Norris.  The queen, while apparently siding with the Earl, intimated to Sir John that she did not disapprove his conduct, that she should probably recall him to England, and that she should send him back to the Provinces after the Earl had left that country.

Such had been the position of the governor-general towards the Queen, towards the States-General, and towards his own countrymen, during the year 1586.

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