Essex has put it about that he…
August 1599 CE
Essex has put it about that he is in favor of immediate punitive action against the northern rebels, but he is suffering from a recurrent ailment, possibly a kidney stone.
Others also have misgivings about the queen's plan of campaign, because the rebels are secure on their western front and a frontal attack to the north is considered deeply hazardous without the proposed base at Lough Foyle.
A council of war accordingly declares against this course of action and, a month later, the queen delivers a furious censure to Essex, complaining bitterly that only five thousand fighting men are available, and not twice that number.
During the summer, concerns over a rumored Spanish landing on the Isle of Wight render reinforcement of the Irish army impracticable.
At the same time, Archduke Albert, the Spanish governor of Flanders, seems to be considering peace talks with England, news which would have caused Essex to suspect treason among the queen's councilors.
Nevertheless, seven days after the controversial council of war, Essex sets out for the north with the improbable notion that, "if he [O'Neill] has as much courage as he pretendeth we will on one side or the other end the war."
Essex on August 28, 1599, leaves Dublin.