After Stukeley's death James Fitzmaurice continued to prepare for a descent on Ireland. After his return from Rome he went to France, where he joined his wife, son, and two daughters. He then spent nearly three months at Madrid with Sanders, and obtained 1,000 ducats for his wife, who was then in actual penury at 'Vidonia' in Biscay. But he could not see the king, and professed himself indifferent to help from Spain or Portugal. 'I care for no soldiers at all,' he said to Sanders; 'you and I are enough; therefore let me go, for I know the minds of the noblemen in Ireland.' Some of Stukeley's men, with a ship of about 400 tons, had survived the Barbary disaster. O'Mulrian, Papal Bishop of Killaloe, came to Lisbon from Rome with the same men and two smaller vessels, and by the Pope's orders Stukeley's ship was given to them. Sanders accompanied the bishop, and there seem to have been about 600 men--Italians, Spaniards, Portuguese, Flemings, Frenchmen, Irish, and a few English. It was arranged that this motley crew should join Fitzmaurice at Corunna, and then sail straight to Ireland. A Waterford merchant told his wife that the men were very reticent, but were reported to be about to establish the true religion. When questioned they said they were bound for Africa, but the Waterford man thought they were going to spoil her Majesty's subjects. Meanwhile Fitzmaurice was at Bilbao with a few light craft. The largest was of sixty tons, commanded by a Dingle man who knew the Irish coast, but who ultimately took no part in the expedition. William Roche, who had been Perrott's master gunner at Castlemaine, and James Den of Galway, were also retained as pilots. A little later Fitzmaurice had a ship of 300 tons, for which he gave 800 crowns, several small pieces of artillery, 6,000 muskets, and a good supply of provisions and trenching tools. The men received two months' pay in advance. Fitzmaurice's one idea was to raise an army in Munster, and he told an Irish merchant who thought his preparations quite inadequate, that 'when the arms were occupied' he made no account of all the Queen's forces in Ireland. He was accompanied by his wife and daughter and about fifty men, who were nearly all Spaniards. Sanders went to Bilbao after a short stay at Lisbon, and two merchants, one of Waterford and one of Wexford, who came together from the Tagus to the Shannon, reported that a descent was imminent. 'The men,' they said, 'be willing; they want no treasure, they lack no furniture, and they have skilful leaders.' To oppose a landing the Queen had one disabled ship in Ireland, and there were no means of fitting her out for sea.[10] [Sidenote: The voyage.]