BOOK 137 of the government; 1" he noted the apparent reme- From a more princely spirit, from a greater vigor of character, from less knowlege, from a smaller range of thought, from a kinder confidence in her subjects, and from a more supporting piety, Elizabeth, tho she felt the peril of the crisis, yet looked on it without intimidation or despondency; and resolved to appeal to the good sense and the honest feelings of her people. She addressed them by a by her means, and to be rewarded by her-and from the desire of many to have Scotland and England under one sovereign. Haynes, 580. 137 He considered Elizabeth's weakness to be growing upon lack of marriage, of children, and of foreign alliances, from long peace, and the weakness of her frontiers; from ignorance of martial knowlege in the subjects; lack of meet captains and trained soldiers; the new rebellion in Ireland; over-much boldness from her soft government; the unkindness of France and Spain; the want of treasure; the excess of the ordinary charges; the poverty of the nobility and gentlemen of service; the wealth being in the meaner sort; lack of mariners and munition.' ib. 580. To these dangers he adds the decay of morals and religion. But he considers the greatest perils to be two: The determination general of the two monarchies, next neighbors to England, to subvert not only their own subjects, but also all others refusing the tyranny of Rome; and their earnest desire to have the queen of Scots possess this crown of England.' ib. 585. 136 These he entitles 'A Memorial of remedies against the conspiration of the pope, and the two monarchies.' He enumerates twenty-six, of which, the substance is, the cultivation of foreign alliances; the promotion of religion; the suppression of seditious books; the support of earl Murray; vigilance over the favorers of Mary's title; reform of the lawyers of the realm; military and naval provisions; and attention to commerce. Haynes, p. 588. 139The realm has become so feeble by long peace, that it were a fearful thing to imagine, if the enemies were at hand to assail the realm, of what force the resistance would be.' ib. 582. He thinks these perils were approaching, because these two monarchies, which always in former ages were wont to be at variance, are now accorded, and inflamed with displeasure against the queen and her crown.' ib. 584. 'But,' he adds, this discourse is so uncomfortable to the writer or hearer having his heart filled with English blood, that it seemeth better to end here at this time, lest the evils may seem desperate, and so no courage left to remember and provide remedies.' ib. 585. XXVIII. public declaration,140 which displays so much of that CHAP force and animation, which many of her letters and speeches exhibit, as to induce a belief that it was her own dictation. She calls their attention to the fact, that from the time of her accession, for 'eleven full years of her reign,' the tranquillity of the nation had never been disturbed; a truth most condemnatory to that pope who wilfully stirred up the mischief." She expresses her gratitude to heaven for the long continuance of the general blessing; and her joy and thankfulness to her people, that the 'secret practices of malicious persons, notwithstanding their boastful expectations, had been repressed by the general loyalty; 144 143 142 140 The reader will find it in Haynes, p. 589-593. 6 14 Haynes, p. 589. As the like hath not been seen in these our kingdoms in many ages until this last year, that an unnatural commotion in the north was by certain lewd practices of some few secretly stirred up.' ib. She adds, We ought also to consider both how the interruption of the course of so universal, long, and continued inward peace, hath happened, and how also, by God's favor and assistance, it may be provided, that the like occasions hereafter be not ministered by seditious persons, whose nature cannot, nor as yet doth cease to imagine and contrive secret means to make alteration of the quietness whereunto of His goodness our realm is now again restored.' 'ib. 589. 143Who had, cunningly and with colorable untruths, first inveigled two of our nobility, with a false fear of our indignation towards them, even when indeed we did certainly and very well favor and allow of them: next abused another sort, and greater number, with false persuasions of some general severity intended by us and our ministers against them, in respect of opinions in religion, when no such thing did appear, or even anywise by us meant or thought of; and lastly, inticed the vulgar and common sort to fancy some novelties and changes of laws and rulers as the ordinary highway to all sensual and unruly liberty, which commonly the ignorant covet, tho it hath ever been, and will be, most of all to their own destruction.' ib. 589. 144 For that when most vaunts were vainly made by our rebels, that great numbers, both of our nobles and commons were confederates, and would take part with them, there was good proof made, not only of the constancy of all the rest of our nobility, both by their deeds and words, but of the readiness of all other our subjects to serve us with II. BOOK and to prevent all future misconstructions of her actions, she proceeds to state the principles on which she had conducted her government, and by which she meant to continue it.'145 146 Her first principle was, that truly royal one, to rule by affection, and not by force; and therefore she had made disinterested clemency her invariable guide a virtue new to the cabinets of Europe at that time, and signally avoided by those of Rome, Spain and France, as their sanguinary severities against the Reformation were every day demonstrating. Her second principle was, a steady administration of legal justice,148 and the abstinence 147 their lives against that small portion of the rest that were stirred to rebel.' ib. 589. 145 We will that it be briefly understood, both what our former intentions have been in our government; that contrary to the untrue reports invented and secretly scattered by traitorous persons, and what course we intend to hold towards all persons, except, by contrary behaviour and contempt, we shall be induced to make alteration therein.' ib. 590. 6 146 First, we do all persons to understand that of our own natural disposition, we have been always desirous to have the obedience of all our subjects of all sorts, both high and low, by love and not by compulsion; by their own yielding, and not by our exacting; allowing that which was well said by a wise prince of the Greeks, that king to be in most surety, who so ruled over his subjects as a father over children.'' ib. 590. 147 And therefore, we may boldly say, that there is no one example in our whole dominions to be produced, that we ever, by any means, sought the life, the blood, the goods, the houses, estates or lands of any person in any state or degree; nor yet procured or suffered any division or discord to be stirred betwixt our nobility, or betwixt one estate or other, for our own avenge, profit or pleasure.' ib. 590. The queen continues with a wise modesty: Matters, not otherwise to be remembered by ourselves, than with humble thanks to acknowlege these blessings to be the mere gift of God: and therewith to declare the rare felicity of our times, and to retain the continuance of our subjects love towards us, to the honor of Almighty God, and to the maintenance of common tranquillity in our realm.' ib. 590. 148 Ib. 590. Having also therewith had careful consideration to diminish the multitude of such offenders, with whom this age, generally in all countries, aboundeth, the judges criminal of our realm have in no time given fewer bloody judgments.' ib. from all wars and their consequential burthens;140 and she called upon her people to compare their happier condition with that of the surrounding nations.150 Her third rule of conduct was, the maintenance of the Christian religion in its reformed state, leaving opinions free, without any injunction; and exacting only quiet conduct, and an external conformity to what the laws had established for the 'frequentation of divine service.'151 She dignified the address by a solemn assurance, 'that altho against such as would be manifestly disobedient to her and the laws she would proceed with the sword of justice, all others should enjoy toleration, protection, and tranquillity." 152 In other causes that have been commonly afore-times, and are to be seen in this time, offensive in some monarchies as in wasting all sorts of people by wilful and continual wars, either foreign or civil, or impoverishing them by perpetual and new devised taxes. We would it were well and justly considered, that we never yet begun war with any prince or country; neither used force and arms, but defensive, and not these, at any time, until evident necessity compelled us.' Haynes, 590. 159 We leave to all good and wise persons to consider what difference is to be found betwixt the security, the tranquillity, wealth, and all other worldly felicities which our people do and may enjoy; and the continual and universal bloodsheds, burnings, spoilings, murders, exactions, and such like, properly conjoined with civil wars, in other countries; all which we wish to cease.' ib. 591. 151 We know not, nor have any meaning to allow, that any of our subjects should be molested, either by examination or inquisition, in any matter of faith, as long as they shall profess the Christian faith, not gainsaying the authority of the Holy Scripture or the Creed, either for matter of ceremony, or any other external matter appertaining to Christian religion, so long as they shall in their outward conversation shew themselves quiet and conformable, and not manifestly repugnant to the laws of the realm, which is established for frequentation of divine service.' ib. 592. 152 Assuring all others, and that in the word of a prince and presence of God, that they shall certainly and quietly have and enjoy the fruits of our former accustomed favor, without any molestation to them by any person, by way of examination or inquisition of their secret opinions in their consciences for matters of faith.' ib. 592. This declaration was ordered to be read in all the parish churches, as well as in the accustomed places of the realm, because the multitude of our good people are unlearned, and thereby not able by reading hereof to conceive our mind and favorable disposition towards the good and obedient; nor our determination and displeasure, by way of justice, against the obstinate and disobedient.' ib. 593. CHAP. II. CHAP. XXIX. CECIL RAISED TO THE PEERAGE- HIS GRADUAL DETECTION BOOK THE traitorous disposition and dealings of some of Elizabeth's most trusted friends, which have been already noticed, evinces the peril in which she was reigning; and the fact that many of them formed One instance of this appears in the conduct of sir Nich. Throckmorton. When he was her ambassador in France in 1559 and 1560, he was strenuous in pointing out to Elizabeth, Mary's assumption of the royal arms and title of England, and in urging his queen to hostilities against her French enemies; and in 1565, he was selected as one of the English queen's steadiest friends to be sent to Scotland to stay the marriage' between Mary and Darnley. And yet he afterwards sent Mary elaborate instructions in writing for her gaining a speedy possession of the throne of Elizabeth. He thus counsels her: Your majesty has in England many friends of all degrees, that favor your title. Some being persuaded that in law your right is best. Some for the good opinion they have conceived of your virtues and liberality, whereby they esteem you MOST worthy to govern. Some, that favor your religion. Of these, some are Papists and some Protestants; and yet, however they differ among themselves, they are both of a mind for the advancement of that propos that touches your majesty.' He then proceeds to advise her what she must do to get the whole votes or the most part of the parliament, and to please the people; to abstain from any league with a foreign prince, but not to forsake the friendship of France and Spain, but wisely entertain them both to remain at your devotion; in case that afterwards ye have to do with their favor." "The written object of this advice was to secure her succession, but the object was to obtain a party in England that would overpower Elizabeth. By following this advice, your majesty may recover and win the most part of the bishops of England, and many of the greatest of the nobility and gentlemen who are yet neutral. He added their names in cipher; and then follows a paragraph which at once reveals the real treason in contemplation: By whose means,' he alleged, her majesty should obtain so great an interest in England, that albeit that queen would kyeth in her contrary; she need to come, for in sending but one thousand men of her own, a sufficient number out of four parts of England should join with them, by whose force, without any strangers, her majesty should obtain that thing which is wrongously refused and |