fcended, upon his death without iffue, to his brother, Sir Francis Bacon §.

But the fincerity requifite in hiftory obliges me not to conceal a fact, which by no means does honour to Mr. Bacon's memory, being inconfiftent with the ftrict friendship between the Earl of Effex and him, the great obligations, which he had to his Lordship, and even the bonds of that common faith, which bind men in general to each other. The story is related by Sir Henry Wotton, who was likely to know the truth of it, having been himself Secretary to the Earl in two of his voyages to fea, and in his last employment in Ireland; for which reafon he left England privately, when his Lordship was first apprehended, and never returned thither during Queen Elizabeth's life (e). Sir Henry tells us (ƒ), that the Earl had accommodated Mr. Bacon, who was lame, with a part of his houfe, and affigned to him a noble entertainment: But that, as all the Earl's intelligences with Scotland paffed through this Gentleman's hands, he, being of a provident nature, contrary to the temper of his brother Sir Francis, and well knowing the advantage of a dangerous fecret, would many times cunningly let fall fome words, as if he could amend his fortunes under the Cecils, to whom he was fo nearly related, and who had made (as he was not unwilling should be believed) fome great offers to

Dr. Rawley's Life of Lord Bacon. Sir Henry Chauncy's Antiquities of Hertfordshire, p. 464. and Salmon's Hiftory of Hertfordshire, p. 83. (e) Ifaac Walton's Life of Sir Henry Wotton. (f) Reliquiæ Wottoniane, p. 168,

169. 3d edit

gain him. This he once or twice preffed fo far, and with fuch figns of difcontentment, to the Lord Henry Howard, afterwards Earl of Northampton, who was of the party, and stood himfelf in much umbrage with the Queen, that his Lordship went immediately to the Earl of Effex, with whom he was commonly primæ admissionis, by his bedfide in the morning; and told him, that, unless Mr. Bacon were presently satisfied with some round fum, all would be discovered. This took the Earl at that time ill provided (as indeed his coffers were often low;) fo that he was obliged fuddenly to give Mr. Bacon Effexboufe, which the old Lady Walfingham, mother to the Countess of Effex, afterwards difengaged out of her own fortune, by advancing two thoufand five hundred pounds. And, before this, Mr. Bacon had procured fifteen hundred pounds. by the fame artifice. "So as we may rate, adds "Sir Henry Wotton, this one fecret, as it was "finely carried, at four thousand pounds in pre"fent money, besides at least one thousand pounds "of annual penfion to a private and bed-rid "Gentleman. What would he have gotten, if " he could have gone about his own business?"

After fuch a view of the perfons, the fubftance of whofe papers (together with the entire difcourfe of Sir George Carew,) I now exhibit to the public, digefted into a series of hiftory, it would be fuperfluous to infist on the use of these papers any further, than by remarking fome of the chief points contained in them: And these are, a particular detail of the Negotiations between Queen Eliza

beth

beth and Henry IV. of France; and of the great affiftance, which he, as well as the States General, received from her Majefty: The Earl of Effex's course of secret intelligence in France by means of the famous Antonio Perez, who had been Secretary of State to Philip II. of Spain; and his Lordship's conftant opposition to any treaty with Spain: The steps taken by the King of France towards a peace with that Kingdom: Secretary Cecil's and Mr. Herbert's Embaffy to France, to divert that King from concluding the treaty of Vervins, without Queen Elizabeth, and the States General: The Negotiations fubfequent to that treaty, for a peace between England, the States General, and Spain, which proved ineffectual during that Queen's life: The attention of her Majefty, and her Ministers, to the intrigues of the King of Scots with foreign Princes: Remarkable circumstances attending the Queen's death: The prevalence of the Spanish intereft in the Court of England after King James I.'s acceffion to the Crown: The characters of the principal Ministers of the Courts of France and Bruffels: The practices of the Jesuits, and English fugitives in Flanders, for bringing over the English Regiment, in the Archduke's fervice there, to second the execution of the Gunpowder-plot; with several circumstances, hitherto unknown, fhewing the reality and extent of that plot: The conduct of the English Commiffioners in the treaty for the truce between Spain and the United Provinces in 1609; with Prince Maurice's endeavours to break off that treaty: Remarks relating to the murder of Hen

ry

ry

IV. of France: The ftate of affairs in that Kingdom during the minority of Lewis XIII. The factions in that Court: The defigns of the Princes of the Blood, and the heads of the Protestant party, to remove Secretary Villeroy, and other Ministers, who were devoted to Spain: The countenance, which King James I. gave to those defigns; his intrigues with the Princes; and his frequent interpofitions in the domestic quarrels of France: The attention, which Prince Henry gave to foreign affairs: His zeal for the Proteftant intereft; and his spirit and vivacity, which gave umbrage to his father, and his favourite, Carr Viscount Rochester: The factions, which diftracted the English Court under that favourite, and his fucceffor Villiers Earl of Buckingham: The diftreffed fituation of the Nation under their administration, confeffed even by fome of the great men then in employment: And the characters of fome of thofe great men.

These topics of Hiftory, illuftrated from fuch inconteftable authorities, are, I perfuade myself, of fufficient importance for the public notice. Nor will, perhaps, the prefent method of inferting only the most remarkable letters, with extracts of the reft, and connecting them with the general History of those times, be difrelished by the majority of readers, who have neither leisure nor patience to perufe the intire collections themfelves. And I could wish, Sir, that my fhare in this work were confiderable enough to deferve your approbation, and be a lafting mark of my fincereft, gratitude and esteem.

Aug. 4th 1748.

ΑΝ

[1]

A N

HISTORICAL VIEW

OF THE

NEGOTIATIONS

Between the COURTS of

England, France, and Brussels,

T

From the Year 1592 to 1617.

HE Situation of Affairs between England and France, when Mr. Edmondes was appointed Agent in France for Queen Elizabeth, will be beft understood, by looking as far back, as the Death of Henry III. who was affaffinated on the ift of Aug. 1588 by James Clement, a Dominican Frier. Upon this Event, Henry King of Navarre, and Head of the House of Bourbon, who had been appointed by the dying King his Succeffor, affumed the Name of Henry IV. But the League refusing to acknow

B

ledge