ter Ralegh's indictment, how far they are to be touched with it or not. And therefore

you

shall

understand, that as that practice was discovered in the very infancy of it, before it was either put in action, or imparted to any, so far the Lady Arbella, the archduke, and king of Spain, they were merely ignorant of any such thing, which these men had but conceived in their minds, and discoursed of among themselves. But for the count of Aremberg, with whom the Lord Cobham had had private meetings, and intercourse of letters, it was always pretended to him, howsoever it might be intended by the Lord Cobham, to be for the advancement of the peace; and that the money which the count was contented to promise, should be bestowed only for gaining of friends to stand for the treaty, without any farther reference.

Thus have you now the particulars at large of these proceedings, of which you may make such use for his majesty's service as you shall think convenient, in your own discretion, delivering the particulars as there shall be cause, but not as a copy of my letter.

Your very loving and assured friend,

ROBERT CECYLL."

See the copy-book of Sir Thomas Parry's letters in Mr. Pepyps' library in Magdalen college, Cambridge. A copy in Dr. Birch's hand-writing may be seen among his MS. collec tions in the British museum, No. 4176.

SIR DUDLEY CARLETON TO MR. JOHN CHAMBERLAIN, DATED WINCHESTER, NOV. 27, 1603.

'SIR,-I was taking care how to send unto you, and little looked for so good a means as your man, who came to me this morning; and though he would in all haste begone, I have stayed him this night, to have time to discourse unto you these tragical proceedings.

I was not present at the first or second arraignment, wherein Brooke, Markham, Brookesby, Copley, and the two priests, were condemned, for practising the surprise of the king's person, the taking of the Tower, the deposing of counsellors, and proclaiming liberty of religion. They were all condemned upon their own confessions, which were set down under their own hands, as declarations; and compiled with such labour and care, to make the matter they undertook seem very feasible, as if they had feared they should not say enough to hang themselves. Pirra was acquitted, being only drawn in by the priests as an assistant, without knowing the purpose; yet had he gone the same way as the

Sir D. Carleton, afterward Viscount Dorchester, was, at the time he wrote these letters, secretary to the earl of Northumberland, and an ear and eye witness of most that passed in these arraignments and executions. The letters were communicated to Philip Lord Wharton, by AIr. Dudley Carleton, in 1651, and extracted from the Wharton papers by Lord Hardwicke. See his State papers, I, 377.

rest, (as it is thought), save for a word the Lord Cecil cast in the way as his cause was in handling, that the king's glory consisted as much in freeing the innocent, as condemning the guilty.

The commisioners for this trial were, the lordchamberlain, lord of Devon, Lord Henry Howard, Lord Cecil, Lord Wotton, the vice-chamberlain, the two chief-justices, Justice Gawdy, and Warburton. Of the king's council, none were employed in that, or the arraignment, but the attorney, Heale, and Philips; and in effect none but the attorney.

Sir Walter Ralegh served for a whole act, and played all the parts himself. His cause was disjoined from the priests, as being a practice only between himself and the Lord Cobham, to have brought in the Spaniard, to have raised rebellion in the realm, by fastening money upon discontents, to have set up the Lady Arabella, and to have tied her to certain conditions; as to have a perpetual peace with Spain; not to have bestowed herself in marriage but at the direction of the Spaniard; and to have granted liberty of religion. The evidence against him was only Cobham's confession, which was judged sufficient to condemn him; and a letter was produced, written by Cobham the day before, by which he accused Ralegh as the first practiser of the treason betwixt them; which served to turn against him, though he shewed, to countervail this, a letter, written by Cobham, and delivered to him in the Tower, by which he was clearly acquitted. After

sentence given, his request was, to have his answers related to the king, and pardon begged; of which, if there were no hope, then that Cobham might die first. He answered with that temper, wit, learning, courage, and judgment, that, save that it went with the hazard of his life, it was the happiest day that ever he spent. And so well he shifted all advantages that were taken against him, that were not fama malum gravius quam res, and an ill name half hanged, in the opinion of all men, he had been acquitted.

The two first that brought the news to the king, were, Roger Ashton, and a Scotchman; whereof one affirmed, that never any man spoke so well in times past, nor would do in the world to come; and the other said, that whereas when he saw him first, he was so led with the common hatred, that he would have gone a hundred miles to have seen him hanged, he would, ere he parted, have gone a thou sand to have saved his life. In one word, never was man so hated, and so popular in so short a time. It was thought the lords should have been arraigned on Tuesday last, but they were put off till Friday and Saturday; and had their trials apart, before the lord-chancellor, (as lord-steward for both those days), eleven earls, nineteen barons. The duke," the earl of Mar, and many Scottish lords, stood as spectators; and of our ladies, the greatest part, as the Lady Nottingham, the Lady Suffolk, and the Lady Arabella, .

d Of Lenox, then the only one of that degree.

who heard herself much spoken of these days. But the arraignment before, she was more particularly remembered, as by Sir Walter Ralegh, for a woman with whom he had no acquaintance, and one whom, of all that ever he saw, he never liked; and by Serjeant Heale, as one that had no more right to the crown than himself; and for any claim that he had to it, he utterly disavowed it.

Cobham led the way on Friday, and made such a fasting-day's piece of work of it, that he discredited the place to which he was called; never was seen so poor and abject a spirit. He heard his indictment with much fear and trembling, and would sometimes interrupt it, by forswearing what he thought to be wrongly inserted; so as, by his fashion, it was known ere he spake, what he would confess or deny. In his first answer, he said he had changed his mind since he came to the bar; for whereas he came with an intention to have made his confession, without denying any thing, now seeing many things inserted in this indictment with which he could not be charged, being not able in one word to make distinction of many parts, he must plead to all not guilty. For any thing that belonged to the Lady Arabella, he denied the whole accusation; only said, she had sought his friendship, and his brother Brooke had sought hers. For the other purposes, he said, he had hammered in his brains some such imaginations, but never had purpose to bring them to effect. Upon Ralegh, he exclaimed as one who had stirred