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CHA P. Flanders P. Norfolk difcouraged, and even in appearance XLI fuppreffed, thefe confpiracies; both becaufe his duty to Elizabeth would not allow him to think of effecting his 1569. purpose by rebellion, and because he forefaw, that if the queen of Scots came into the poffeffion of these men, they would rather choose for her husband the king of Spain, or fome foreign prince, who had power, as well as inclination, to re-establish the catholic religion

WHEN men of honour and good principles, like the duke of Norfolk, engage in dangerous enterprizes, they are commonly fo unfortunate as to be criminal by halves; and while they balance between the execution of their defigns and their remorfes, their fear of punishment and their hope of pardon, they render themselves an eafy prey to their enemies. The duke, in order to reprefs the furmises spread against him, spoke contemptuously to Elizabeth of the Scottish alliance; affirmed that his eftate in England was more valuable, than the revenue of a kingdom wafted by civil wars and factions; and declared, that when he amused himself in his own tennis-court at Norwich, amidft his friends and vaffals, he deemed himfelf at least a petty prince, and was fully contented with his condition R. Finding that he did not convince her by thefe affeverations, and that he was looked on with a jea lous eye by the minifters, he retired to his country-feat without taking leaves. He foon after repented of this measure, and fet out on his return to court, with a view of using every expedient to regain the queen's good graces; but, was met at St. Alban's by Fitz-Garret, lieutenant of the band of penfioners, by whom he was conveyed to Burnham, three miles from Windsor, where the court then refided T. He was foon after committed to the Tower, under the cuftody of Sir Henry Nevil". Lefley, bishop of Rofs, the queen of Scots' ambaffador, was examined and confronted with Norfolk before the council. The earl of Pembroke was confined to his own houfe: Arundel, Lumley, and Throgmorton were taken into cuftody. The queen of Scots herself was removed to Coventry; all accefs to her was, during fome time, more ftrictly prohibited; and vifcount Hereford was joined to the earls of Shrewsbury and Huntingdon, in the office of guarding her.

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A RUMOUR

R Camden, p. 420.
U Camden, p. 421.

tions in

the North.

A RUMOUR had been very generally diffused in the CHA P. North of an intended rebellion; and the earl of Suffex, XLI. prefident of York, alarmed with the danger, fent for Northumberland and Weftmoreland, in order to examine, 1569. them; but not finding any proof against them, he allow-Infurreced them to depart. The report meanwhile gained ground daily; and many appearances of its reality being difcovered, orders were dispatched by Elizabeth to these two noblemen to appear at court, and anfwer for their conduct Y. They had already proceeded fo far in their criminal defigns, that they dared not to trust themselves in her hands: They had prepared meafures for a rebellion; had communicated their design to Mary and her ministers 2; had entered into a correfpondence with the duke of Alva, governor of the Low Countries; had obtained his promife of a reinforcement of troops, and of a supply of arms and ammunition; and had prevailed on him to fend over to London Chiapini Vitelli, one of his most famous captains, on pretence of adjufting fome differences with the queen, but in reality with a view of putting him at the head of the northern rebels. The fummons, fent to the two earls, precipitated the rifing before they were fully prepared; and Northumberland remained in fufpence between oppofite dangers, when he was informed, that fome of his enemies were on the way with a commiffion to arreft him. He took horfe inftantly, and haftened to his affociate, Westmoreland, whom he found furrounded with his friends and vaffals, and deliberating with regard to the measures which he should follow in the present emergence. They determined to begin the infurrection without delay; and the great credit of these two noblemen, with that zeal for the catholic religion, which still pre-. vailed in the neighbourhood, foon drew together multitudes of the common people. They published a manifefto, in which they maintained, that they intended to attempt nothing against the queen, to whom they vowed unfhaken allegiance; and that their fole aim was to re-establishi the religion of their ancestors, to remove evil counfellors, and to restore the duke of Norfolk, and other faithful peers, to their liberty and to the queen's fa

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Y Haynes, P. 552. z Ibid. p. 595. Strype, vol. ii. append. p. 30. MS. in the Advocates Libra from Cott. Lib. Cal, c. 9.

CHA P. vour a.

Their number amounted to four thousand foot XLI. and fixteen hundred horse; and they expected the concurrence of all the catholics in England B.

1569.

THE queen was not negligent in her own defence, and fhe had beforehand, from her prudent and wife conduct, acquired the general good-will of her people, the best fecurity of a fovereign; infomuch that even the catholics in most counties expreffed an affection for her service; and the duke of Norfolk himself, though he had loft her favour, and lay in confinement, was not wanting, as far as his fituation permitted, to promote the levies among his friends and retainers. Suffex, attended with the earls of Rutland, the lords Hunfden, Evers, and Willoughby of Parham, marched against the rebels at the head of feven thousand men, and found them already advanced to the bishopric of Durham, of which they had taken poffeffion. They retired before him to Hexham ; and hearing that the earl of Warwick and lord Clinton were advancing against them with a greater body, they found no other resource but to difperfe themselves, without ftriking a blow. The common people retired to their houses: The leaders fled into Scotland. Northumber land was found fkulking in that country, and was con*fined by Murray to the caftle of Lochlevin. WeftmoreIland received fhelter from the chieftains of the Kers and Scots, partizans of Mary; and perfuaded them to make an inroad into England, with a view of exciting a quarrel between the two kingdoms. After they had committed great ravages, they retreated to their own country. This fudden and precipitate rebellion was followed. foon after by another ftill more imprudent, raised by Leonard Dacres. Lord Hunfdon, at the head of the garrifon of Berwic, was able, without other affiftance, to quell these rebels. Great feverity was exercifed against fuch as had taken part in thefe rafh enterprizes. Sixty-fix petty conftables were hanged"; and no less than eight hundred perfons are faid, on the whole, to have fuffered by the hands of the executioner. But the queen was fo well pleased with Norfolk's behaviour, that the releafed him from the Tower; allowed him to live, though under fome thew of confinement,

A Cabbala, p. 169. Strype, vol. i. p. 547-
p. 663.
C Cabbala, p. 170. Digges, p. 4.
E Lefley, p. 82.

den, p. 423.

B Stowe,

D Cam

XLI.

❤onfinement, in his own house; and only exacted a pro- CHAP. mife from him not to proceed any farther in his negociations with the queen of Scots F.

ELIZABETH now found that the detention of Mary 1569. was attended with all the ill confequences, which the had foreseen, when the first embraced that meafure. This latter princess, recovering, by means of her misfortunes and her own natural good fenfe, from that delirium, into which the feems to have been thrown during her attachment to Bothwel, had behaved with fuch modefty, and judgment, and even dignity, that every one, who approached her, was charmed with her demeanor; and her friends were enabled, on fome plaufible grounds, to deny the reality of all thofe crimes, which had been imputed to her G. Compaffion for her fituation, and the neceffity of effecting her relief, proved an incitement among all her partizans to be active in promoting her cause; and as her delivery from captivity, it was thought, could no wife be effected but by attempts, dangerous to the established government, Elizabeth had reafon to expect little tranquillity fo long as the Scottifh queen remained a prifoner in her hands. But as this inconvenience had been preferred to the danger of allowing that princefs to enjoy her liberty, and to seek relief in all the catholic courts of Europe, it behoved the queen to fupport the measures which the had adopted, and to guard, by every prudent expedient, against the mifchiets, to which it was expofed. She ftill flattered Mary with hopes of her protection, maintained an ambiguous conduct between that queen and her enemies in Scotland, negotiated perpetually concerning the terms of her reftoration, made conftant profeffions of friendship to her; and by these artifices endeavoured both to prevent her from making any defperate efforts for her delivery, and to fatisfy the French and Spanish ambaffadors, who never intermitted their folicitations, fometimes accompanied with menaces, in her behalf. This deceit was received with the fame deceit by the queen of Scots: Profeffions of confidence were returned by profeffions equally infincere: And while an appearance of friendship was maintained on both fides, the animofity and jealoufy, which had long prevailed between them, was every day becoming

2

Lesley, p. 98. Camden, p. 429. Lefley, p. 232. Haynes, p. 511, 548.

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CHAP. becoming more inveterate and incurable. These two XLI. princeffes, in address, capacity, activity, and fpirit, were nearly a match for each other; but unhappily, Mary, 1569. befides her prefent forlorn condition, was always inferior in perfonal conduct and difcretion, as well as in power, to her illuftrious rival.

1570.

ELIZABETH and Mary wrote at the fame time letters to the regent. The queen of Scots defired, that her marriage with Bothwel might be examined, and a divorce. be legally pronounced between them. The queen of England gave Murray the choice of three conditions; that Mary fhould be restored to her dignity on certain. terms ; that the fhould be affociated with her fon, and the adminiftration remain in the regent's hands, till the young prince fhould come to years of difcretion; or that The fhould be allowed to live at liberty as a private perfon in Scotland, and have an honourable fettlement made in her favour H. Murray fummoned a convention of states, in order to deliberate on these propofals of the two queens.

No answer was made by them to Mary's letter, on pretence that he had there employed the style of a fovereign, addreffing herself to her fubjects; but in reality, becaufe they faw, that her requeft was calculated to prepare the way for a marriage with Norfolk, or fome powerful prince, who could fupport her cause, and restore her to the throne. They replied to Elizabeth, that the two former conditions were fo derogatory to the royal authority of their prince, that they could not fo much as deliberate concerning them: The third alone could be the subject of treaty. It was evident, that Elizabeth, in propofing conditions fo unequal in their importance, invited the Scots to a refufal of those which were most advantageous to Mary; and as it was difficult, if not impoffible, to adjust all the terms of the third, fo as to render it fecure and eligible to all parties, it was concluded that the was not fincere in any of them'.

IT is pretended, that Murray had entered into a private negotiation with the queen, to get Mary delivered into his hands K; and as Elizabeth found the detention of her in England fo dangerous, it is probable, that she would have been pieafed, on any honourable or fafe terms,

to

HMS, in the Advocates' Library. A. 329, p. 137. from
Cott. Lib. catal. c. I. I Spotfwood, p. 230, 231. Lef-
ley, p. 71.
Camden, p. 425. Lefley, p. 83.

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