in those countries, even those residing there as traders, if any accusation for Protestant religious observances could be brought forward against them; no attempt to prove any designs against the respective governments was thought necessary; if they were heretics, that was sufficient.

The extent to which this popish conspiracy spread in England rendered active measures necessary. Walsingham was earnest in causing search to be made for popish priests and recusants. He employed numerous agents and emissaries, who, like the Jesuits, assumed various disguises: thus, it was not uncommon for the crafty emissaries of the pope to be themselves circumvented by agents employed against them, whom they imagined to be friends; and when they had been, as they thought, persuading others to join their plans, their projects were disclosed to the spies of Walsingham, who informed against them. This was again met in several instances by these papists themselves engaging with Walsingham, and while he trusted them as agents, they secretly carried forward the designs of the pope. Such are the crooked courses to which deceivers resort, and thus the worldly wise often are taken in their own craftiness. Townsend says, “The policy of Elizabeth was to avoid force, and to secure her government by discovering and surpassing the deep dissimulations of her enemies." Many of the guilty were committed to prison; they suffered from the noisome state in which prisons were kept at that time, and long afterwards. Torture was frequently applied to the most notorious prisoners to obtain confessions: this was the practice of the times, first introduced under popery. After the Reformation had been established nearly a century, this disgraceful practice was wholly done away in our land. But torture was resorted to invariably in popish countries, under the inquisition and even now, there is reason to believe that tortures are inflicted in the dark prisons yet remaining under the influence of popery.

In Scotland, considerable influence had been gained over the young king by two of the Stuart family, D'Aubigny and Arran. They were concerned in the proceedings in which all the Romish princes were implicated, although the former endeavoured to silence the popular feeling against him by conforming to the Protestant faith. But his sincerity was suspected; it was publicly known that the popes granted dispensations, permitting Romanists to "promise, swear, and subscribe," to whatever they might deem necessary, so that they continued secretly to promote their religion. Even at the present day, the authenticated works of instruction among the papists assert a dispensing power with regard to the most solemn engagements, whenever the interest of their religion requires it, and in many cases the same evasions are allowed for individual profit or convenience.

The efforts of these Scottish favourites were directed against the regent Morton, who was a man of bad character, but at that time opposed to popery. The question of Darnley's murder was revived. Morton was convicted of being concerned in the murder, and beheaded in June, 1581. He denied being actually a participator in the act, but confessed that Bothwell had told him of the plan, assuring him that queen Mary willed it. The Scottish nobles made a successful effort to separate their young monarch from his pernicious councillors. D'Aubigny, who had been created duke of Lennox, was obliged to quit Scotland: he died soon after his return to France, professing himself a Protestant. Arran contrived to regain his power and influence. Mary Stuart, at this time, wrote a letter to Elizabeth, charging her with machinations against her son and herself. This letter has been used by the panegyrists of Mary; but its empty declamation is answered by reference to real history, while Elizabeth's allowing such an attack to pass unvisited by any punishment, sufficiently refutes the charge of eagerness to seize on all occasions against Mary. These

circumstances more and more convinced the councillors of the English queen, that there was no safety for their sovereign during the life of her rival.

Towards the close of 1582, the French rulers attempted a new plan for regaining influence in Scotland. It was this: that Mary should acknowledge her son as king on her being liberated, and allowed a share in the government; then James was to marry a French princess, and the results hoped for would follow. England and Scotland would be again at enmity. But the design was too obvious; the French ambassadors sent to James were openly insulted at Edinburgh.

The anxiety of Elizabeth to enforce uniformity placed her in collision with the Puritans, who also were worked upon by secret popish emissaries, to widen the breach. Two laws, passed in the year 1580, indirectly bore hard upon them: one against publications containing any matter deemed defamatory of the queen; the other was the act against the Jesuits, which required all to attend public worship, according to the act of uniformity. This comprehended nonconformists as well as papists. Such proceedings only widened the breach; and now arose the Brownists, or Independents. They did not differ from the Established Church on points of doctrine; but proceeded so far in matters of discipline, as to deny it to be a true church, and they renounced communion with all who were not of their own model; yet, though severely persecuted, they never were implicated in any plots or designs against the queen. Two, named Thacker and Copping, hanged at Bury, in June, 1583, were accused of sedition, in spreading books against the Common Prayer, and refusing the oath of In this year died archbishop Grindal, who had been an exile in the days of queen Mary, and who, although forced into some severe proceedings, was so unwilling to persecute the Puritans that he lost the queen's favour, and was suspended from discharging his office. He procured leave for the French Protestants to have

a church in London.

supremacy.

Among other efforts of popery, in 1582, was the publication of an English version of the New Testament, printed at Rheims, with notes, defending the erroneous doctrines of popery. These were ably answered and refuted by Fulke.

In 1584, Mendoza, the Spanish ambassador, engaged so far in the plots of the English papists, that it was necessary to order him to leave England, at the hazard of making an open breach with Philip, then the most potent monarch in Europe. Protestant princes were fully warned of their danger in July this year, when the prince of Orange was murdered in his own court by an assassin, who had been excited by the bigoted anathemas of the papists against Protestant rulers, and induced by the pecuniary reward offered by Philip to any one who should take prisoner or slay the prince. Just as the prince of Orange rose from dinner, he was shot by the assassin in the presence of his wife, whose father, the admiral Coligny, as well as her first husband, both had been murdered for adherence to the Protestant cause. It was ascertained that the murderer had previously disclosed his intention, in confession, to a Jesuit. It was notorious that Elizabeth was still more decidedly proscribed by the pope: at this time she was warned, by a foreign prince, Don Antonio, that there were plots for her assassination; while it was evident, that if she could be "taken off," as the phrase ran, Protestantism would lose its firmest supporter. That Elizabeth was preserved through dangers in which the prince of Orange fell, is no proof that there were not designs against her life; it only shows the more clearly that she was preserved by God. Books were written and circulated by the Romish priests, denouncing Elizabeth as the Jezebel of the age, and urging her maids of honour to put her to death, even as Judith murdered Holofernes, according to the apocryphal books, telling them that they would, by such an action, render themselves worthy of the applause of the church in all future ages!

The earl of Northumberland, and many others, were put under restraint. Among the papers of Francis Throgmorton, a gentleman of Cheshire, were found particulars of treasonable proceedings for the invasion of England, which had been countenanced by Mendoza. Some documents respecting these machinations were singularly brought to light. A Scottish Jesuit, named Crichton, while on his passage from the continent, was fearful of being detected, and having hastily torn some papers, threw them overboard; but the wind blew them back to the ship: the act awakened suspicion ; they were put together, and found to be important. Other papers were intercepted; among them, letters from Mary Stuart, in which she urged the speedy execution of "the great plot." As these efforts undeniably aimed at the power and life of Elizabeth, Leicester proposed to form a solemn association for the defence of the queen. This engagement included a pledge on the part of the subscribers, that they would bring to punishment every one concerned in treasonable schemes against their monarch.

The Protestants readily signed the engagement, which alarmed Mary, who made another application for her liberty, offering to renounce all present claims to the English throne, to consider the pope's bull against Elizabeth as invalid, and to conduct herself peaceably; also to attach her son firmly to the English interests. Elizabeth expressed her desire to attend to Mary's proposals; but when the subject was discussed by her ministers, the question returned, How could any security which the queen of Scots could give be sufficient, and really restrain her? This, from the beginning, had been the main difficulty; it caused her detention in England, and it could not be overcome.

The parliament passed an act, which authorized the appointment of a special commission of twenty-four or more persons, to sit in judgment on any one who pretended to the crown, or who devised or attempted the execution of any scheme hostile to the dignity or life