Of this treacherous and vain project, among them many disputations and arguments have passed; not any of them misliking the purpose, but reasoning the probabilities to effect it. By which means the matter was the worse digested, and so the day assigned came upon them faster than their councils could agree for the orderly execution. Which falling-out to be the 24th of June; the Lord Grey, jealous lest the principal number, compounded of catholics, might over-rule him and his followers in the surprise (which were intended him to be of the religion now professed) he made objection to Markham that he esteemed so much that point as he was loath to join with him, but rather wished some suspension of it till his party might be better secured. Which he thought should be, if the king should aid the states of the Low-countries, and he obtain the commandment of new forces to be levied; under colour of which levy here about London, he hoped the better to have disguised the gathering together of such numbers. And thus, with all their irresolutions, the day was put-off and new fears distracted them, which arised only from the difficulty to surprise the court, wherein there never sleepeth under three hundred gentlemen that carry arms. But, because we having some scout-notice of conventicles for some such purpose, began to set better order of doors and passages, of which proceedings they took an alarm. Nevertheless, they gave not over their imaginations, conferences, nor designs, until one Copley, a principal conspirator, Copley. was taken; whom Markham and Brooke knew would accuse them. Upon his taking, Markam came to Mr. Brooke to procure him means to escape by his brother's authority; who, notwithstanding he understood for what cause it was, did assent to convey him over, and gave him some money for his journey; although Markham, upon other consideration, took another way of flight, until he was apprehended. Since which, all hath been confessed by themselves under their hands.

And now, because I doubt not you may have heard also of other matters, and therein, peradventure, much hath been multiplied, you shall understand, that although the Lord Cobham was no particular Lord Cobham,

actor

Count Aremberg.

actor nor contriver of this conspiracy, yet he had another iron in the fire,
which, in general terms, he let fall to his brother and some others,
though he used them not particularly in this project, no more than they
had done him in theirs; always this being common to them all, that if
one sped not, another might. So far had God blinded their eyes, when the
king had noway wronged any of these, by taking from them any mat-
ter of profit or credit which ever they enjoyed! But it was not enough
not to take away-because he did not suddenly give what they de-
sired. To be short, therefore, the Lord Cobham meant to go over to
the Spa, thereby to have had access to the archduke; to whom he
meant to have intimated his discontentment, and withal, to have re-
presented the general disposition of others in this country, on whom
he would have pretended that good sums of money would have taken
great hold.
From thence he should have gone into Spain, and there
have seen what the king would have embraced. And at his return he
would have passed to Jersey, where Sir Walter Ralegh would have`
met him, and so have conferred together what course to take for ad-
vancement of those intentions which his overtures should have begot.
Leaving it not altogether hopeless, but that some of these surprises, or
some other accident, in the meantime might have happened to have
saved his labour. Always, if no such thing had followed in the in-
terim, such sums of money as he could have procured the king of
Spain to disburse, should have been employed selon l'occasion.

If now you will ask whether the Count of Aremberg had any hand in this matter, I must answer you truly that the Lord Cobham privily resorted to him. First, to confirm former intelligence concerning the peace. And as an argument to prepare him to believe him if he offered any greater services, he stuck not to advertise him daily how things passed at court; with as many particulars as he could come-by, what success the States had at the king's hands, or were like to have. And not three days before his commitment, he wrote to the count in general terms, that if he would do his master service, he should not be inveigled with conceit of peace; for though the king had a good disposition

.

disposition to it, yet most of the principal counsellors were obstinate for the war. Concluding, that, if the count would procure four or five hundred thousand crowns to be disposed as he would, he could shew him a better way to prosper than by peace. To which letter, before the count could make any direct answer, the Lord Cobham was apprehended. And therefore, when you shall speak with the king, you may assure him, that whatsoever is advertised more or less of those things is false. Only the first conspirators had likewise resolved to carry the king to the Tower, to have forced him to a proclamation to justify their actions, with divers such pretences usual in such

cases.

Concerning Sir Walter Ralegh's commitment, this hath been the Ralegh ground: I. He hath been discontented in conspectu omnium, ever since the king came; and yet, for those offices which are taken from him, the king gave him . 300 a-year during his life, and forgave him a good arrearage of debt. II. His inwardness, or rather his governing the Lord Cobham's spirit, made great suspicion_that in these treasons he had his part. Whereupon being sent for before four or five of the council, and asked of some particulars; before he was sent to prison, he wrote a letter secretly to the lord Cobham, advising him, if he were examined of anything, to stand peremp tory, and not be afraid, for one witness could not condemn him. After which, the Lord Cobham being called in question, he did first confess his own treasons as above said, and then did absolutely before eleven counsellors accuse Ralegh to be privy to his Spanish accused by course; with farther addition and exclamation, that he had never Cobham, dealt herein but by his own incessant provocation. Whereupon he was committed to the Tower; where, though he was used with all humanity, lodged and attended as well as in his own house; yet, one afternoon, while divers of us were in the Tower examining some of these prisoners, he attempted to have murdered himself. Whereof when we were advertised, we came to him, and found him in some agony, seeming to be unable to endure his misfortunes, and VOL. II. protesting

༣

Letter to the
Commissioners.

And in that humour he had wounded himself under the right pap, but noway mortally, being in truth rather a cut than a stab, and now very well cured both in body and mind ". What to judge of this case yet we know not; for, how voluntarily and authentically soever the Lord Cobham did before us all accuse him in all our hearing, and most constantly, yet, being newly examined, he seemeth now to clear Sir Walter in most things, and to take all the burthen to himself. So, as the matter concerning the blood of a gentleman, how apparent soever it is in foro conscientiæ, yet you may be assured that no severity shall be used toward him, for which there shall not be sufficient proof. Which is very like there will be, notwithstanding this retractation; because it is confessed, that since their being in the Tower, intelligence hath passed from one to another, wherein Ralegh expostulated. his unkind using him ".""

protesting innocency, with carelessness of life.

22

A short time previously to the date of this letter, Sir Walter had been examined by Lord Henry Howard, Lord Wotton, and Sir Edward Coke; and shortly afterward, he addressed the following letter, declaratory of his innocence, to the Earls of Nottingham, Suffolk and Devonshire, and Lord Cecil:

"Sir WALTER RALEGH to the Earls of NOTTINGHAM, SUFFOLK, and DEVONSHIRE, and to Lord CECIL.

"I Do not know whether Your Lordships have seen my answers to all the matters which my Lord Henry Howard, My Lord Wotton,

1 Sir Walter's former biographers make no mention whatever of this circumstance. In a Diary of this period by Cecil when Earl of Salisbury, in the Hatfield-library, is likewise a Memorandum, that Ralegh and Brooke were sent to the Tower from Fulham (Dr. Bancroft, bishop of London, being one of the commissioners) July 19th, 1603; and on the 27th, Sir Walter attempted to stab himself to

the heart with a knife, but missed his heart, though he wounded himself greatly.

1

22 From 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. Collections in the British Museum, N 4176.

and

and Sir Edward Coke have examined me on, upon Saturday the 14th of this present"; which makes me bold to write unto Your Lordships at this time. The two principal accusations being these: the first, that money was offered me with a pretence to maintain the amity, but the intent was to have assisted His Majesty's surprise; the other, that I was privy to My Lord Cobham's Spanish journey.

For the first, I beseech Your Lordships to weigh it seriously before there be any farther proceeding. For to leave me to the cruelty of the law of England, and to that summum jus before both your understandings and consciences be thoroughly informed, were but carelessly to destroy the father and fatherless; and you may be assured that there is no glory, nor any reward, that can recompense the shedding of innocent blood. And, whereas it seemeth to appear, that this money was offered to others long after it was offered to me, and upon some other considerations than it was unto me for myself, I avow, upon my allegiance, that I never either knew or suspected either the man or the new intention. To me it was but once propounded, and in three weeks after I never heard more of it; neither did I believe it that he had any commission to offer it, as the everlasting God doth witness! For if that word amity had been used to me colourably, I must have been also made acquainted with the true end for which it should have been given, which it seemeth was for the surprise. But, of any such horrible and fearful purpose if ever I had so much as a suspicion, I refuse Your Lordships' favours and the king's mercy. I know that Your Lordships have omitted nothing to find-out the truth hereof. erred like ill surgeons, to lay on plaisters too

23 Most probably July, 1603. See note 17, and the date of Cecil's letter. Dr. Birch, in his Works of Ralegh, has printed this letter from Ralegh's Remains, without correcting the errors of the editor of that volume. Thus, he makes the date August;

C 2

But, as you
But, as you have not

narrow for so great

and, instead of the Earl of Nottingham, who, as Lord-Admiral, is referred to in the letter, he prints the Earl of Southampton-an error which the Harleian Collection could have taught him to correct.

wounds;