all the noblemen and gentlemen of quality on his party; out of which number he should have chosen so many as should have possessed all the places of the court, where there might have been any likelihood of resistance: which being done, the Earl of Essex, with divers noblemen, should have presented himself to the queen. The manner how it should have been executed, was in this sort: Sir Christopher Blunt should have had charge of the outer gate, as he thinketh. Sir Charles Davers, this examinate, with his company, should have made good the presence, and should have seized upon the halberds of the guard. Sir John Davis should have taken charge of the hall. All this being set, upon a signal given, the earl should have come into the court with his company. Being asked, what they would have done after? he saith, They would have sent to have satisfied the city, and have called a parliament. These were the resolutions set down by the Earl of Essex of his own hand, after divers consultations. He saith, Cuffe was ever of opinion, that the Earl of Essex should come in this sort to the CHARLES DAVERS. court. Exam. The second confession of Sir CHARLES DAVERS, taken the same day, and set down upon farther calling himself to remembrance, under his own hand, before Sir THO. EGERTON, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal; Lord BUCKHURST, Lord High Treasurer; the Earl of NOTTINGHAM, Lord High Admiral; Sir ROBERT CECIL, principal Secretary. Some points of the articles which my Lord of Essex sent unto Drury House, as near as I can remember, were these; whether both the court and the Tower should be both attempted at one time? if both, what numbers should be thought requisite for either? if the court alone, what places should be first possessed? by what persons? And for those which were not to come into the court beforehand, where and in what sort they might assemble themselves, with least suspicion, to come in with my lord? Whether it were not fit for my lord, and some of the principal persons, to be armed with privy coats? CHARLES DAvers. Knowledged in the presence of THO. EGERTON, C. S. THO. BUCKHURST, ROBERT CECIL. The first confession of Sir CHRISTOPHER BLUNT, examined the 18th of February, 1600, before Jo. HERBERT, Second Secretary of Estate, and in the VOL. II.-47 presence of Nic. KEMPE, counsellor at law, WILLIAM WAIMARKE, WILLIAM MARTIN, ROBERT ANDREWS, citizens, JOHN TREVOR, surveyor of the navy, and THOMAS THORNEY, his surgeon. He confesseth that the Earl of Essex sent Wiseman, about the 20th of January, to visit his wife, with letters of compliment, and to require him to come up unto him to London, to settle his estate according as he had written unto him before some few days. Being demanded, to what end they went to the city, to join with such strength as they hoped for there? he confesseth it was to secure the Earl of Essex his life, against such forces as should be sent against him. And being asked, What, against the queen's forces? he answered, That must have been judged afterwards. But being farther asked, Whether he did advise to come unto the court over night? He saith, No; for Sir Ferdinando Gorge did assure, that the alarm was taken of it at the court, and the guards doubled. Being asked, whether he thought any prince could have endured to have any subject make the city his mediator? or gather force to speak for him? He saith, he is not read in stories of former times; but he doth not know but that in former times subjects have used force for their mediation. Being asked, what should have been done by any of the persons that should have been removed from the queen? He answered, that he never found my lord disposed to shed blood; but that any that should have been found, should have had indifferent trial. Being asked upon his conscience, whether the Earl of Essex did not give him comfort, that if he came to authority, there should be a toleration for religion? He confesseth, he should have been to blame to have denied it. CHRISTOPHER Blunt. putting us in mind that he said once before, that when he was able to speak, he would tell all truth, doth now confess; That four or five days before the Earl of Essex did rise, he did set down certain articles to be considered on, which he saw not, until afterwards he was made acquainted with them, when they had among themselves disputed which were these. any particular cause of grief against any person whatsoever, it should be heard, and they should have justice. Hereupon the Earl of Essex with a very loud voice declared, That his life was sought, and that he should have been murdered in his bed; that he had been perfidiously dealt with; that his hand has been counterfeited, and letters written in his One of them was, whether the Tower of Lon- name; and that, therefore, they were assembled don should be taken? Another, whether they should not possess the court, and so secure my lord, and other men, to come to the queen? For the first concerning the Tower, he did not like it; concluding, that he that had the power of the queen, should have that. He confesseth that upon Saturday night, when Mr. Secretary Herbert had been with the earl, and that he saw some suspicion was taken, he thought it in vain to attempt the court, and persuaded him rather to save himself by flight, than to engage himself farther, and all his company. And so the resolution of the earl grew to go into the city, in hope, as he said before, to find many friends there. He doth also say, that the earl did usually speak of his purpose to alter the government. CHRISTOPHER BLUNT. Exam. per Jo. HERBERT. Subscribed in the presence of The declaration of the Lord Keeper, the Earl of WORCESTER, and the Lord Chief Justice of England. Upon Sunday, being the 8th of February last past, about ten of the clock in the forenoon, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, the Earl of Worcester, Sir William Knolles, comptroller of her majesty's household, and the Lord Chief Justice of England, being commanded by direction from the queen's majesty, did repair to the late Earl of Essex his house, and finding the gate shut against them, after a little stay they were let in at the wicket and as soon as they were within the gate, the wicket was shut upon them, and all their servants kept out. At their coming thither they found the court full of men assembled together in very tumultuous sort; the Earls of Essex, Rutland, and Southampton, and the Lord Sandys, Mr. Parker, commonly called Lord Montegle, Sir Christopher Blunt, Sir Charles Davers, and many other knights and gentlemen, and other persons unknown, which flocked together about the lord keeper, &c. And thereupon the lord keeper told the Earl of Essex, that they were sent from her majesty to understand the cause of this their assembly, and to let them know, that if they had there together to defend their lives; with much other speech to like effect. Hereupon the lord chief justice said unto the earl, That if they had any such matter of grief, or if any such matter were attempted or purposed against him, he willed the earl to declare it, assuring him that it should be truly related to her majesty, and that it should be indifferently heard, and justice should be done whomsoever it concerned. To this the Earl of Southampton objected the assault made upon him by the Lord Gray. Whereunto the lord chief justice said, That in his case justice had been done, and the party imprisoned for it. And hereupon the lord keeper did eftsoons will the Earl of Essex, that whatsoever private matter or offence he had against any person whatsoever, if he would deliver it unto them, they would faithfully and honestly deliver it to the queen's majesty, and doubted not to procure him honourable and equal justice, whomsoever it concerned; requiring him, that if he would not declare it openly, that he would impart it unto them privately, and doubted not but they would satisfy him in it. Upon this there was a great clamour raised amongst the multitude, crying, " Away, my lord, they abuse you, they betray you, they undo you, you lose time." Whereupon the lord keeper put on his hat, and said with a loud voice, “My lord, let us speak with you privately, and understand your griefs; and I command you all upon your allegiance, to lay down your weapons, and to depart, which you ought all to do, being thus commanded, if you be good subjects, and owe that duty to the queen's majesty which you profess." Whereupon they all brake out into an exceeding loud shout and cry, crying, “ All! all! all!" 66 And whilst the lord keeper was speaking, and commanding them upon their allegiance, as is before declared, the Earl of Essex, and the most part of that company did put on their hats, and so the Earl of Essex went into the house, and the lord keeper, &c., followed him, thinking that his purpose had been to speak with them privately, as they had required. And, as they were going, some of that disordered company cried, "Kill them." And as they were going into the great chamber, some cried, "Cast the great seal out at the window." Some other cried there, 64 Kill them;" and some other said, "Nay, let us shop them up." The lord keeper did often call to the Earl of Essex to speak with them privately, thinking still that his meaning had been so, until the earl brought them into his back chamber, and there gave order to have the farther door of that chamber shut fast. And at his going forth out of that chamber, the lord keeper pressing again to have spoken with the Earl of Essex, the earl said, "My lords, be patient a while, and stay here, and I will go into London, and take order with the mayor and sheriffs for the city, and will be here again within this half-hour;" and so departed from the lord keeper, &c., leaving the lord keeper, &c., and divers of the gentlemen pensioners in that chamber, guarded by Sir John Davis, Francis Tresham, and Owen Salisbury, with musket shot, where they continued until Sir Ferdinando Gorge came and delivered them about four of the clock in the afternoon. 66 the Earl of Essex did intend to make his forces so strong, that her majesty should not be able to resist him in the revenge of his enemies. And saith, That the Earl of Essex was most inward with the Earl of Southampton, Sir Christopher Blunt, and others; who have of long time showed themselves discontented, and have advised the Earl of Essex to take other courses, and to stand upon his guard and saith, That when the Earl of Essex was talking with the lord keeper, and other the lords sent from her majesty, divers said, My lord, they mean to abuse you, and you lose time." And when the earl came to sheriff Smith's, he desired him to send for the lord mayor that he might speak with him; and as the earl went in the streets of London, this examinate said to divers of the citizens, that if they would needs come, that it was better for their safety to come with weapons in their hands: and In the mean time, we did often require Sir saith, That the Earl of Essex, at the end of the John Davis, and Francis Tresham, to suffer us street where sheriff Smith dwelt, cried out to the to depart, or at the least to suffer some one of us citizens, that they did him harm, for that they to go to the queen's majesty, to inform her where came naked; and willed them to get them and in what sort we were kept. But they weapons; and the Earl of Essex also cried out answered, That my lord, meaning the Earl of to the citizens, that the crown of England was Essex, had commanded that we should not de-offered to be sold to the Infanta: and saith, That part before his return, which, they said, would be very shortly. THOMAS EGERTON, C. S. EDWARD WORCESTER, JOHN POPHAM. the earl burned divers papers that were in a little The examination of ROGER, Earl of RUTLAND, this examinate saith, That he heard divers there T. BUCKHURST, RUTLAND. Ro. CECIL, The confession of WILLIAM, Lord SANDYS, of the parish of Sherborne-Cowdry, in the county of Southampton, taken this 16th of February, 1600, before Sir JOHN PоPHAM, Lord Chief Justice; ROGER WILBRAHAM, Master of the Requests; and EDWARD COKE, her majesty's Attorney General. He saith, That he never understood that the live and die with the Earl of Essex; and that earl did mean to stand upon his strength till Sun day in the morning, being the 8th of this instant February and saith, that in the morning of that day this examinate was sent for by the Earl of Essex about six or seven of the clock: and the earl sent for him by his servant Warburton, who was married to a widow in Hampshire. And at his coming to the earl, there were six or seven gentlemen with him, but remembereth not what they were; and next after, of a nobleman, came my Lord Chandos, and after him came the Earl of Southampton, and presently after the Earl of Rutland, and after him Mr. Parker, commonly called the Lord Montegle: and saith, That at his coming to the Earl of Essex, he complained that it was practised by Sir Walter Raleigh to have murdered him as he should have gone to the lord treasurer's house with Mr. Secretary Herbert. And saith, that he was present in the court-yard of Essex House, when the lord keeper, the Earl of Worcester, Sir William Knolles, and the lord chief justice, came from the queen's majesty to the Earl of Essex; and the lord chief justice required the Earl of Essex to have some private conference with him; and that if any private wrongs were offered unto him, that they would make true report thereof to her majesty, who, no doubt, would reform the same: and saith, That this examinate went with the earl, and the rest of his company, to London, to Sheriff Smith's, but went not into the house with him, but stayed in the street a while; and being sent for by the Earl of Essex, went into the house, and from thence came with him till he came to Ludgate; which place being guarded, and resistance being made, and perceived by the Earl of Essex, he said unto his company, 66 Charge;" and thereupon Sir Christopher Blunt, and others of his company gave the charge, and being repulsed, and this examinate hurt in the leg, the earl retired with this examinate and others to his house called Essex House. And on his retire, the earl said to this examinate, That if sheriff Smith did not his part, that his part was as far forth as the earl's own; which moved him to think that he trusted to the city. And when the earl was, after his retire, in Essex House, he took an iron casket, and broke it open, and burned divers papers in it, whereof there was a book, as he taketh it, and said, as he was burning of them, that they should tell no tales to hurt his friends and saith, That the earl said, that he had a black bag about his neck that should tell no tales. WILLIAM SANDYS.. Exam. per Jo. POPHAM, ROGER WILBRAHAM, The examination of the Lord CROMWELL, taken the 7th of March, 1600, by Sir J. POPHAM, Lord Chief Justice; CHRIST. YELVERTON, her ma jesty's serjeant; and FR. BACON, of her majesty's learned counsel. * At the sheriff's house this examinate pressed in with the rest, and found the earls shifting themselves in an inner chamber, where he heard my Lord of Essex certify the company, that he had been advertised out of Ireland, which he would not now hide from them, that the realm should be delivered over to the hands of the Infanta of Spain, and that he was wished to look to it; farther, that he was to seek redress for injuries; and that he had left at his house for pledges, the lord keeper, the Earl of Worcester, Sir William Knolles, and the lord chief justice. EDW. CROMWELL. Exam. per Jo. POPHAM, CHR. YELVERTON, Sir CHRISTOPHER BLUNT, knight, at the time of his arraignment, did openly at the bar desire to speak with the lord admiral and Mr. Secretary: before whom he made this confession following; which the Earl of SOUTHAMPTON confirmed afterwards, and he himself likewise at his death. He confesseth, that at the castle of Dublin, in that lodging which was once the Earl of Southampton's, the Earl of Essex purposing his return into England, advised with the Earl of Southampton and himself, of his best manner of going into England for his security, seeing to go he was resolved. At that time he propounded his going with a competent number of soldiers, to the number of two or three thousand, to have made good his first landing with that force, until he could have drawn unto himself a sufficient strength to have proceeded farther. From this purpose this examinate did use all forcible persuasions, alleging not only his own ruin, which should follow thereof, and all those which should adhere to him in that action; but urging it to him as a matter most foul, because he was not only held a patron of his country, which by this means he should have destroyed; but also should have laid upon himself an irrevocable blot, having been so deeply bound to her majesty. To which dissuasion the Earl of Southampton also inclined. This design being thus dissuaded by them, then they fell to a second consideration: and therein this examinate confesseth, That he rather advised him, if needs he would go, to take with him some competent number of choice men. He did not name unto him any particular power that would have come to him at his landing, but *This examination, as appeareth by the date, was taken after Essex's arraignment, but is inserted, to show how the speech, of the realm to be sold to the Infanta, which at his Smith's house he said he was advertised out of Ireland: and with this latter concur many other examinations. arraignment he derived from Mr. Secretary, at sheriff assured himself that his army would have been quickly increased by all sorts of discontented people. He did confess before his going, That he was assured that many of the rebels would be advised by him, but named none in particular. The examination of the Earl of SoUTHAMPTON after his arraignment; taken before the Earl of NoTTINGHAM, Lord High Admiral; Sir ROBERT CECIL, principal Secretary; and Mr. JOHN HERBERT, second Secretary of Estate. Sir Christopher Blunt being hurt, and lying in the castle of Dublin, in a chamber which had been mine, the Earl of Essex one day took me thither with him, where being none but we three, he told us, He found it necessary for him to go into England, and thought it fit to carry with him as much of the army as he could conveniently transport, to go on shore with him to Wales, and there to make good his landing with those, till he could send for more; not doubting but his army would so increase in a small time, that he should be able to march to London, and make his conditions as he desired. To which project I answered, That I held it altogether unfit, as well in respect of his conscience to God, and his love to his country, as his duty to his sovereign, of which he, of all men, ought to have greatest regard, seeing her majesty's favours to him had been so extraordinary: wherefore I could never give any consent unto it. Sir Christopher Blunt joined with me in this opinion. Ro. CECIL, Exam. per NOTTINGHAM, J. HERBERT. The speech of Sir CHRISTOPHER BLUNT, at the time of his death, as near as it could be remembered, March 18, 1600. My lords, and you that be present, although I must confess, that it were better fitting the little time I have to breathe, to bestow the same in asking God forgiveness for my manifold and abominable sins, than to use any other discourse, especially having both an imperfection of speech, and, God knows, a weak memory, by reason of my late grievous wound: yet, to satisfy all those that are present, what course hath been held by me in this late enterprise, because I was said to be an instigator and setter on of the late earl, I will truly, and upon the peril of my soul, speak the truth. It is true, that the first time that ever I understood of any dangerous discontentment in my Lord of Essex, was about three years ago, at Wanstead, upon his coming one day from Greenwich. At that time he spake many things unto me, but descended into no particulars, but in general terms. After which time he never brake with me in any matter tending to the alteration of the state, I protest before God, until he came into Ireland, other than I might conceive, that he was of an ambitious and discontented mind. But when I lay at the castle of Thomas Lee, called Reban, in Ireland, grievously hurt, and doubted of my life, he came to visit me, and then began to acquaint me with his intent. [As he thus spake, the sheriff began to interrupt him, and told him the hour was past. But my Lord Gray, and Sir Walter Raleigh, captain of the guard, called to the sheriff, and required him not to interrupt him, but to suffer him quietly to finish his prayers and confessions. Sir Christopher Blunt said, Is Sir Walter Raleigh there? Those on the scaffold answered, Yea. To whom Sir Christopher Blunt spake on this manner:] Sir Walter Raleigh, I thank God that you are present: I had an infinite desire to speak with you, to ask you forgiveness ere I died, both for the wrong done you, and for my particular ill intent towards you: I beseech you forgive me. 66 Sir Walter Raleigh answered, That he most willingly forgave him, and besought God to forgive him, and to give him his divine comfort: protesting before the Lord, That whatsoever Sir Christopher Blunt meant towards him, for his part he never had any ill intent towards him: and farther said to Sir Christopher Blunt, "I pray you without offence let me put you in mind that you have been esteemed, not only a principal provoker and persuader of the Earl of Essex in all his undutiful courses, but especially an adviser in that which had been confessed of his purpose to transport a great part of her majesty's army out of Ireland into England, to land at Milford, and thence to turn it against her sacred person. You shall do well to tell the truth, and to satisfy the world." To which he answered thus: Sir, if you will give me patience, I will deliver a truth, speaking now my last, in the presence of God, in whose mercy I trust. [And then he directed himself to my Lord Gray and my Lord Compton, and the rest that sat on horseback near the scaffold.] When I was brought from Reban to Dublin, and lodged in the castle, his lordship and the Earl of Southampton came to visit me; and to be short, he began thus plainly with me: That he intended to transport a choice part of the army of Ireland into England, and land them in Wales, at Milford or thereabouts; and so securing his descent thereby, would gather such other forces as might enable him to march to London. To which, I protest before the Lord God, I made this or the like answer: That I would that night consider of it; which I did. And the next day the earls came again: I told them, That such an enterprise, as it was most dangerous, so would it cost much blood, as I could not like of it; besides many hazards, which at this time I cannot remember unto you, neither |