a fuitable age to efpoufe the queen of Scots, her attrac tions, as well as his own interefts, made him defirous of the match. The obtaining Elizabeth's confent to their nuptials, was confidered as an indifpenfable circumstance; but though this nobleman made almost all the nobility of England acquainted with his intended alliance, he never had the prudence, or the courage, to open his defigns to Elizabeth. On the contrary, in order to fupprefs the furmifes which were currently reported, he spoke to the queen contemptuously of Mary; affirmed that his eftates in England were of more value than all the revenues of Scotland; and declared, that when he amused himself in his own tennis-court at Norwich, he was a greater prince than the fovereign of that kingdom. This duplicity only ferved to inflame Elizabeth's fufpicions; and Norfolk, perceiving a coldnefs in the queen's behaviour, retired from the court in difguft. Repenting, however, of this measure soon after, he refolved to return; but, on the way, was ftopt by a meffenger from the queen, and com- Norfolk is mitted to the Tower, under the cuftody of fir Henry committed Nevil. Lefley, bilhop of Rofs, the queen of Scots' am- to the baffador, was examined and confronted with Norfolk be- Tower. fore the council. The earl of Pembroke was confined to his own houfe; and Arundel, Lumley, and Throgmorton, all of whom had favoured Norfolk's defign, were taken into cuftody. The queen of Scots was removed to Coventry, where all accefs to her, during fome time, was The queen ftrictly prohibited; and viscount Hereford was joined to of Scots is the earls of Shrewsbury and Huntingdon, in the office af removed ta guarding her. Coventry.

The partizans of the duke of Norfolk, however, were 'too much attached to his intereft not to make an effort for his release. The earls of Westmoreland and Northumberland had prepared meafures for an infurrection; had communicated their defign to Mary and her minif ter; had entered into a correfpondence with the duke of Alva, governor of the Low Countries, and had obtained his promife of men and ammunition. But thofe intrigues could not long efcape the vigilance of Elizabeth's minifters. Orders were immediately fent to Westmoreland and Northumberland to appear at court, and an fwer for their conduct. But thofe noblemen having already proceeded fo far in their criminal defigns, that they dared not truft themfelves in her hands, found h Lesley, p. 80.

Camden, p. 421. Haynes, P. 540.

Infurrec

North.

it neceffary to begin their revolt before matters were tions in the entirely prepared for its opening. They accordingly publifhed a manifefto, in which they alleged, that no injury was intended against the queen; but that their fole aim was to re-establish the religion of their anceftors, to remove all evil counsellors from about the queen's perfon, and to reftore the duke of Norfolk to his liberty and the queen's favour 1. Their force amounted to four thousand foot, and fixteen hundred horfe ; and they expected to be joined by all the Catholics in England. But in this expectation, they foon found themfelves greatly deceived: the queen's prudent conduct had acquired her the general good-will of the people; infomuch that the Catholics in most counties expreffed an affection for her fervice'. Even the duke of Norfolk, for whofe fake the revolt had been undertaken, ufed every method that his fituation would permit, to affift the The earl of queen in reducing the infurgents. A body of feven

Suflex marches with an army

against the rebels, who foon difperfe.

Norfolk is released from the Tower.

thousand men, under the command of the earl of Suffex, marched against the rebels, whom they found already advanced to the bishoprick of Durham, and in poffeffion of that district. The infurgents immediately retired before the royal army to Hexham; where hearing that the earl of Warwick and lord Clinton were advancing against them with a greater force, they found no other refource than to difperfe themselves, without ftriking a blow. Northumberland fled to Scotland, and was confined by the regent in the caftle of Lochlevin: Weftmoreland, after attempting to excite the Scots to revolt, betook himself to Flanders, where he met with protection. This rebellion was foon followed by another, led on by lord Dacres, but with as little fuccefs. Great feverity was exercised against fuch as had taken part in these rash enterprizes; and no lefs than eight hundred perfons are faid to have fuffered by the hands of the executioner ". But the queen, was fo much pleafed with Norfolk's behaviour, that the releafed him from the Tower; allowed him to live, though under fome fhew of confinement, in his own house, and only exacted from him a promise not to proceed any farther in his negociations with the queen of Scots".

Norfolk, however, had not been released above a year, when new projects were fet on foot by the enemies of the

ters into a

new con

queen and the reformed religion, fecretly fomented by Rodolphi, an inftrument of the court of Rome, and the bishop of Rofs, Mary's minifter in England. It was concerted by them, that Norfolk fhould renew his defigns upon Mary. A promise of marriage was therefore renewed between the parties; the duke engaged to enter A.D.1579. into all her interefts; and as his ambitious views gradually overcame his prudence, he confented to enterprizes Norfolk enwhich foon after terminated in his ruin. It was agreed, that the duke of Alva fhould transport into England a piracy, body of fix thousand foot, and four thousand horfe; that the duke of Norfolk fhould join them with all his adherents; and that they should afterwards march directly to London, and oblige the queen to fubmit to whatever terms the confpirators fhould pleafe to impofe upon her °. This scheme was fo fecretly laid, that it had hitherto entirely eluded the vigilance of Elizabeth, and that of fecretary Cecil, who now bore the title of lord Burleigh; and it was at last discovered merely by accident. The which is duke having fent a fum of money to lord Herries, one difcovered of Mary's partizans in Scotland, did not think proper to by accident acquaint the bearer with the real value of the remittance; and the meffenger finding, by the weight of the bag, that it contained a larger fum than the duke mentioned to him, began to miftruft fome plot, and brought the money, with the duke's letter, to the fecretary of fate.

to the

and execu

By the artifices of that great ftatefman, the duke's fer- The duke of vants were brought to make a full confeffion of their Norfolk is mafter's guilt; and the bishop of Rofs, foon after, finding committed the whole difcovered, did not fcruple to confirm their tes- Tower. timony. The duke was inftantly committed to the Tower, A.D.1572. and ordered to prepare for his trial. A jury of twentyfive peers unanimoufly paffed fentence upon him, and the 12th Jan. queen, four months after, reluctantly figned the warrant His trial, for his execution. He died with calmness and conftancy; tion. and though he cleared himself of any disloyal intentions against the queen's authority, he acknowleged the justice of the fentence by which he fuffered P. A few months after, the duke of Northumberland, being delivered up Northum by the regent, underwent a fimilar trial, and was alfo berland is brought to the fcaffold. All these ineffectual efforts in fa- also tried vour of the queen of Scots, feemed only the more to diffipate and exe all hopes of her deliverance from confinement; and fhe

• Lefley, p. 155. State Trials, vol, i. p. 86, 87. p. 440. Strype, vol. ii. App. p. 23.

-VOL. II.

C

P Camden,

hence

cuted

Hofilities between England

and Spain.

The Spaniards in vade Ire land, but are cut off

henceforth continued for feveral years a precarious de pendent on the fufpicions of Elizabeth, who only waited until fome new efforts of Mary's adherents fhould give a plaufible pretext for having recourfe to extremities, which political, and not merciful motives fo long fufpended.

Having thus far attended the queen of Scotland, we now return to fome tranfactions, prior in point of time,

but of lefs confideration.

There had for fome time fubfifted difgufts between the court of England and that of Spain; occafioned, probably, by Elizabeth's having rejected the fuit of Philip. This breach was widened on both fides by petty hoftilities. The Spaniards, on their part, had fent into Ireland a body of feven hundred of their nation, with fome Italians, who built there a fort; but were foon after cut off to a man, by the earl by the earl of Ormond. On the other hand the English, of Ormond. under the conduct of fir Francis Drake, attacked the Sir Francis Spaniards in their fettlements in South America. This was the first Englishman that failed round the globe; and the queen was fo much pleased with his valour and fuccefs, that the accepted a banquet from him at Deptford, on board the ship which had atchieved fo memorable a voyage.

Drake attacks the Spaniards in South America, and fails round the worlds

While hoftilities were daily multiplying between Spain and England, Elizabeth began to look out for an alliance that might fupport her against so dangerous an adverfary. The duke of Anjou had long made pretenfions to the queen, and though he was younger by twenty-five years, he took the refolution to prefer his fuit in perfon, and paid her a private vifit at Greenwich. It appears, that though his figure was not advantageous, his addrefs was pleafing. The queen ordered her ministers to fix the terms of the contract; and a day was appointed for the folemnization of their nuptials. But as the time approached, Elizabeth became irrefolute and melancholy; the could not be induced to change her condition, and therefore the duke of Anjou was difmiffed.

Elizabeth thus depriving herfelf of a foreign ally, looked for affiftance from her own fubjects; among whom, however, fhe had many enemies. Several con fpiracies were formed against her life; many of which were imputed to the intrigues of the queen of Scots. Henry Piercy, earl of Northumberland, brother to him beheaded fome years before, and Philip Howard, earl of Arundel, fon to the unfortunate duke of Norfolk, fell under fufpicion, and the latter was, by order of the

council,

council, confined to his own houfe. Francis Throgmorton, a private gentleman, was committed to cuftody, on account of a letter which he had written to the queen of Scots; and fhortly after confeffing his guilt, he was condemned and executed. Soon after William Parry, a Catholic gentleman', who had on a former occafion received the queen's pardon, was found engaged in a defperate confpiracy to affaffinate his fovereign and benefactor. He had confulted upon the juftice and expediency of this criminal purpofe, with the pope's nuncio and legate, who extremely applauded his design, and exhorted him to perfevere in his refolution. He therefore affociated himself A confpi with one Nevil, who entered zealously into the project; racy is and it was determined to fhoot the queen while the was formed by taking the air on horfeback. But while they were watch the Catho ing an opportunity for the execution of their purpofe, shoot Elithe earl of Weftmoreland happened to die in exile; and zabeth, as Nevil was next heir to the family, he began to enter- but is dif tain hopes, that by doing the queen fome acceptable fer- covered. vice, he might recover the eftate and honours which had been forfeited by the rebellion of the laft earl. He therefore difcovered the whole confpiracy to the ministers; and Parry, being thrown into prifon, confeffed the guilt both to them and to the jury who tried him. He was fhortly after condemned and executed.

lics tu

Thefe attempts, which were entirely fet on foot by the Great Catholic party, ferved to increafe the feverity of the laws everity against all of that communion. Popifh priests were ba- against the nished the kingdom, those who harboured or relieved them Catholics. were declared guilty of felony, and many were executed

more fevere

in confequence of this fevere edict. Nor was the queen The queen of Scots herfelf without fome fhare of the punishment. of Scots is She was removed from under the care of the earl of put under Shrewsbury, who had always been indulgent to his the care of prifoner, particularly with regard to air and exercife; keepers. and fhe was committed to the cuftody of fir Amias Paulett, and fir Drue Drury, men of honour, but inflexible and rigid in the obfervance of orders.

These confpiracies had the effect of preparing the way for Mary's ruin, whofe greatest misfortunes proceeded at leaft as much from the imprudent zeal of her friends as from the malignity of her enemies. Elizabeth's minifters had long been waiting for fome opportunity of accufing the captive queen of treasonable practices; and their anxious expectations were now gratified. One John Ballard, a popish priest, who had been bred in the English fe

C 2

minary