'command in the Queen's name, and would have done • that without the Queen's privity*.

'But being further 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 to 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 answereth, 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.'

Attorney-General. There is another Examination of Sir Christopher Blunt's; I pray let that be read.

Sir Christopher Blunt's second Examination taken the same day :

Being told that he did not deal plainly in his former Confession, he excuseth himself by his former weakness, putting us in mind that he said, before that, ' when he was able to speak, he would tell all the truth, 'doth now confess,-That four or five days before the 'insurrection, the Earl of Essex did set down certain

*Here is another instance of the suppression of part of the examination in Bacon's account. It is obvious that the words in italics qualify the preceding statement.

In the original these words follow, but were not read at the trial; "for in the Earl's usual talk he was wont to say that he liked not that any man should be troubled for his religion." They are marked for omission in the usual manner by Sir Edward Coke, and are also omitted in the Confession as published by Bacon.

Blunt was severely wounded in the affray in the City on the Sunday morning.

'articles to be considered on, which he saw not till afterwards he was made acquainted with them, when they ⚫ had amongst themselves disputed, which were these; one of them was, whether the Tower of London should 'be taken? another, whether they should not possess 'the Court, and so secure my Lord and other men to I come to the Queen? For the first, concerning the Tower, he did not like it, concluding that, he that had 'the care of the Queen should have that. "He saith 'further, that this matter was not fully resolved on, because of the contrariety of opinions, and accidents ' that happened after." He confesseth that on 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 further 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.'

Then was read the Earl of Rutland's Examination, taken the 12th February, 1600-1:

He saith, that at his coming to Essex-house on Sunday morning last, he found there with the Earl of Essex, the Lord Sandys, and the Lord Chandos, and divers Knights and Gentlemen. And the Earl of Essex 'told this Examinate, that his life was practised to be 'taken away by the Lord Cobham, and Sir Walter Raleigh, when he was sent for to the Council; and the Earl said, that now he meant by the help of his friends to defend himself: and saith, That the detaining of the 'Lord Keeper and the other Lords sent to the Earl from 'the Queen, was a stratagem of war: and saith, That 'the Earl of Essex told him that the City of London stood for him, and that Sheriff Smith had given him intelligence that he would make as many men to assist 'him as he could; and further, the Earl of Essex said, 'that he meant to possess himself of the City, the better to enable himself to revenge him on his enemies, the 'Lord Cobham, Sir Robert Cecil, and Sir Walter Raleigh. And this Examinate confesseth, that he re

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'solved to live and die with the Earl of Essex; and that 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 saith, That the Earl of Essex, at the end of the street 'where Sheriff Smith dwelt, cried out to the citizens, "that they did him harm, for that they came naked;" ' and willed them to get them weapons; and the Earl of Essex also cried out to the citizens, "that the crown ' of England was offered to be sold to the Infanta;" and saith, That the Earl burned divers papers that were in a little casket, whereof one was, as the Earl said, an history of his troubles: and saith, That when they were as'saulted in Essex-house, after their return, they first re ́ solved to have made a sally out; and the Earl said, that ' he was determined to die; and yet in the end they changed their opinion and yielded: and saith, That the Earl of Southampton, Sir Christopher Blunt, and Sir John Davies, advised the Earl of Essex, that the Lord Keeper and his company should be detained; and this Exami'nate saith, That he heard divers there present cry out, "Kill them, kill them :" and saith, That he thinketh the Earl of Essex intended, that after he had possessed himself of the City, he would intreat the Lord Keeper and his company to accompany him to the Court: and saith, That the Earl of Southampton showed himself 'discontented long before, and often said that the Earl of Essex had had great wrong and hard proceedings

against him*. He saith he heard Sir C. Blunt say openly, in the presence of the Earl of Essex and others, 'how fearful, and in what several humours, they should ⚫ find them at the Court when they should come thither.' Then was read the Confession of William Lord Sandys, taken the 16th of February, 1600-1:

'He saith, that he never understood that the Earl did mean to stand upon his strength till Sunday 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 Monteagle; 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. Se'cretary 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, Charge;" and thereupon Sir Christopher Blunt, and others of his *This omitted in Bacon's' Declaration.'

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 burnt 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.'

Part of the Examination of Edward Bushell, taken the 16th of February, 1600-1, was then read:

Being asked, what my Lord of Essex said when he came back again to Essex-house? he saith, the Earl said, that if a black purse he had about his neck were found, it should appear, by that he had in it, how he was betrayed in the City.'

Then was read a part of Lord Cromwell's Confession*, to the following effect:

That he heard nothing of the matter till Sunday morning; when seeing the Earl of Essex pass by his lodging in Fleet-street, he heard him say, "Not for all your goods, my Masters, should the kingdom be sold to the King of Spain!"

Attorney-General. If that black bag, mentioned by Bushell and my Lord Sandys, could be brought to light, there would be found much good stuff, for both Sir John Davis, and Sir Charles Danvers did depose that you said to them, that that black bag could witness that you were betrayed in London; which is also witnessed by

*This Deposition of Lord Cromwell's is not to be found in the State-Paper Office, nor is it mentioned in Bacon's account of the Trial. A Confession of Lord Cromwell's is indeed given by Bacon, dated after the Trial of Essex and Southampton, and totally dif ferent from that in the text; and it is a singular circumstance, that though all the reports of the Trial state that such an Examina tion was proved, and some of them give the substance of it as above, they differ totally from each other as to its effect.