Works; Collected and Edited by James Spedding, Robert Leslie Ellis, and Douglas Denon Heath Volume 9

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1862 edition. Excerpt: ...breed misunderstanding between Sir Henry Nevill and the Court. Sir Henry Nevill was a kinsman of Sir Robert Cecil's; was then ambassador in France; and was returning to England on the business of his embassy, in which something had gone wrong. The first thing that met him on his arrival was a friendly warning from the Earl of Essex (left at his lodgings the day before by Henry Cuffe) that bad offices had been done him at Court, and that they meant to lay upon him the blame of the miscarriage: a statement which proved to be quite groundless. And afterwards during all that year great pains were taken to draw him into communication with the Earl's most intimate advisers; nor altogether without success: for he was betrayed into a knowledge, though not into participation or approval, of their designs.2 By like means and under various pretexts a great number of considerable persons were drawn in, more or less deeply, and with more or less knowledge of what was really going on. The Catholics were flattered by promises or what they took for promises of toleration, the Puritans by show of sympathy; stories of Spanish intrigues were set afloat to alarm the multitude; and all plausible courses were taken to attract towards Essex House men of all sorts that were thought likely to favour the objects or follow the fortunes of the conspirators when they should be ready for action; the nature and even the existence of the conspiracy being all the while carefully concealed from all but a very few persons who met in secret conclave at Drury House--a house in the neighbourhood, belonging I believe to the Earl of Southampton, in which Sir Charles Davers lodged. The particulars will be found a little further on fully and clearly narrated in one of the...