1603]

PLOT AGAINST JAMES 1.

155

in which to store goods; and above, a well-paved walk, with rows of shops. The place became a fashionable resort, and is often spoken of in the plays and other writings of the day.

There were many discontented minds in England on the accession of James I., and a plot greeted the new King at the very beginning of his reign. The most striking thing about this plot is its entire futility. The truth is that there was no great cause to struggle for, and only small men tried to find occupation for their restless brains by plotting.

The Catholics had hoped much from the accession of James I., but as yet had obtained nothing. One William Watson, a secular priest, a vain, foolish man, who was chiefly influenced by bitter animosity to the Jesuits, had struggled to make himself the mouthpiece of the Catholic gentry, and gain promises of favour from James. But the King was in no hurry to do anything, and Watson, in his impatience to obtain distinction, began to talk over his grievances with other Catholics. The chief of his confidants were Sir Griffin Markham, a Catholic gentleman, and George Brooke, the younger brother of Lord Cobham, who, though a Protestant, was quite ready to have a share in any mischief. The idea of the conspirators was to gain possession of the King's person, and then obtain from him such promises as they desired.

A number of Catholics were drawn into the

plot, and even Lord Grey de Wilton was persuaded to join it. He was a brave, impetuous young nobleman, son of Lord Grey de Wilton, who had been lord-deputy in Ireland when Ralegh fought there. He was a Puritan, and was persuaded to join this Catholic plot on the plea that perfect tolerance was to be extorted from the King for Catholics and Puritans alike. The plot never reached any important dimensions. By the end of June the government was aware of its existence, and the conspirators fled from London, but were taken one by one.

The examination of the prisoners brought to light the existence of another conspiracy, in which Ralegh's enemies accused him of having a share. The whole story of this conspiracy is covered with mystery, and the real truth about it will probably never be known. Suspicion was at once directed against Lord Cobham by the fact that his brother was one of the conspirators in the Catholic plot. Ralegh was at that time in attendance on the Court at Windsor Castle. One day in the middle of July he came out on to the castle terrace ready to go hunting with the royal party. As he paced the castle terrace Cecil came to him, and bade him stay, that he might attend upon the Lords of the Council Chamber, who wished to ask him some questions. In answer to these questions, Ralegh told the Lords of the Council that he knew nothing of any plot to surprise the King's person, nor of any plot contrived by Lord Cobham.

1603] RALEGH COMMITTED TO THE TOWER. 157

Shortly after this Ralegh wrote, first to the Lords of the Council and then to Cecil, saying that he believed Cobham had had dealings with Aremberg, the ambassador who had just come over from the Archduke Albert. From Durham House he had seen Cobham rowed across the river to a house where a well-known agent of Aremberg's, Renzi, lived. This letter of Ralegh's was shown. to Cobham, and excited in him violent anger against Ralegh. He thought Ralegh had betrayed him. In reality his brother, George Brooke, had already made known his connection with Aremberg. Writing about this letter afterwards, Ralegh says, "The same was my utter ruin; I did it to do the King service."

Cobham now looked upon Ralegh as his bitter enemy. In his examination he confessed that he had conferred with Aremberg about receiving money from the King of Spain, to be distributed amongst the discontented in England; but he said that his chief instigator in his dealings with Spain had been Sir Walter Ralegh. Immediately after this statement of Cobham's, Ralegh himself was committed to the Tower. Then followed the examination of all the supposed conspirators. It went on through the remainder of July and nearly the whole of August; to try and discover the truth of the matter out of the confused and contradictory answers received is a hopeless task. Both George Brooke and Cobham seem to have answered without any regard to truth. They con

tradicted themselves and enlarged upon their first statements in the most reckless manner. To found any charge against Ralegh upon their statements would be most unjust. Clearly it was their desire to ruin him, and, if possible, by accusing others, to save themselves. It is difficult to discover what Cobham had really plotted to do. He seems to have chafed at the supremacy of Cecil and the Howards with the King, and to have hoped by some change of government to have the pleasure of humbling them. He thought of trying to raise the Lady Arabella Stuart to the throne. He negotiated with Aremberg before his arrival, and obtained the promise of money from him. After Aremberg's arrival he continued his intercourse with him, and even offered to go to Spain, with a view of persuading the King of Spain to listen to his projects. He was accused of having talked of destroying "the King with all his cubs;" but this statement George Brooke afterwards denied on the scaffold.

Suspicions were at first directed against Ralegh on account of his well-known intimacy with Cobham, as well as by the fact that he was known to be extremely discontented with the state of affairs generally, and with the treatment which he had received. He probably knew more of Cobham's plottings than he cared to disclose; but there seems no evidence that he had shared them. He had been offered some of the money which Aremberg promised Cobham, but had refused it at once.

1603]

RALEGH ATTEMPTS SUICIDE.

159

It is not likely that a man of Ralegh's ability, if he had plotted at all, would have plotted in such a feeble manner as did Cobham. He may have talked over with him possible courses to take, with a view of recovering power and influence; but, considering the hatred with which he regarded Spain, it is not likely that he would have entered into negotiations with the Spanish Court. It is well known that the Spaniards always regarded him as their bitterest foe in England. "God doth know," he says, writing to the Lords of the Council, "that I have spent forty thousand pounds of mine own against that King and nation; that I have been a violent persecutor and furtherer of all enterprises against that nation. . . . . Alas! to what end should we live in the world, if all the endeavours of so many testimonies shall be blown off with one blast of breath, or be prevented by one man's word."

Confinement, and the accusations which were brought against him, so told upon his health and spirits that, after he had been in the Tower a fortnight, he tried to put an end to his life, but fortunately without success; for he only inflicted a slight wound from which he soon recovered. In a long letter which he wrote to his wife to bid her farewell, he explained his reasons for this attempted suicide. "Receive from thy unfortunate husband," he writes, "these his last lines; these the last words that ever thou shalt receive from him, that I can live never to see thee and my