that he knew nothing which could hurt Lord Russell. The King himself said, he found Lord Howard was not amongst them, and he supposed it was for the same reason which some of themselves had given, for not admitting Oates into their secrets, namely, that he was such a rogue they could not trust him. But when the news was brought to Lord Howard that West had delivered himself, Lord Russell, who was with him, observed him change colour, and asked him if he apprehended any thing from him? He replied, that he had been as free with him as any man. Hampden saw him afterwards under great fears; and desired him to go out of the way, if he thought there was matter against him, and he had not strength of mind to meet the occasion. A warrant was now issued against him, on the evidence of West; and he was taken, after a long search, concealed in a chimney of his own house. He immediately confessed all he knew, and more. It appears but too probable, indeed, from the two following extracts, the one from Narcissus Luttrell's diary, and the other from Lady Russell's private notes, that Lord Howard, on the first appearance of danger, endeavoured to save his life at the expense of that of his friends :

"Ever since the first discovery of this plot, (says Narcissus Luttrell,) there have been dis

courses of a peer's coming in to discover the same, which now proves to be the Lord Howard."

Note, endorsed by Lady Russell:-" This was said before (by?) the Lady Chaworth.'

1

"There having run a story of a letter, without a name, writ to the King, promising a discovery against Lord Russell, which some said was Lord Huntingdon's, some Lord Essex's, Lord Howard and his wife being here on Sunday last, à lady coming in, whispered me in the ear, that here was the Lord that now they said had written the said letter to His Majesty. I whispered to her again, and asked her whether she would give me leave to tell him. She answered, Aye, if you will, when I am gone, without naming me. After which, she and all the rest of the company being gone, except Lord Howard and his lady, who staid for their coach, I said to my lord and his wife, My Lord, they say now that you are the person that writ the nameless letter to the King. To which he replied, My Lord of Essex, as much as I; and I, as much as my Lord of Essex. May my Lord Russell, and all innocent men, live till I accuse them!"

Hampden and Lord Russell were imprisoned upon Lord Howard's information; and, four

days afterwards, Lord Russell was brought to trial: but, in order to possess the public mind with a sense of the blackness of the plot, Walcot, Hone, and Rouse were first brought to trial, and condemned, upon the evidence of Keeling, Lee, and West, of a design to assassinate the King.

A circumstance of more melancholy interest, but also tending to produce an impression unfavourable to Lord Russell, happened on the very morning of his trial. We have seen that Lord Essex staid in his own house, without any apparent uneasiness, from an apprehension that his flight would be injurious to his friend. An order was now given for his arrest, on the information of Lord Howard. A party of horse was sent to bring him up from his house at Cassiobury. He was at first in some disorder, but soon recovered himself. When he came before the council, however, he was in much confusion. He was sent to the Tower, and there fell under a great depression of spirits. He sent, by his servant, a very melancholy message to his wife: that what he was charged with was true; that he was sorry he had ruined her and her children; and that he had sent to Lord Clarendon, who had married his sister, to speak freely to him, She immediately sent back to him, to beg that he would not think of her or her children, but only study to support his own spirits; and de

sired him to say nothing to Lord Clarendon, nor to any one else, till she should come to him, which she hoped to get leave to do in a day or two. Lord Clarendon came to him upon his message, but he turned the matter off, as if he only wished to explain something he had said before the council. Lord Clarendon was satisfied that he had nothing farther to communicate.⚫ After this he sent another message to his wife, that he was much calmer, especially when he found how she took his condition to heart, without seeming concerned for herself. The condition of his friend, Lord Russell, seems to have pressed heavily on his mind. He sent to the Earl of Bedford to say, he was more concerned for his son's condition than even Lord Bedford himself. And Lord Russell, when he looked towards Lord Essex's window, had observed him retire immediately into his room.

On the morning appointed for Lord Russell's trial, his servant Bommeny (as he asserted), thinking he staid longer in his room than ordinary, looked through the key-hole, and there saw him lying dead. He said that, upon breaking open the door, he found his master with his throat cut, quite dead. At the time, it was universally supposed that Lord Essex was the author

* Burnet.

of his own death; but this opinion was afterwards rendered doubtful, by the deposition of two children of thirteen years of age, totally unknown to each other, who declared that they saw a bloody razor thrown out of the window of Lord Essex's chamber. Braddon, who gave currency to these reports, was tried and convicted as a spreader of false news. After the Revolution, a Committee of the House of Lords, consisting of Lord Bedford, Lord Devonshire, Lord Delamere, and Lord Monmouth, was named, to enquire into the death of Lord Essex. They examined above sixty witnesses; but Lord Devonshire, Lord Delamere, and Lord Monmouth, being obliged to leave London on public business, the investigation was suspended, and Parliament being soon afterwards dissolved, it was never resumed. Some time before this, however, Lady Essex had called a meeting of her relations, at which Lord Bedford, Lord Devonshire, and Bishop Burnet were present; at which she declared she believed Lord Essex had killed himself, and desired the business might be let fall.* The depositions taken before the Lords are not to be found; it would be idle, therefore, at the present time, to pretend to give any opinion on the subject; and I should say

* Diary of Henry Earl of Clarendon.