Phelippes had an agent, William Sterrell, alias Saint Main (see directions to him, pp. 79, 182), whom he made use of seemingly for his own private purposes rather than the service of the Government, as none of Sterrell's reports bear tokens of having passed into the hands of Cecil or Essex. They are full of circumstantial details on foreign politics, so far as these relate to England, especially to the treatment of Catholics here, and the plots for securing the succession of the Crown to some one or other of the numerous Catholic competitors. They also supply much information about the proceedings in Flanders, Spain, and Rome, of the leading English fugitives who had fled their country for the sake of their religion, or had been banished on account of their implication in the conspiracies in favour of Mary Queen of Scots. Among these may be named the Earl of Westmoreland, Lord Dacres of the North, Charles Paget, brother of Lord Paget, Sir William Stanley, of the house of Derby, Cardinal Allen, and the Jesuits Parsons, Owen, Holt, Baldwin, &c. (see pp. 81, 118, 160, 183, 206, 217, 222, 225, 227, 234, 302). Again, all letters in cipher intercepted, which fell into the hands of government, were transmitted to Phelippes, and few indeed were the instances in which he failed to read them, and thus to reveal plots and designs which would otherwise have been safe in the keeping of the mystic symbols in which they were concealed (pp. 241, 244).

The volume also contains some important papers relative to the state of religion. In the northern parts of England, and down as far as Lancashire, Cheshire, and Derbyshire, the recusants were very numerous. In some places the churches were so little frequented that the clergy refrained from preaching for lack of auditors

(pp. 158, 173, 174). In other cases those recusants who, to avoid the heavy fines incurred by absence, resorted occasionally to church, stopped their ears with wool, lest they should hear (p. 159). Proclamations against them were issued and neglected, and commissions granted, and coldly executed, because some of the justices of the peace and influential gentlemen were among the offenders (pp. 158, 169). The Council, thinking that too great leniency had been shown, sent orders to the North for the more obstinate recusants of the better class to be placed under restraint, living at their own cost in the houses of "discreet persons of ability and good disposition in religion," and only allowed intercourse with those "meet to "reform them by teaching" (p. 253).

66

The persons considered most dangerous were gentlemen of property who were secret Papists, and also the wives of gentlemen, themselves outwardly conforming, who entertained priests, relieved those who were in prison for religion, and had masses said privately in their houses. These instances became so numerous that it was at length found necessary to exact fines from the husband for the recusancy of the wife (pp. 288, 328, 454). As to their children, those parents who had the means generally succeeded in eluding prohibitions and restrictions, and in conveying them abroad to St. Omer, Douay, Rheims, Rome, and Valladolid, where were seminaries, supported partly by the contributions of the parents, and partly by Catholics abroad, especially the Pope and the King of Spain, in which these youths were educated; many of them became priests, and when sufficiently trained, were sent back to England, disguised as sailors, soldiers, or merchants, and landed at obscure places to avoid detection. Thence they spread themselves over the

country, lodged at the houses of Catholics, and there exercised their religious functions, and propagated their doctrines, at the risk of liberty and life (pp. 258, 388, 389, 392). The most important papers relating to the government proceedings against recusants, exclusive of those already alluded to, will be found on pp. 290, 328, 338, 341, 408, 454. There is also a noteworthy paper on the other side of the subject, an address of Cardinal Allen to the Roman Catholics in England, sympathising in their persecutions and regulating their proceedings. (Pp. 291, 293.)

The rooted dislike of the Queen, though now advancing in age, to settle the succession of the Crown was very prejudicial to her own interest and that of the country, as it fostered the ambitious hopes of those Catholic princes who conceived themselves to have some hereditary claim to the throne of England. These were the King of Spain and Duke of Parma (pp. 206, 302, 520, 533, 534), but from the well-known hostility of the majority of Englishmen, and even of English Catholics to a foreign rule, the more popular projects were in favour of English Catholics related to the Royal Family. It was proposed to marry Lady Arabella Stuart to the son of the Duke of Parma, and raise them to the throne (pp. 99, 117, 209, 244), or to tempt Lord Strange, a descendant of Mary, Duchess. of Suffolk, sister of Henry VIII., to assert a claim. Nor were the aspirants always willing to remain quiet till the throne should become vacant. Another result of this policy, therefore, was danger to the Queen's own person. Had she boldly declared in favour of the King of Scots, he would have been spared the pitiful duplicity with which he attempted to conciliate alike Catholic and Puritan, by professing secret inclination to their respective tenets,

and she would probably have been less the subject of perpetual designs against her life, for had the Catholic party expected a Protestant successor, they would have had no advantage to reap by getting rid of the Protestant Queen. Projects for her destruction, by the dagger or poison, abound in the pages of this volume, and they culminated in the plot laid by Dr. Lopez, a Portuguese Jew, and her own physician, which had well nigh been consummated, and of which very full details are here to be found.

Amongst other points of interest may be named the trial of Sir John Perrott, on no more serious proved charge than impatient and petulant words against the Queen's attempt to exercise what he thought undue control over his proceedings as Lord Deputy of Ireland (pp. 1, 8, 103, 163, 167, 170, 171, 259). Letters and papers of or relating to Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins, the Earl of Essex, Francis Bacon, Lord Burleigh, William Camden, &c., also several of local and commercial interest, as of a report of the ancient right of way for barges on the river Lea (pp. 499, 502); a detailed account of the quantities of tin wrought and shipped yearly from London or the outports; papers relating to foreign travel, &c. (pp. 353, 356, 383); but for further enumeration we refer to the Index of the Volume itself.

100, Gower Street,

December 18, 1867.

M. A. E. G.

DOMESTIC PAPERS.

QUEEN ELIZABETH.

1591. Jan. 1.

Jan 3. Gatehouse.

Jan. 3.

Jan. 4. Richmond.

Jan. 7.

Jan. 8.

Jan. 9.

VOL CCXXXVIII. JANUARY-MAY, 1591.

1. Mons. Moucheron to [Lord Burghley?]. Relative to the compensation he received from Sir John Hawkins and Sir Martin Frobisher, in consideration of his losses. [French, damaged.]

2. Richard Galway to the Privy Council. The reason of his keeping his master's secrets in this matter of Sir John Perrot against Her Majesty is, that his master has maintained him in the clerkship of St. Patrick's, Dublin, which though only worth 51. a year, is all his living. Prays to be sent for, that he may confess a weighty matter which he did in his master's great offence, by his command. Begs to be maintained in his office, and speedily discharged.

3. [Simon] Furner to Lord Burghley. The French ambassador wants 40,000 lbs. of powder from Her Majesty's stores; if this be supplied, will engage to refurnish it to the Tower within six weeks, or will deliver 10,000 lbs. to the ambassador, so that only 30,000 lbs. will be wanted from the Tower, which shall be supplied in 12 weeks. With notes [by Burghley], in reply, accepting the latter proposition.

4. Commission to Lord Treasurer Burghley, Lord Cobham Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Sir Thos. Scott, Sir Moyle Finch, Sir Henry Palmer, Sir John Hawkins, Sir. Thos. Wilford, Sir Thos. Flood, and 18 others, to carry on the works at Dover harbour. [Abstract. 91 pages.]

5. Estimate of the charge of paying off the pinnace Moon, which has served in the Narrow Seas, and is now at Chatham to be trimmed; total, 2061. Also for paying off the Answer, which is now to be discharged, and the Quittance to be appointed in her place; total, 554l. 18s. 6d.

6. Pass by Don Franco. de Gusman, Marques de Ayamont, for Thomas Wilson, one of the soldiers in Portugal in 1589, to embark for England, with the King's licence. [Spanish.]

7. The Queen to the Lord Lieutenant of cos. Oxon and Berks. Requires him to levy 200 men in each county, and have them furnished and put in readiness, to repair to such port, and at such time as her Council shall signity, to be sent to France to aid the French King against the King of Spain, who has lately sent ships of war, and taken possession of certain places not far distant