selection from which could not fail of being entertaining and useful to the public, as Dr. Kippis has intimated in the Biographia". It is not improbable, indeed, that the earl might be enabled to figure in some future edition of this work as a poet; since the following extract clearly shows that he had been a composer of love-verses. It occurs in a letter from William Browne to the earl of Shrewsbury, dated September 18, 16028. "I send your lordship here inclosed some verses compounded by Mr. Secretary, who gott Hales to frame a ditty unto itt. The occasion was, as I hear, that the young lady of Darby wearing about her neck, in her bosom, a picture which was in a dainty tablet; the queen, espying itt, asked what fyne jewell that was? The lady Darby was curious to excuse the shewing of itt; butt the queen wold have itt; and opening itt, and fynding itt to be Mr. Secretarye's, snatcht itt away, and tyed itt uppon her shoe, and walked long with itt there; then she tooke itt thence, and pinned itt on her elbow, and wore itt some tyme there also: which Mr. Secretary being told of, made these verses, and had Hales to sing them in her chamber. It was told her majesty that Mr. Secretary had rare musick and songs. She would needes hear them and so this ditty was soung which you see first. 7 Vol. iii. p. 412. 8 • Lodge's Illustrations, vol. iii. p. 146. 9 Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Edward earl of Oxford, and wife of William earl of Darby. Chalmers' Apology, p. 38. written. More verses there be lykewyse, whereof som, or all, were lykewyse soung. I do boldly send these things to your lordship, which I wold not do to any els, for I heare they are very secrett. Some of the verses argew that he repynes not, thoghe her majesty please to grace others; and contents himself with the favour he hath." In Harl. MS. 1875, is the copy of a long letter from lord Salisbury to sir Charles Cornwallis, which affords an interesting extract, as it differs from most of our historians, in ascribing the discovery of the gunpowder lot to the ministry more than to the king. "Sir Charles Cornwallis, It hath pleased God out of his singular goodnes, to bring to light the most cruell and detestable practise against the person of his majestie and the whole state of his realme that ever was conceived by the hart of man, at any tyme or in any place whatsoever. The plott beinge to take away at one instant, the king, queene, prince, nobilitie, cleargie, judges, and the principall gentlemen of this realme, as they should have bene altogether assembled at the parliament howse in Westminster, the fifth of November, beinge Tuesday. "About eight dayes before the parliament should have ben begunne, the lord Mounteagle received a lettre about six a clock at night, which was delivered his footeman in the dark, to geve him, without name or date, and in a hand disguised (whereof I send you a coppie), the rather to make you perceave to what a streight I was driven, assoone as he imparted the same unto me, how to governe myself, considering the contents and phrase of that letter. For when I observed the generality of the advertisement, and the stile, I could not well distinguish whether it were frenzie or sport: for from any serious ground I could hardlie be induced to beleeve that it proceeded, from many reasons. "First, because noe wise man could thinke my lord to be soe weake as to take any alarum to absent himself from parliament, upon such a loose advertisement. "Secondly, I considered that if any such thing were really intended, that it was very improbable that onelie one nobleman should be warned and none other. "Nevertheless, being loath to trust my owne judment alone, being alwayes inclyned to doe too much in such a case as this is, I imparted the lettre to the earle of Suffolk lord chamberlaine, to the end I might receave his opinion. Whereupon, perusinge the wordes of the lettre, and observinge the writeing, that the blowe should come without knowledge whoe had hurte them;' wee both conceived that it could not bee more proper than the tyme of parliament, nor by any other way like to be attempted, then with powder, whilst the king was sittinge in the assembly. Of which the lord chamblaine [conceived] the more probability, because there was a greate vault under the said chamber, which was never used for any thing but for some wood and cole, belonginge to the keeper of the old palace. "In which consideration, after wee had imparted the same to the lord admirall, the earle of Worcester, and the earle of Northampton, and some others; wee all thought fitt to forbeare to impart it to the king, untill some three or four dayes before the session: at which tyme wee shewed his majestie the lettre, rather as a thing wee would not conceale, because it was of such a nature; then any way perswading him to geve any further credite to it, untill the place had bene visited. Whereupon his majestie (whoe hath a naturall habite to contemne all false feares, and a judgment soe strong as never to doubt any thing which is not well warranted by reason) concurred onely thus farre with us that, seeing such a matter was possible, that should bee done which might prevent all danger, or ells nothing at all. "Hereupon it was moved, that till the night before his cominge, nothinge should be done to interrupt any purpose of theirs that had such divellish practice, but rather to suffer them to goe on till the eve of the daye." The narrative proceeds to state, that for the better effecting of the discovery, sir Thomas Knevett was appointed to examine the suspected place, under a pretext of searching for stolen goods; and going about midnight, detected Johnson newly come out of the vault, and seized him. Sir Thomas then proceeded in his scrutiny; and having removed a quantity of wood, discovered the barrels of powder. The above letter is dated" from the courte at Whitehall, November 9, 1605." There is a letter of much interest from sir Robert Cecil to sir John Harington in Nugæ Antiquæ, vol. i. which contains this striking observation, "that a courtier has a hard task to prove his honesty, and yet not spoil his fortune."] HENRY HOWARD, EARL OF NORTHAMPTON, YOUNGER Son of the famous earl of Surrey *, was said to be "the learnedest amongst the nobility, and the most noble amongst the learned." To these advantages of birth and education, were added the dignities of earl, knight of the garter, lord warden of the Cinqueports, governor of Dover castle (where he was buried3), one of the commissioners for the office of earl marshal, lord privy-seal, high steward of Oxford, and chancellor of Cambridge. He added himself the still nobler title of founder of three hospitals, at Greenwich in Kent, at Clun in Shropshire, and at Castle-rising [And brother to Thomas duke of Norfolk, who lost his life for his attachment to Mary queen of Scots. See vol. i. p. 323.] He died at the palace he had built at Charing-cross, now Northumberland-house; supposed to be raised with Spanish gold. Harris's Life of James I. p. 145. He gave the design for Audley Inn. Lloyd's Worthies, p. 780. [Nicholas Stone, master-mason to king James the first, agreed with Mr. Griffin to make a tomb for my lord of Northampton, and to set it in Dover-castle, "for the which," said he, "I had five hundred pounds well paid." Anecd. of Painting, vol. ii. p. 25.] |