Fitzwilliam
hurried home with his letters and his news. Things were now serious.
Hawkins could act no further on his own responsibility. He consulted
Cecil. Cecil consulted the Queen, and it was agreed that the practice,
as it was called, should be carried further. It might lead to the
discovery of the whole secret.
Very treacherous, think some good people. Well, there are times when
one admires even treachery--
nec lex est justior ulla
Quam necis artifices arte perire sua.
King Philip was confessedly preparing to encourage an English subject in
treason to his sovereign. Was it so wrong to hoist the engineer with his
own petard? Was it wrong of Hamlet to finger the packet of Rosencrantz
and Guildenstern and rewrite his uncle's despatch? Let us have done with
cant in these matters. Mary Stuart was at Sheffield Castle in charge of
Lord Shrewsbury, and Fitzwilliam could not see her without an order from
the Crown. Shrewsbury, though loyal to Elizabeth, was notoriously well
inclined to Mary, and therefore could not be taken into confidence. In
writing to him Cecil merely said that friends of Fitzwilliam's were in
prison in Spain; that if the Queen of Scots would intercede for them,
Philip might be induced to let them go.
Pages:
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91