T 90 Desa Kasvuse of the moments wotected Abgas vogge for service in Ireland, with pile the present strength kinky try brave Genera and Count Maurice to Yoursary, there are two letters from Bow, chronicing such events as had

"

t

Food ping again to a growing determination on the

For from poople to make and maintain a good war.”

Vere.

He also gives information (p. 81) of an intention to forbid trade with Spain to their own people and to arm a certain number of ships to lie on the Spanish coast to hinder any others who might be disposed to take advantage of their abstention. Later on in the year these Dutch armed vessels, so sent forth, made a successful descent upon the Canary Islands, where they secured great booty, and took revenge on the Inquisition and the clergy there, sparing none of them (pp. 247, 301). By the year 1599, Sir Francis Vere had become, in Sir Francis Holland, à personage of great influence and authority, a position resented by other English soldiers, as, for example, Sir Thomas Knollys and Sir Henry Docwra. The former grumbles (p. 123) that Vere's "authority and maintenance from the "States" was so great and absolute since he had been appointed by them their General of all the English in the field, that he made small account of the Queen's town and government of Briel, "being wholly addicted unto the States and their pro"ceedings." Knollys had an eye on the command of Briel himself, thinking it too much for one man to be "Lord General "for the States in the field and Lord Governor of the Brill for her "Majesty." Knollys considered the latter post so desirable that he declared that, if he could but obtain it, he would then regard himself as fully recompensed for all the miseries and misfortunes he had endured by sea and land, and that he would then have cause never to cease praying for the Queen's "most flourishing "estate, and that God might number her most happy years, joyful "days and prosperous hours with the stars of heaven, the sands of "the shore and the drops of the sea." As to Docwra, the illfeeling between Vere and himself would have ended in a personal encounter (p. 363) but for the interference of the Earl of Nottingham and Sir Robert Cecil. Vere's reputation was without doubt great-" reverenced of strangers in a high degree" (p. 252), and by the English in the field, "as no living soldier more."

Of the military operations on the Rhine during the year, the amount of information is comparatively small.

Other countries, such as Russia, Sweden, Venice, Turkey, etc., yield a few papers, the nature of which the index will sufficiently show.

Coming now to England itself, and in particular to the northern parts of the country, it may be of interest to summarise the

The Councl at York.

information f

the Roan Catholice and Kevante. Th Those strenat by in Lane.shire and Yorkshire: to the plate and schemes Devised in einnexion with the besttle pleiges Immelk. Yn Geter to the lefence of the Yorkanire erat from the the the mitranding "Dan“kirkers;" and to the e netituri and proeelings of the body known as the Connell of the North.

In

The Northem suunties were then too retu te from the central governinent to be easily akinistere i encert throuch the melium of some local authority with large powers, and the necessary powers were vested in the hut is of the Fresilent and Council of the North, whose headquarters were at York. The vigour of this instrument of government seems, L. wever, to have declined after the death, in 1595. of the former Presilent, the Earl of Huntingdon, the functions of this office having teen discharged by the aged Archbishop of York until the appointment. in August, 1599, of the second Lord Burghley, Cedil's elder half-brother. January, 1599, the Northern Council reported p. 31) that, in the main, the country was in very good peace," but that many persons having "gone back" in religion, advantage had been taken of a gaol delivery held in this month to indiet a great number of them for not coming to church. The backwardness" of the northern parts incited Sir T. Posthumus Hoby to illustrate, by means of an example of one parish on the northern corner of the Yorkshire coast, the measure according to which those dangerous persons "-apparently Roman Catholic emissaries— "had mightily increased since the death of the late Lord President." It was to be feared, he continues, that a longer interim would give them the opportunity to increase daily. This "advertisement" was sent in February, but the "interim" was yet to continue for several months longer. In July, Lord Burghley was writing to his brother (p. 236), "I receive daily letters from my friends in "the North with the title of President: they go too fast, and they "from whom the titles should come, go too slow; and in the "meantime I remain as a man that dreams he is awake." Her Majesty's determination to appoint him to the post had, however, already been made known (p. 214), and towards the end of August (p. 317) the Archbishop of York was formally apprised of his discharge from the office of President and of his successor's appointment thereto. On the 1st of September, Lord Burghley,

installed at York, writes to his brother (p. 843) to tell him what had been his chief matters of concern since his arrival at the place of his charge. The two subjects which he ha I thought most necessary to be taken up were "the state of the country for "recusancy," and the condition of the country forces. An examination of the circumstances of the great riots which had occurred before his coming had also been begun, but this being a matter which had been so long forborne in cold blood, he found it difficult to "come by "any of the principals. As to the future, he confidently asserts: "I dare promise her Majesty that she "shall be obeyed either with their purses (I mean of them that "be recusants) or with their full obedience and loyalty."

Pledges at

Imprisoned in the Castle at York at this time were some sixteen Scottish of the Scottish nation, one but a child of 12 years of age, York. some of the rest, "men of action and good living," others obscure persons, all remaining there as pledges for good behaviour on the West and Middle Marches. In the previous year the laird of Cessford, in an interview with Sir William Bowes, had interested himself in the condition of these unfortunate persons, who had themselves to bear the expense of subsistence in their "strait imprisonment" and were deeply in debt to their gaoler on this account. Towards the end of 1598, Essex had received information of a scheme for their escape in which Cessford and Sir Robert Kerr were personally to take part, the intention of Cessford and Kerr being, so it was reported, to come by sea to Bridlington in order to second and further the attempt. In the meanwhile the prisoners themselves made humble petition that, "being Christians," they might not be suffered to perish (p. 17), but that they might be redeemed and delivered into their own country by bail, or that four of them might have permission to return for a time to their own neighbourhoods-the "spacious "countries "of Liddesdale and Teviotdale-there to make provision for their own support and the support of those left at York, whose lot they promised to return to share. But this prayer met with no success, and consequently, though Cessford's and Sir Robert Kerr's personal interference fell through or was laid aside, an attempt to break prison was made by the "pledges" themselves early in March, 1599. Of this attempt, and the manner in which it was frustrated, there is a lengthy and graphic account in a letter from Edward Stanhope (p. 104). The Scottish men's design

Roman
Catholics and
Recusants.

was known beforehand, and the services of an English prisoner named Canby-a" tall fellow," charged with murder-were enlisted to "feel their minds," to offer to join in the escape and become their guide, and of course to reveal their plan of operations to the authorities. Elaborate preparations were made, not to prevent the attempt to escape, but to catch the runaways in the act, and this counter-plot was, as may be supposed under the circumstances, successful. The story will bear quotation in part. It runs :

The Scottish men were so eager of their purpose, as not expecting the dead time of the night, before 9 o'clock got all together to the window where they meant to break out, being above four fathoms from the ground; which broken, they leapt freshly down one after another, to the number of 5, whereof Canby was one. But being so timely of the night, the rest of the prisoners of the Castle not being in bed made noise, so as the laird of Whitto, being behind. and other six. having broken two doors, they ran to the other side of the Castle and there leapt over the wall, where Whitto broke his leg and there he lay. When Canby, who came forth with the first company, saw them down and that no more followed that way, he gave some inkling; whereupon Mr Redhead. with those our people that were at St. George's, issued forth, and making towards them drove some of them into the water at the Castle dyke, and the others that leapt over the wall with Whitto fled up along the Castle banks. But seeing themselves beset and pursued with our men without hope of escape, and Canby (who seemed to be one of their company) ready also to apprehend him, yielded, and were all taken without any hurt doing; saving that the countrymen which were on the other side of the Castle bridge with Mr. Redmaine, hearing the noise, came in amongst them with their bills, and not knowing our company from the Scots, some of the ruder sort of them hurt one of my men in the hand and wounded one of my lord Grace's men very sore in the face. But light being then presently brought out of the Castle, all was appeased without more hurt, and these twelve false pledges undernamed brought in again and surely laid up in irons, saving Whitto who was fain to be brought into the Castle of one of our men's backs of his broken leg beneath the knee.

The present volume affords some illustration of the circumstances that attended the situation of the Roman Catholic and Recusant, such as inhabited the northern counties chiefly, but also of other parts. On p. 153 will be found a letter from Ferne, the Secretary of the Council of the North, detailing how an attempt, made apparently at Cecil's direction and without the knowledge of the Archbishop of York, to surprise a gathering of Roman Catholics at a house near York, where Campion once "kenelled,” had to be deferred in consequence of "the act of God":

For all things were ready, the guide was come disguised, with a certain knowledge that they were all at the house and would be there all the night of the third of May (celebrated by them as the Invention of the Cross); when there fell a very great rain all the night and up to nine the next morning, whereby the Esk, which runs at the foot of the cliff on which the house stands, was so swelled that the men who should take the house could not have passed over, but would have been drowned. And all agree that unless the river can be forded, none coming from York can take the orchard which adjoins the house and the river. And if the river and orchard be not taken, those within can escape by their conveyances in