Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/369

 1575-1 THE SPANISH TREATY. 349 their age. An English gentleman, honourably con- nected, who had been in the service of the Viceroy of the Netherlands, could write to the first minister of his country, confessing to a burglary, offering to poison his friends who had given him shelter and wages, and ex- pecting to be admitted to the confidence of the Queen herself. Nor is this the strangest part of the story. Lord Burghley condescended to make use of this man. He did not send the poison, but he intimated that there were other ways in which his correspondent might de- serve his pardon for the affair at Wakefield ; and with this encouragement, Woodshawe wrote that he had a dear friend in de la Motte, the Governor of Gravelines, whom he described as a greedy ruffian ' that two hun- dred pounds would give courage to attempt anything : ' with de la Motte 5 s help he proposed to surprise Calais, which he had ascertained to be ' carelessly guarded.' Or failing this, he could betray his English comrades. plan was abandoned, ' if it please your Honour to send me your whole mind, whatever your Honour command me to do, if I do it not secretly and effectually, never trust man for my sake. What I have been, God for- give me my folly : but what I am, I pray God give me grace that I may do that service to the Queen's Ma- jesty and my country which my faithful heart is willing to do/ 1 1 Woodshawe to Burghley, November 30 : MSS, Flanders.
 * For my other pretence/ he wrote, when the Calais