Page:The house of Cecil.djvu/200

 THE CECILS

England. Hitherto, misled by the slanders of Essex, with whom he had been in correspondence for some time, James had looked upon Sir Robert as an adherent of the Spanish cause. Moreover, he could not forget the death of his mother, for which he considered Cecil's father responsible. Light is thrown upon this point, as well as on the essential loyalty of Cecil, by the following letter written by the Master of Gray to James, in December, 1600.*

" Of one thing I am sorry, that your Majesty should speak so hardly of Mr. Secretary Cecil, for that you allege my Lord his father ' cuttit ' your mother's throat. I am assured your Majesty knoweth that I know more in that nor any Scottish or English living, the Queen excepted, and that for I do remember your Majesty of a note I gave you in that matter ; that the Earl of Leicester or Sir Francis Walsingham were only the cutters of her throat, and inducers of Davison to do as he did. I take on my conscience it was far from the Queen or his father's mind that she should die when she died, as I have yet some witnessing in the world. And, Sir, I assure you this, that if your Majesty shall fall again in good course with the Queen, Mr. Secretary will prove as good a friend as you have in all England. Let them inform you of him as they please, but think never to have him otherways, for he has sworn to me that if he knew to be the greatest subject that England ever bred, he shall never serve any other prince after the Queen. And I think if it were not for love and obligation, he would never endure the excess trouble he has presently, nor almost is it possible for him to serve so ' penibly,' for albeit he has a very well composed mind,

1 Hatfield MSS., X. 414. See also another letter in very similar terms, June isth, 1602 (ibid., XII. 18).

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