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 i8o THE CECILS

suspicion. He was admittedly the intimate friend of Cobham, a thorough scoundrel, and he had been the confidant of his designs, even if, as seems probable, he had not countenanced or assisted in them. Cecil had suspected him of disaffection even before James came to the throne, and since then he had been deprived of his office of Captain of the Guard, and of the lucrative post of Warden of the Stannaries, and had every reason to be discontented. " Whatever may be the truth on this difficult subject," says Gardiner, " there is no reason to doubt that Cecil at least acted in perfect good faith," and he easily disposes of the ridiculous theory that the whole conspiracy was a trick got up by Cecil.

The relations between the two men had pre- viously been intimate. Raleigh's letter on the death of Lady Cecil has already been quoted. Other letters at Hatfield give further proof of their friendship. " Sir Walter," writes Cecil's young son, William, " we must all exclaim and cry out because you will not come down. You being absent, we are like soldiers that when their Captain is absent they know not what to do : you are so busy about idle matters. Sir Walter, I will be plain with you. I pray you leave all idle matters and come down to us." a

Moreover, for the past two or three years Cecil had been a partner with Raleigh and Cobham in various privateering enterprises,

1 1600 (Hatfield MSS., X. 459). Cecil lent Raleigh ^4,000 in 1602, but, perhaps, this is not a sign of friendship.

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