Page:The house of Cecil.djvu/65

 WILLIAM, LORD BURGHLEY 49

sible purpose was to convey Anne of Austria from Flanders to Spain, produced a panic in London ; and one day in July the Queen was in such a state of alarm and excitement that Cecil, on retiring to his own apartment, cried to his wife in deep distress, " O wife ! If God do not help us, we shall be lost and undone. Get together all the jewels and money you can, that you may follow me when the time comes, for surely trouble is in store for us." l Spain, however, was not ready to fight and the danger passed away.

Next year Cecil's misplaced leniency towards Norfolk was repaid by his participation in the Ridolfi plot. This villainous conspiracy involved the conquest of England by Spain, the assassina- tion of Elizabeth and her great ministers, and the elevation of Mary to the throne with Norfolk as her consort. Cecil soon got wind of the scheme, and with infinite patience and skill unravelled it until he had sufficient evidence on which to work. He then struck hard. The Duke of Norfolk was sent to the Tower, other conspirators arrested, and the Spanish Ambassador, Guerau de Spes, to his unspeakable indignation and astonishment, ignominiously expelled. His opinion of Cecil, as expressed in the report of his embassy, is worth quoting :

" The principal person in the Council is William Cecil, now Lord Burghley, a Knight of the Garter. He is a man of mean sort, but very astute, false, lying and full of

1 Spanish State Papers. Quoted by Hume, p. 248. The authority is the Spanish agent, de Guaras.

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