Jfarbarl:J-"ltm, giventoSirThomasLuciehiakeeperforhisfee,andinwyne bestowedonhimwhenuhebroughtuaabucke,1 :u.6tl."(Chamberlain' Accounts,Stratford-upon-Avon,16Jz.) 6oShakespeare'sWarwickshireContemporaries thedisputeregardingacoalmineownedbysome Coventry men. On thesth of July,I62S, a demiseof property was drawnupbyHenryLordWorleyandMonteagle, Richard Catesby,W alterStafford,andAnthonyPen-ruddock toSirThomasLucyof CharlecoteandJohn Penruddock assureties. On the19thof October,I6JS,BishopWrightof Coventry andLichfield invited the sheriff,Sir Thomas Puckering, Sir Thomas Lucy, and Mr. William Purefoy to meethimat Coventry about martial affilirs. InApril,1639,anindenturewassignedbetween SirThomasLeigh,SirThomasHolt,SirThomas Lucy, and William Boughton, deputy-lieutenants of the county ofWarwick, with Lieutenant Moses Tresinell to conduct twohundred andthirtymennewlypressedin the countyto Selby,Yorkshire.. On the 24th ofFebruary, 163 9-40, letters of attorney werewrittenby Sir Thomas Lucy and Richard Catesby of Drury-lane,toWilliam EwerandUrsulaCatesby againstSirWilliamSaundersandotherstorecover money due.These entries arefromState Papers.The last noticeistouching to read.On the25th of March, 164o,Sir Thomas writes :-Ihavereceivedcommandment fromthe Counciltogivemy personal attendanceforsomereasonstobecommunicatedto meat my comingup.The truthisforthis tenweeksIhave beensoindisposedthatIhavescarcelypeepedoutofmy chamber, anda short journey of fourmilesonMondaylastto Warwick completelydistemperedme,sothatIfind,without muchdanger,Ishallnotbeableto enduresolongajourney. Iprayyou,therefore,if occasionbeofferedtomovetheBoard that I may be dispensedwithuntilI may undertakethe journey withprobablesafety;butif Imustcome,itisfit,thoughI hadahundredlives,Ishouldhazardthemalltotestifymy obedience. He diedonthe1oth of December,1640. SirThomasL#cytheThird61 Onthe3rdofJanuary,I 64-o-41,fromRagley, FulkeReedwroteto Edward ViscountConway : Though it beconceived somewhat earlyto sendtoChalcot aboutwhatyoucommandedme,therebeingaheavyhouse, andthefuneralnotyetfinished,yetIsentMr.Prescot,a friend,to knowwhat purposethereisfordisposingof suchof SirThomasLucy'sestatesyourlordshipisdesiroustodeal with. TheentryintheRegisterrunsthus :-"Dominus ThomasLucyplacidedormivetinChristo,IOdie Decembris, et summo cumhonore sepultusfuit20 die Januarij,1640.AnnoRegisCaroli xvj." Sir Thomas married aboutI 6 I o (see funeralsermon) Alice,only daughterandheirof ThomasSpencer,of Claverdon,and granddaughter of SirJohnSpencer, of Althorpe,Northamptonshire,by whomhehadalarge family.ThesonswereSpencer,Robert,Richard, Thomas, William, George, and Fulke.Ofthe daughters, Constance married Sir William Spencer, ofYarnton, and afterwards Sir Edward Smith; Margaret died unmarried (seeherepitaphinlastchapter); BridgetmarriedSir Bryan Broughton; Anne, SirWilliamUnderhill; Mary, Sir Matthew Herbert; and Elizabeth,Sir John Walcot. There was also a Theophila, born I 63 2, and buried 16 3 8 ; andanElizabeth, bornI633Fulke wasborninI6Jo, andWilliamwasburied inI631. Sir ThomasLucy'swillisinSomersetHouse.It hadbeendrawnuponthe2othof September,1639 Inorder"toadvancehiswifeDameAlice, andhis children,heleavestoher,"all thosemypasturesand groundsinclosed,commonlyknownbythenameof FulbrookGroundsorFulbrookeParke,withappur-tenances"forherlife,andafterher,firsttoSpencer Lucy,second toRobertLucy,thirdtoRichardLucy, fourthto Thomas Lucy, fifthto GeorgeLucy, sixthto Fulke Lucy. ' .. ) 62Shakespeare'sWarwickshireCo11temporaries "AllthelandsbelongingtoFulbrooke,andnot withintheParke,latelyimpaled,shallbeliablefor annuities.Tomy~friend,Mr.JamesPrescott ...thathemay beassistantto my wifeandf.unily intheir needs, anannuity of 40/.....Igive to Mr. Franchin, whoisbeyondtheseaswithmysons,if he bringthemsafehomeagain,anannuityof30l.to himself andhisassignsfor three-score yeares.To my servant Launcelot Granger an annuity of 20 marks for life,I 3/.6s.8d.To my servant WilliamLawrence the living hedwellethinatHampton for three-score years. TomyservantWilliamMatthewsthelivingin Hamptonhenow.dwellsinforthree-scoreyears.To my servantRobertWoottenthe living he now holds at Hamptonand40s.withinthreemonths.To allmy servantsdouble wages. "IbequeathtomydearwifeAliceallherjewels andplate,andtheuseof allthehouseholdstuffin Charlecote,tobethereusedandnotelsewhere,and after to such of my sonnes asthehouseshallfallunto. Ibequeathtomyworthycosen,Mr.JohnHales, a diamondringof fiftypoundsprice,whichIwould intreate him to weare in my remembrance, and one ofmy bestmaresheshallchoose.To mymostdearbrother Sir RichardLucy mybay amblinghorse andone other of my maresheshall best like.""To Susanna Clarke, the wifeof ThomasClarke,immediately ondeceaseof Thomas, forthree-score years, the living nowintenure ofThomasClarkeinHampton.""Tomyloving brother,Dr.LucymygrayBarbaryamblinghorse." "Therestof mygoodsIleavetomydearwife,to For a shorttime after IreadthewillofSirThomasIhopedthatImisbt findthebelovedJohnHatesthesameaathe"ever-memorable" JohnHalea, of Eton,whoappreciatedShakespeare ;forBoa1e,inhisOxfordRqi1trn,gives only two "JohnHalea"inthe century, both of Warwicluhire,Armig.ButIfear Boaaeiawrong,asWoodonly 1peaks of the JohnHaleaof Somerset,of the same colleges anddate1.The Combes and the Lucysalikehadweddedmernben of the Hales family.ButIcannotprovetheone pointIstarted to investigate. SirThomasLltcytheThird distributeamongmychildrenatherdiscretion,my debtsandfuneralexpensesbeingpaid.OnlyIbe-queathtoSpencerLucy allthestuff inthehouseof HighCleere,inHampshire,andthosetwohorses calledtheHobby and Mingnon, with two colts and two mares.To mysonRichardmybookesat Charlecote andtwosuchof my greathorseshe shall like.To my sonRobertallmyhouseholdstuffinmyhouseof Sutton in Worcester.Inominatemymost dearewife, the Lady AliceLucy,my worthy kinsmanandfriend, Mr. JohnHales,of thePriory, inCoventry, andmy approved and loving friend,Mr. James Prescott, execu-tors, andIgiveunto every of themfortheir care 40/.., ThiswasprovedbyDameAliceLucy,JohnHales, andJames Prescot onthe 18thFebruary, 164o-41.At themarginisnoted,"Receivedthis29thdayof August, 1 6 57, theoriginall willof the saydSir Thomas Lucy deceased,byme,RichardLucy, Esq., sonof the saiddeceased,and oneof theexecutorsof the willof Dame AliceLucy,relict, andoneof theexecutorsof thesaid ThomasLucy."Ihavenotbeenabletofind theInquisitionPost-mortemattheLondonPublic Record Office.It is probably in Warwick or Worcester. His funeralsermon waspreachedinI640 by Robert Harris,B. D.,pastoroftheChurchofHanwell, Oxon.,printed164 I, anddedicatedto"thehonour-ableandvirtuousLadyLucieof Charlcot."It is entitled"Abner'sFunerall,"andconsistsofafar-fetched parallel between the death of Abner and David's mourning andthe deathof Sir Thomas Lucy, mourned byhiscountry.Wecannotexplaintheconnection fullynow,butwecannotesomespecialphrasesin relationto Sir ThomasLucy."I havemyhands and There wasa JohnHarria,who badbeenappointedtothelivingofCberiton bySir Tboma1Lucy,who haddiedthissameyear.Hisexec:utonoppointedin hisplaceChriltopher Smith.(SeeDugdale's "Warwickshire," p.589.)Probably tbit llobert waahisbrother, aadintereated in thatwayin the family. 64Shakespeare'sWarwid:sbire heart full with our present instance.Our friend Lazarus sleepes, and wecannot wakehim.In this one bottom we have all our interests and sufFer a wrecke.A noble lady hathlost,notanhusband(assheesaith),buta father.Manychildrenhavelost,notafather,buta counsellor.Anhouseholdhave lost, not amaster, but aphysitianwhomade (asI am informed) their sickness his,andhisphysickandcosttheirs.Townesfullof .tenants have lost a landlord that could both protect and direct themin their owne way.The wholeneighbour-hood havelost a light, the countie a leader, the country apatriot,towhomhewasnotwanting,tillhewas wanting to himselfe, inhis formervigour and health." Hismourningwiferaisedanobletomb for him, in whichhiseffigyisrepresentedhalf reclining.Inthe backgroundtotherightareshelvesof books,tothe leftthe representationof abarn, ariver, andagentle-manonhorseback, probably meantto illustratehistwo chief tastesof readingandriding.Theepitaphisin Latin,andsoundsverylikethefuneralsermon.A contemporary translationwasprinted. Sir ThomasLucye,Knight,oneof thiscountie'sgreatest glories.Anextractof amostAntientFamilie.Butadis-esteemerof Birthinrespectof worth.Wherinbeeoutshone thebrightestofhisnobleancestors.Asingularandmuch honored Patriot.Witness the supreme Court of the Kingdom, whitherhewasfrequentlysentbytheunanimousand fervent suffi-ages of hisendearedcountrie.His great estatenone could eitherbettermanageorbelessservantto.WhatFrugalitie laidupLiberalitieandMagnificencelaidout.Aloyalcon-sort,anumerousoffSpring,andgreatabundanceof Attendants wereneverblessedwithabetter governor.His servants' siclc-nessewashisSympathie,andtheir Recoverie hiscost.Beeing thusafatherinamastertowardshisservants,whatmustbee beeinafathertowardhismostloveliechildren,andina Husbandtowardhis well-belovedLadie?To his Table (which wasalwayschoislysumptuous)allgoodmenwereevermost SirThomasLucytheThird welcum ;especiallyifProfessorofeitherSacredorSecular Learning.Wherein,thoughheweresorareproficientthat heewas accountedaLivingLibrarie, yetwasheeuncessantly actedwithanimpetuousdesireafteragreaterheight.His gatewasnolesspropitioustothePoor;whosevaledictionto itwasaBenediction,theirfarewelanheartiePraierforthe master'swelfare.Maniepoorelaborersheedailyemployed, chie8ythat they might notby doing nothing learn to doworse. Mapieneighbor-towns heeyearly refreshed, sending unto them delightfulprovision.The greatHorsewashisgreatdelight. Manie hehad, as generous and elegant asaniewere ;which hee frequentlybackedwithasmuchskillasaniecould.Hadbee notbetterknowntomoderate'hisHorsethenHimself(for fromhisDelight .arosehisdisease),heinwhomhisFamilie, Friends,Countie,Countrieweresohappieandthenwhom nonewasmorehappieronearth,hadnotyetbeenmost happieinheaven.Our happinessset,andhisarose,Dec.8, 1640, inthes6 yeerof hisage. Thisquainttranslationisproducedonbroad black-bordered paper--one ofthe earliest examples ofthat sign of mourning that I have noted-and occurs on signature H2of thefuneralsermonof theLadyAlice,which waspreachedonAugustI 7th,1 648,printedinI 649 byMr.ThomasDugard,*anddedicatedtoMessrs. "Spencer, Robert, Richard, Thomas, Fulk Lucie, and to theLadieConstanceSpencer,Mrs.BrigetBroughton, Mrs.Marie,Mrs.Alice,Mrs.ElizabethLucie,the remainsof thatHonourablePair."Thesermonisa generaloneupon"Deathandthegrave," closed by a special notice :-"Wee use to say to them that commmg fromLondonbringnonewswiththemtheydeserveto hee sent haclc again."Many havesaid of her noblehus-band's epitaph,"It is true allthat is said of him, everie word.""Muchmoremighthavebeensaid thereof In the Warwicluhire Viaitation, 168:t, the Rn. ThomaaDusard1of Barford, waaamonstheDiac:laimen, oroneof thoaenot entitledto bear arm1.Thiaap-pean in SirThomaa Phillippa' manuac:ript note1 at the end of hia index to viaitationa, f.7' F 66Sbalcespeare'sWarwickshireCo11temporaries him,but specially of her.But suchwas her modestie, that although inthatmagnificentmonument whichshe erected forhimshe causedherself to bee layed byhim infullproportion, yet shee would not suJFer her epitaph tobear anieproportionwithhis.Sheconceivedthe mostthatcouldbesaid of himtoo little, and the least thatcouldbeesaidof hertoomuch."She was"a good wifeforthirty years." Her epitaph was added also in Latin, and this is trans-latedintheblack-borderedsheetattheendof Dugard's sermon as-AndLadyAlicehiswife, daughter andheirtoThomasSpencer,of Claverdon,Esquire, whoseexquisitevirtues areforbiddenbyher excessive modestie to appear inthismarble.Norcantheybecomprehendedin it.Shepermittethnomorethanthis :thatsheewasmost observant of her dearesthusbandwhile hee lived ;batherected thismonumentforhimbeingdead;andthroughloveand lamentationisherself (as you see)becomemarble. Wemustwithherdosethenoticesof theLucys Only forlocalinternt Imay addthatinAdd.MS.Z4,ru, i aletter froma LadyLucy .CCharlccote, Z.f.th March,1746,to ThomaWottonaboutthepedi-gree, which she noteaat Dugdale does.The private letter accompanying it s a y s ~ "My dear nep!Iew Thereitnopedigreepreservedinyefamily.Ye bnt accountIknowof yefamilyiin yeBaronetage,butittaknnonoticeofthe CharlecoteArm.,nor didIeverhear .whattheywere.Youknowthepreaent Baronet, Sir BerkeleyLucy,i acollateralbranch, andinhimyetitlewillbeu-tinct.Ye presentMr.Lacyiayeonlyheirmaleremainingytthatiadirectly deacendedfromye latt Sir Thoma., towhomheigreatgrandton,aayourfriend o!Menn.Spencerleftnoi11ue.Robertyenutbrotherleftonlyadaughter Bridset, yt marryedLordMoUineu:r, father to yepreiCDtLord; ahemarriedto her 1econdhuaband,LordArundelofWardour.IUchardyenutbrothermarried Eliubeth daughter of Thomaa Urry,Eq.,andhadaaonThomuandadaughter Conatance, ytmarriedSirBu11oineof Wroxhall,greatgrandfatherto yepre.cnt SirRoger.YetonThomumarriedCatherinedaughterof Wheatley,Eaq.,of Bricknol,inBerk.,andhadonlyonedaughter.ElizabethLucymaniedlint to ClementThrockmorton,ofHaaeley,inthecountyof Warwick,andhavinsno maleiuue, the eatate devolved uponDnenport Lucy, Eaq., eldeat on of SirFoulke Lucy,(whomaniedIubella,aoledaughter and heirof JohnDavenport, Eaq.,eo. Cheater)whowaayoungeataonofSirThomat.Hewaskilledattheaicgeof Limerick in Ireland, andhi brother Gcorge aucceeded.He hadno i"ue, andthe eotate dncended to William Lucy, Prebend of Welleandrector of Hampton Lucy, a living inthe gift of the family.He died in hia house atRedLionSquare, London, SirThomasLucytheThird thatwerecontemporarywithShakespeare.Ibelieve thatIhaveshownsomereasonformyopinionthat the relationsbetweenthemandShakespeare havebeen ; misunderstood.ItwouldbestrangeindeedthatSir ;Thomas Lucy the Third, withso manykindred tastes, ishould not havebecomeacquaintedwithShakespeare ~inhislatter daysat New Place.But wedonotknow \anything about this,andimagination mustnot run riot i incritical studies of Shakespeare. February19th,17Z3-4.andwuburiedatHamptonLucywithoutmonument. He eettledhiaestateuponThomJIItheeldestaonofFulkeLucy,hiayouncest brother.He died1744.andhiaestatecametoGeorgethepreaentpo11et1or,a bachelor,andit iaentailed uponSirBerkeleyLucy, of theCutle Cary family.: (68) CHAPTER V JoHNSoMERVILLEoFEoRESTON:156o-Is8J. WEmust turnfromthebusyandprosperouslivesof the Lucys,whoseemtohavehadnoskeletonintheir cupboard, and noswordhangingbytheproverbialhair attheirfeasts,tothefortunesof anotherfamily,also ancient and honourable,whoseescutcheonwasstained withbloodinthe year thatShakespearechristenedhis firstchild.. The Somervilles were a familyofthe highest antiquity. WaiterdeSomervillecameoverwiththe Conqueror, andsettledsoonaftertheConquestatWichnour,in Staffordshire.Ayounger branchacquired theproperty of AstonSomerville,inGloucestershire,before45 Henry Ill., andonthefailureof theelderbranchof Wichnour, theybecamethe chief English familyof the name.In the time of EdwardIll. theircoatof arms bore ''Argent upon a fesse gules three Leopards' Heads Or, betweenthree Annulets of the second." ThomasSomerville,of AstonSomerville,had,in thereignof Henry VII., married Joanna, daughter and heir ofthe noble Warwickshire family ofthe Aylesburys, andsettled withheratherfamilyseatatEdrestonor Edstone,intheparishofW oottonWaweninthe hundred of Barlichway,nearBearley.Therehedied inI6Henry VII.His sonandheir,;{obert,married Maria, daughter of John Greville,of Milcote (see Harl. JohnSomerui//e MS.,xii.f.33),of. whomIhavehereaftersomething to say.Several of the familyappear a m o n ~the mem-bersof theGuildofKnowle.Robertd1edonthe 13thDecember,2.9HenryVIII.,andhissonJohn succeeded, marrying Elizabeth, the daughter of William Corbet, of Lee.Somepedigrees state that she washis firstwife,butIhavebeenunabletofindtrace of any other.TheStatePapersmentionthatshewasan invalidatthetimeof hersonJohn'sarraignmentin IS8J. JohnSomerville, the elder,died on the1st of April, 2.0Eliz., and the registers of Wootton Wawensaythat he wasburied there on April 6th, 1578.The Inquisition Post-mortemofhisgoodswastakenatWarwick, 24thMay,2.0Eliz.,beforeSirThomasLucy,Sir Fulke Greville, Edward Aglionby, Esquire, and Arthur Gregory.The jurors were Thomas Olney, gent., Christo-pher Knight, Thomas Alien, Thomas Saunders, Anthony Clements,JohnBurton,WilliamIves,RobertW este, RogerWebbe,RobertGreen,HugeriusPalmer,and John Barret. John Somerville heldEdreston or Edstone and Bere-ley,thirtymessuages,athousandandfiftyacres ;200 acresmeadow,r,ooo acrespasture, 40 acreswood,and 2.0 arable in the messuages of Edstone, W ootton Wawen, Knoll,andClaredon;onemessuageinHalford,three messuagesinLapworth,and one tenement inWydney super Bentley Heath.He hadmadeanindenture on the16thOct.,10Eliz.,withSirFulkeGreville,Sir ThomasLucy, ThomasBlount,Esq.,RalphSheldon, Esq.,GeorgeBromeley,Esq.,WilliamSheldon, jun., Esq., thathisproperty, after hisdeceaseshould remain tohiswifeElizabethuntiltheheir,JohnSomervi1le, or any other son that should become heir, should attain the age of twenty-four years ; that after the heirs male of JohnSomerville, itshould descendto theheirs male of , 70Shal:.espeare' sWarwicl:.shireContemporaries WilliamSomerville,sontoJohnSomerville,seniQr, thentotheheirsmaleof RobertSomerville, thento theheirsmaleof ThomasSomerville,sonsof John Somerville, senior,andElizabethhiswife.There was no mention in this indenture of Elizabeth and Margaret, thedaughtersalludedtointheStatePapers,yetthey surely musthavebeenbornbythat time.The Inqui-sitionnotesthat someof thepropertywasheldunder theEarl of Warwick, of the castle of Beau desert; some underRobert,Earl of Leicester; thetenementinHal-ford, of theheir of WilliamBanwell;that inLapworth of Sir WilliamCatesby; a tenement in Wootton Wawen of FrancisSmith ;thetenementsinClaredondirectly of theQueen.The Inquisition,whichissignedby Sir ThomasLucyandSirFulke Greville,statesthatthe heir,John Somerville,junior, was of the ~ eof eighteen yearsandmoreatthe dateof theInquisition. It wasa goodthing forhisfamilythathe wasnot of age,becauseit savedtheestatesfor hisbrother.. JohnSomervillehadbeeneducatedatHartHall, thenafavouriteCollegeforCatholicsinOxford.We hearn o t h i n ~of hisdoingsuntilhewasdraggedforth into thelundlightof atrialforhightreason.He married, probably soon after his father's death, Margaret, seconddaughter of Edward Arden,of Park Hall.By theHarl.MS.,xii.,f.33,weknowthathehadtwo littledaughters:Elizabeth,whoafterwardsmarried PhilipWarwick;andAlice,whomarriedanArden. Evenhadtheirfathernotbeenattainted,hislands, whichcamewitha daughter, wouldnothavegonetoa daughter, through the terms of the grandfather'sinden-ture,or entail inthe male line.By that same indenture, JohnSomerville,at thedateof hisdeath,hadnotyet becomepracticallyof age, norhadhe fully enteredinto Mr.French,inhia"Shalr.etpeareanaGau:alogica,"llfl that half of the manor of Kinpton belongedtoyoungJohnSome"ille,andathioattainderfeUtothe CrownandwaobestowedonMr.AbelGower. JohnSomeroille 71 possessionat Edreston,thoughwesee,&omtheState Papers, thathismother wasbothmentallyandbodily incapableof enjoying herprivileges. We nowadayscancalmly consider alike the heresies andtreasonsof other ages,andcanseekthecauses of both.Very complexcausesdrove John Somerville the younger tohisfate.Theactionof HenryVIII.lay at the root of all.Most of the Catholics, and even some of theProtestants,consideredElizabethillegitimate, anddisputed her right to reign, evenunder the will of a despotic father and the support of the majority of her subjects.But themajority wasuncertain.Only about a third of her subjects wereProtestantsbyconviction; another third were Catholics by faith, and the remaining third were of the religion, or no religion, ofthe strongest hand.But allpreferredpeaceto war.. "Thefirstblastof the Trumpetagainstthemon-strousregimentofwomen,"waspublishedbyJohn Knoxabroadin1558.It wasdirectedagainst "that horriblemonstre Jesabelof Englandatraitresse anda bastard."Butitincludedallwomen."To promote a womanto bear rule, superiority, dominion, or empire aboveanyrealme,nation,orcitie,isrepugnantto nature, contumely to God,a thingmostcontrarious to Hisrevealedwillandapprovedordinance, and finally itisthesubversionof goodorder,andof allequitie and justice."Though this was written againstMary,it came over intimeto greetElizabeth ;andthere isno doubt it affectedmuchof theopinionof thecountry on both sides.John Aylmer answered it in a little book, "AneHarboroweforthe faithful,andtrewesubjects, againstthelateblow neblaste,Strasburg,1 55 9"; for whichhewasafterwardsmade Bishopof London. Duringthefirsttwelveyearsof Elizabeth'sreign, whenshewasconsolidatingher position and enjoying herlife,astheCourt-Lady describesit in"Leicester's 72Shakespeare'sWaroJiclubireContemporaries Commonwealth,"thereseemstohavebeencompara-tively little activerepressionof theCatholics.But the Pope's ill-omened Bull of February, I569-70, had been translatedinto En&lish,andhadbeenfastenedonthe Bishop of London s gateontheIsthMay,I570It was practically a declaration of war.Elizabeth, advised by Burghley, wasforced to make reprisals.Elizabeth's relations to religionweremore like those of her father than those of her sister.It was the passion for Catholi-cism in Mary's heart that kindled the fires of Smithfield forherheretics ;itwasjealousyof herpoliticaland religioussupremacythatdeterminedElizabethto despatchherheretics,notbyfirebutbythetraitor's death.Anxieties abroad were kept alive by the attitude of Philip of Spain ;perplexities athome centred round the Scottish Qyeen, a prisoner in the sanctuary to which she fled. The Parliament of I58 I, in order to keep Elizabeth's subjects in due obedience,hadaddednewpenaltiesto the exercise of theRomish religion, and newterrorsto thepreachingthereof.Fines fornonconformity were increased.The penalty forsayingmasswasto betwo hundred marks; for hearing it, onehundredmarks and imprisonment.For neglecting to attend church, twenty pounds a month.Priests or persons practising to with-draw her subjectsto the Romishreligion weredeclared guilty of high treason; abettors, of misprision of treason. Newpowerswere giventothe justices of the peacein regard tocheckingrecusants.Their housesmight be searchedupontheslightestsuspicion,andthedarkest construction put on all that might be found there.Spies andinformersforthePrivy Councilwerespread over the land. Thehigh-strungreligiousfervourintheheartsof thosewhoclungtotheproscribedreligionwasonly deepenedbyfineand forfeiture.They prayedallthe JohnSomerville 73 moreearnestlyfromtheirpurgatory onearthforthe helpofMary,MotherinHeaven.Theirchivalric instinctswerestirredbythecontinuedimprisonment among themof theQyeen of Scots,a princess of their ownfaith,withstainlesspedigree,thenaturalheir-apparent,at least,to the throne of England.Without thought of treasonin any true sense the hearts of many Catholics turned to her,andtheir dreamspicturedher onher accessionreversingElizabeth'spolicyasMary Tudor had reversedher brother's. And thenElizabeth took amore severe step.Arch-bishopGrindal died in1582, blind, old, and indisgrace withhisQueenforhisincapacitytochecknoncon-formity.Torestoreunity inthe Church, the Queen appointedthesternerWhitgiftashissuccessor,and gave him powers as great nearly as those of the notorious "Inquisition."Acommissionwasappointed,with plenaryjurisdictionoverthekingdom,toreformall heresies,schisms,errors, vices,andsins,by finesand imprisonment at discretion.There were to be forty-four commissioners,of whom twelve were to be ecclesiastics. SirEdwardCokepronouncedthisinnovationascon-trary to law.(See Sir James Mackintosh's"History of England," iii.,p.288.)The Commonsmildlyremon-strated againstthetyrannical act, but Elizabeth thereby assertedherspiritual supremacy.The. Commissioners administeredoaths,dealt outfinesandimprisonments tobothPuritans and Catholics, though thelatterbore thechief brunt of the attack.The Puritans were, after all,English subjects,andhadnoforeignPopetostir themup intopolitical action (though John Knox's book on "The Monstrous Regiment of Women" wasnot out of print).But theCatholicshad a Pope; andhis emis-saries, young priests,trainedspecially abroadforsecret serviceinEngland,scorning martyrdom,swarmed throughtheland,andunderthedoakofreligious 74Shakespeare'sWarwichbireCo11remporaries guidance, oftenexciteddiscontent withasthey were,andhopesthatweredisloyaltothetrexcom-municated Queen. Inthemidstof allthis,anever-increasingcropof slanders againstthe Queen arose on account of herin-judiciouspartialityfortheEarlof Leicester,whose knowncharacter wassufficientto fosterthem.Some of this floatinggossiptook shapeina letter purporting to be written by a Cambridge student to a friend, which, in1584,wasexpandedandpublishedas"Leicester's Commonwealth,"popularlycalled"FatherParsons' Greenbacks ..(fromthecolourof itsbindingandthe leaf edging). It openly speaks of Leicester's low origin, his vicious life, his frequent poisonings, andhim ch.aine_d bear,whohadclawsthatcanpterceandhtsbttets cureless."The Queen wasindignant at its appearance, andtheLordsof theCouncil sent areprimandto the justicesof thepeaceforLancashireandCheshirefor allowingsuchabooktocirculate,"boththeQueen andtheyknowing the Earl of Leicester to beperfectly clearof theaspersionsitcontains, ..2othJune,15 8 5 (see Peck's "Desiderata Curiosa,"i.,158).Sir Philip Sidney,theEarlof Leicester's . nephew,answeredthe book with greatindignation, especially against the dero-gationtothepedigree of theDudley family."Great honours it is true, came to the race by the mother, which hadbeenallowedinallAges,butthe descent through FatherPanonaalwayadenieditaauthonhipandprintedhiadenialinhi prefaceto"WamwordtoSirFranciaHaatinga Waotword."There weremany nrying manuocriptcopiea, 1omemadepouiblylongbeforethiadate.Theonly clue to an author I ban found i in one called "A Letter from a Cambridge Student to a friend in London," which iuigned "ILF." (SttePapers, Dom. Ser.Eliz., Addenda aniii.,IIJ).The bookWllltwicereprintedin1641, in 4to andinumo, andwaa publisheda1"The SecretMemoinof the Earlof Leiccst