Peril of Abortion, which her Fears might have caus'd, the falfe Afperfions caft upon her Fame and Honour, by that Occafion, were fuch as the could never digeft, and drew on all that Train of fad Accidents which afterwards enfu'd.

The Queen understanding Rizio was kill'd, wip'd her Eyes, and faid, No more Tears, I will think upon a Revenge. Accordingly fhe caus'd feveral Perfons concern'd in the Murder to be try'd, who were convicted and executed, and others were compelled to fly their Country: The King falling fick, he went to fee him, and feem'd to be reconcil'd to him; but while his Majefty lay fick at Edinburgh, Bothwell having confpir'd his Murder, came upon him in the Night, as he lay afleep, and ftrangled him.

This very Bothwell the Queen foon after married Indeed he was firft brought to a Tryal and acquitted of the Murder, no Profecutor appearing against him: But fuppofing the Story of the lafcivious Letters, which Buchanan fays pafs'd between the Queen and Bothwell in the King's Lifetime, was falfe, and admitting that he was not really the Author of the King's Murder, yet with what Decency could fhe marry the Man, who lay under fuch Imputation? a Man who was fuppos'd too to divorce his former Wife only to make way for this unhappy Match? But the found her Error in her Punishment, being driven out of her Kingdom by her own Subjects, and after a tedious Imprisonment brought to this tragical End: Indeed her heroick Behaviour, in this laft Scene of Action, ought in fome measure to obliterate the MemoFy of former Miscarriages, and must incline us to think he was not fo criminal as her Enemies would fuggeft; but on the other Side, it will hardly confift with the Integrity of an Hiftorian, when he takes upon him to give a Character, to

conceal

conceal all Defects; and tho' this is too commonly the Cafe, a judicious Reader can never be pleas'd with fuch Practice, for he can't but know that all Mankind have Failings, and to reprefent any Perfon as without, does not only difcover great Partiality, but is very unnatural.

Earl of ESSEX's Execution.

.

N the 25th of February, 1601, which was the Day appointed for his Execution, Tho mas Mountford and William Barlow, Doctors of Divinity, with Ashton, the Minister of the Church in the Tower, were fent unto him early in the Morning to administer Chriftian Confolation to his Soul. In prefence of these Men he gave Thanks to Almighty God from the Bottom of his Heart, that his Defigns, which were fo dangerous to the State, fucceeded not. He told them, he had now look'd thoroughly and ferioufly into his Sin, and was. heartily forry he had fo obftinately defended an unjuft Caufe at the Bar. He thank'd the Queen she had granted he fhould not be publickly executed, left his Mind, which was now fettled and compos'd, might be disturb'd by the Acclamations of the People, protesting that he had now learned how vain a thing the Blaft of popular Favour and Applaufe was. He acknowledg'd how worthy he was to be fpued out (thefe were his Words) by the Common-wealth, for the Wickednefs of his Enterprize, which he liken'd to a Leprofy fpread far and near, and that had infected

many.

The Queen in the mean time waver'd in her Mind. One while relenting, the fent her Commands by Sir Edward Cary that he fhould not be executed; but then remembring his perverfe Obftinacy, that he fcorn'd to ask her Pardon, and had

E 4

declar'd

declar'd openly that his Life would be the Queen's Deftruction, fhe foon after fent a fresh Command by Darcy that he fhould be put to Death.

Then he was brought forth between the Divines to a Scaffold erected within the Court-yard of the Tower: Near which fat the Earls of Cumberland and Hertford, Vilcount Howard of Bindon, the Lord Howard of Walden, the Lord Darcy of Chiche, and the Lord Compton. There were prefent alfo fome of the Aldermen of London, and Sir Walter Raleigh, who, if we may believe himfelf, came with an Intent to make Anfwer if any thing fhould be objected against him by the Earl at his Death; but others thought he came to feed his Eyes with a Sight of the Earl's Sufferings, and to fatiate his Hatred with his Blood. But being admonifh'd not to press upon the Earl at his Death, which is the Part rather of ignoble Brutes, he withdrew himself further off, and beheld his Execution out of the Armory..

The Earl, as foon as he was come upon the Scaffold, uncover'd his Head, and lifting up his Eyes to Heaven, acknowledg'd that many and great had been the Sins of his Youth, for which, with moft fervent Prayer, he beg'd Pardon of the Eternal Majefty of God, thro' Chrift his Mediator; efpecially for this laft Sin, which he term'd a bloody, crying, and contagious Sin, wherewith fo many had been feduc'd to fin against God, their Prince, and Country. He befought the Queen and her Ministers to forgive him, praying for her long Life and profperous Eftate, protesting withal that he never intended to lay violent Hands upon her Perfon, He gave God Thanks that he had never been Atheilt, or Papift, but had plac'd all his Hope and Confidence in the Merits of Chrift, He pray'd God to ftrengthen his Mind against the Terrors of Death; defiring the Standers-by

to

to join with him in a fhort Prayer, which with broken Sighs, and fervent Affection of inward Devotion, he presently utter'd. Afterwards the Executioner asking Forgiveness, he forgave him: He recited the Apoftle's Creed, and then laying himfelf down, placed his Neck upon the Block: And having repeated the first Verfes of the 51ft Pfalm, he faid, In Humility and Obedience I proftrate my self to my deferved Punishment: Thou, O God! have Mer cy on thy proftrate Servant: Into thy Hands, O Lord! I commend my Spirit. His Head was taken off at the third Stroke, but the first took away all Sense and Motion. Camb. Eliz. 621.

His CHARACTER and FAMILY.

He was accomplish'd with all thofe Virtues which compleat and become a Nobleman: His Genealogy was ancient and very noble. The Sirname of his Family came from Eureux, a City in Normandy. His Revenue and Eftate, toge ther with his Dignity of Baron, came by a Mar riage in former time with Cicily, the Daughter of William Bourchier, whofe Grandmother was Daugh ter to Edward the IVth King of England; her great Grandmother was Daughter to Thomas of Woodftock, Son of King Edward III. born of one of the Daughters of Humphry Bohun, Earl of Hereford and Effex Whereupon the Title of Vifcount Hereford was confer'd upon his great Grandfather Walter by King Edward VI. and the Honour of Earl of Effex upon his Father by Queen Elizabeth.

This Robert was educated at Cambridge in the Study of Learning and true Religion, and being recommended to the Queen by his Father-in-law, the Earl of Leicester, and made Master of the Horse, he had much ado to get into her Favour, because the did not well affect his Mother. But

no

no fooner had he by his dutiful Demeanor obtain'd her Favour, but the difcharg'd him of a Debt which his Father had contracted in the Exchequer, chofe him into the Order of St. George, and made him of her Privy-Council when he was fcarce twenty-three Years of Age. She made him, feveral times General of her Armies, tho' Fortune often fail'd him. She continually heap'd Honours and Favours upon him, and highly efteem'd him because he bent his Mind wholly to noble Studies, and inur'd his Body to Perils and hazardous Attempts. When he had now not only an Appearance andly his but a real Interest in the Queen's Favour, he the made it his Bufinefs (as the wifer Sort of the complain'd) to go beyond both his Equals and Superiors, to difparage and difpraife all that were not at his Devotion, and frown upon those who had any Power or Grace with the Queen; by his courteous Behaviour and Liberality he hunted after popular Favour and Applaufe, which is always of fhort Continuance and unjuft; and acquir'd Reputation with the Soldiery, which is perpetually dangerous. He began alfo out of the Greatnefs of his Spirit, rather than real Pride, to use some contumacious Carriage towards the Queen, especially after fhe had more than once, out of her Bounty and Goodness, reftor'd him to her loft Favour, and thereby open'd a Way for conferring new Kindneffes upon him. But his Contumacy, toge ther with an obftinate kind of extorting (as it were) Favours from her, his proud Neglect of Dutifulness and Refpect towards her, with the fubtil Contrivances of his envious Adverfaries, by little and little chang'd, and at length alienated the Queen's Affections from him.

And