Note, endorsed by Lady Russell:-" This was said before (by?) the Lady Chaworth."

"There having run a story of a letter, without a name, writ to the King, promising a discovery against Lord Russell, which some said was Lord Huntington's, some Lord Essex's, Lord Howard and his wife being here on Sunday last, a lady coming in, whispered me in the ear, that here was the Lord that now they said had written the said letter to His Majesty. I whispered to her again, and asked her whether she would give me leave to tell him. She answered, Aye, if you will, when I am gone, without naming me. After which, she, and all the rest of the company, being gone, except Lord Howard and his lady, who staid for their coach, I said to my Lord and his wife, My Lord, they say now that you are the person that writ the nameless letter to the King.'. To which he replied, My Lord of Essex, as much as I; and I, as much as my Lord of Essex. Lord Russell, and all innocent men, live till I accuse them!"

my

May

Hampden and Lord Russell were imprisoned upon Lord Howard's information; and, four days afterwards, Lord Russell was brought to trial: but, in order to possess the public mind with a sense of the blackness of the plot, Walcot, Hone, and Rouse were first brought to trial, and condemned, upon the evidence of Keeling, Lee, and West, of a design to assassinate the King.

A circumstance of more melancholy interest, but also tending to produce an impression unfavourable to Lord Russell, happened on the very morning of his trial. We have seen that Lord Essex staid in his own house, without any apparent uneasiness, from an apprehension that his flight would be injurious to his friend. An order was now given for his arrest, on the information of Lord Howard. A party of horse was sent to bring him up from his house at Cassiobury. He was at first in some disorder, but soon recovered himself. When he came before the council, however, he was in much

confusion. He was sent to the Tower, and there fell under a great depression of spirits. He sent, by his servant, a very melancholy message to his wife: that what he was charged with was true; that he was sorry he had ruined her and her children; and that he had sent to Lord Clarendon, who had married his sister, to speak freely to him. She immediately sent back to him, to beg that he would not think of her or her children, but only study to support his own spirits; and desired him to say nothing to Lord Clarendon, nor to any one else, till she should come to him, which she hoped to get leave to do in a day or two. Lord Clarendon came to him upon his message, but he turned the matter off, as if he only wished to explain something he had said before the council. Lord Clarendon was satisfied that he had nothing farther to communicate.* After this he sent

another message to his wife, that he was much calmer, especially when he found how she took his condition to heart, without seeming concerned for herself. The condition of his friend, Lord Russell, seems to have pressed heavily on his mind. He sent to the Earl of Bedford to say, he was more concerned for his son's condition than even Lord Bedford himself. And Lord Russell, when he looked towards Lord Essex's window, had observed him retire immediately into his room.

On the morning appointed for Lord Russell's trial, his servant Bommeny (as he asserted), thinking he staid longer in his room than ordinary, looked through the key-hole, and there saw him lying dead. He said that, upon breaking open the door, he found his master with his throat cut, quite dead. At the time, it was universally supposed that Lord Essex was the author of his own death; but this opinion was afterwards rendered doubtful, by the deposition of two children of thirteen years of age, totally unknown to each other, who declared that they saw a bloody razor thrown out of the window of Lord Essex's chamber. Braddon, who gave currency to these reports, was tried and convicted as a spreader of false news. After the

Revolution, a committee of the House of Lords, consisting of Lord Bedford, Lord Devonshire, Lord Delamere, and Lord Monmouth, was named, to enquire into the death of Lord Essex. They examined above sixty witnesses; but Lord Devonshire, Lord Delamere, and Lord Monmouth, being obliged to leave London on public business, the investigation was suspended, and Parliament being soon afterwards dissolved, it was never resumed. Some time before this, however, Lady Essex had called a meeting of her relations, at which Lord Bedford, Lord Devonshire, and Bishop Burnet were present; at which she declared she believed Lord Essex had killed himself, and desired the business might fall. * The depositions taken before the Lords are not to be found; it would be idle, therefore, at the present time, to pretend to give any opinion on the subject; and I should say no more on it, were it not that I have been assured, by the present Earl of Essex, that Lord Onslow told him, when a boy, that he had seen the entry of a grant of money to Bommeny in the books of the Treasury. After a careful examination, however, which has been made at my desire, no such entry can be found.

The interval between the imprisonment of Lord Russell, and his trial, were anxiously spent by Lady Russell in preparations for his defence. The two following notes are the best evidence of the nature of her employment; and the last will be valuable to those who set a price upon any memorial tending to show how well firmness may be combined with affection.

Lady Russell to Lord Russell.

Endorsed-" To ask his leave to be at his trial."

"Your friends, believing I can do you some service at your trial, I am extreme willing to try (if) my resolution will hold out - pray let yours. But it may be the Court will not let me; however, do you let metry. I think, however to meet you at Richardson's, and then resolve: your brother Ned will be with me, and sister Marget."

CHAP. XV.

TRIAL OF LORD RUSSELL.

ON

ON Friday, the 13th of July, Lord Russell was placed within the bar of the Old Bailey, to take his trial for high-treason.

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The clerk of the Crown, having desired him to hold up his hand, proceeded to read the indictment, the substance of which was "for conspiring the death of the King, and consulting and agreeing to "stir up insurrection; and to that end to seize the guards, for the preservation of the King's person."

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On the question of guilty, or not guilty, being put to him, Lord Russell asked the Lord Chief Justice, (Sir Francis Pemberton,) if he might not have a copy of the matter of fact, laid against him, in order that he might know how to answer it; but being told nothing could be granted until he should plead, he pleaded, Not Guilty. The usual question then being asked, how he would be tried? Lord Russell observed, he thought a prisoner was never arraigned, and tried at the same time. To which the Lord Chief Justice answered," that for crimes of this nature it was continually done.

The Attorney-General said, his Lordship had no reason to complain; since Monday se'nnight he had had notice of trial, and the matter alleged against him; that he had the liberty of counsel to advise him; and that no sort of privilege had been denied, which became a subject in his condition to have.

Lord Russell replied, he had heard only some general questions: he expected witnesses who could not arrive before night; and thought very hard he could not be allowed one day more.

it

The Lord Chief Justice told him, without the King's consent, they could not put off the trial. Lord Russell then demanded a copy of the pannel of the jury, that he might challenge them.