Right Honourable , my duty and conscience binding me , besides your Honour 's commandment , to declare whatsoever hath come to my knowledge touching the designs and the enterprises of the late Earl of Essex , I have faithfully set it down in this evil couched narration following ; and not only that , but whatsoever else hath passed between me and him or any of his complices since my coming out of France , that your Lordships seeing all the circumstances that concern me laid open before you , may make the clearer judgment of my intention .

It may please your Honours to understand that at my arrival at London from Bulloigne , which was , as I remember , the sixth of August last , I met with a message which Mr. Cuffe ( with whom I had had long acquaintance ) left at my lodging the day before to this effect ; that I had had evil offices done me , as my Lord of Essex was informed by his friends in Court , and that some great blame was like to be cast upon me for the breach at Bulloigne , as if I had by some particular evil carriage of mine given the occasion of it ; which my Lord in good will was desirous I should know , that I might be prepared to answer it . Mr. Cuffe himself was then gone out of town to Oxford , as I remember it was said , but returned upon the Monday after , being the 10th or 11th of the month , and came presently unto me and renewed the same advertisement . But I had been in the meantime at the Court and found no such matter , but rather altogether the contrary , and so I answered him . But he said howsoever things were turned now , there was such an intention ; and my Lord had received it from so good hand , as there could not be but some truth in it ; and that my Lord in good will would have me know it , being one that he esteemed very much and was sorry to see so wronged . I answered that I did acknowledge myself very much bound to my Lord in it and did take it for a great argument of his good will and favour , which I would deserve with any service I could do him . Not long after this he brought me a letter from my Lord full of all kindness towards me , testifying his good conceit of me and his affection towards me , and that he desired my love and would hold it as a great treasure . I returned an answer with the best compliments I could , with such phrases and offers of service as are usual unto such persons and upon such kind provocations . Soon after my Lord went into the country , and myself likewise for a time ; where although I remained within ten miles of him , and rode twice in the week by the park pale where he lay , I protest I never saw him , nor sent to him either to present or visit him , although I understood that most gentlemen in those parts did both .

But Cuffe came from thence once to my house , and brought me very kind commendations from my Lord , and purposed as it seemed to have stayed two or three days with me , but that the next day I had occasion to ride into the vale , and so we parted at Netlebed . After this I saw him not till my coming to London , which was not till after the middle of October ; where I had not been long but he came to see me , and moved me to come to see my Lord , saying that now he was at liberty and that all the world that would now came at him . I said I would find a time to come see him ere it were long ; but yet upon some occasion of business I had , I put it off for four or five days . But at length he named me a time , saying that he had told my Lord I would come , and that he expected it and would marvel if I came not . He said that time would be very fit , and that he would desire my Lord to go to supper so much the sooner . He told me also he would appoint one to meet me and bring me in to my Lord 's study . I came accordingly in the evening about eight o'clock as I guess , and was met by Glascocke my Lord 's man , who conducted me , as Mr. Cuffe ( he said ) had directed . After some half-hour 's stay or more my Lord came up , and received me very kindly , and entertained me with many questions of foreign matters ; and some hopes of his own about the sweet wines , and otherwise to be restored to her Majesty 's presence and favour ere it were long , and at length dismissed me with very kind offers , and brought me down himself to the back gate . But in all his talk I protest I did not hear him use any undutiful speech of the Queen or the state . After this visitation I protest I never spake with him , nor received any letter from him , nor he from me . Cuffe would come sometimes unto me . And when I asked him how his Lord 's matters stood in Court , he would sometimes give show of hope and sometimes of despair . And at those times when he seemed to despair he would break out into words of heat and impatience : as namely once I remember he repeated this verse—Arma tenenti omnia dat qui justa negat . Whereunto I answered in French tout beau , he spake very big . And either at that time or another upon like occasion he said it made no matter , it would give my Lord cause to think the sooner of some other courses . About Christmas last , but whether before or after I do not well remember , he told me they were informed that there was a purpose to take some pretext to lay up my Lord of Southampton ; and that they took it as a preface to the laying up of my Lord of Essex himself ; but that he thought my Lord was resolved they should never coop him more . With these uncertain and wild speeches he would sometimes entertain me , and never brake directly with me till the Saturday after Candlemas Term began , as I remember . And then I coming unto my lodging somewhat late in the evening found him there , where he had attended me an hour or two , as I learned . He desired me to walk up into my chamber , which he had not used to do before ; and there he told me , after a preface of the confidence that my Lord had of my good affection towards the state and towards himself in particular , that his purpose was to make me privy to some designs he had both for his own safety and for the good of the state : wherein he would first assure me that there should be nothing intended or attempted against her Majesty 's person or estate , and told me further that my Lord did not desire that I should embark myself into it further than I was willing , but that when I should hear it proposed I should consider of it and give him what advice I thought fit . And for that purpose he desired that I would meet as soon as might be with my Lord of Southampton and Sir Charles Davers , who should relate the particulars unto me . I told him that , with that limitation which he promised me that nothing should be attempted against the Queen 's person nor her estate , I could be contented to hear what should be proposed , and would meet for that purpose the next day in the afternoon at Sir Charles Davers ' lodging . But that day I was appointed to attend the Lords about French causes , where I stayed till it was late and so disappointed the meeting . The Monday and Tuesday I attended Mr. Secretary Herbert at the Doctors ' Commons about an answer to be made to the French ambassador 's complaints . The Wednesday we spent all the afternoon with the ambassador . The Thursday , Friday , and Saturday , I excused myself by reason of my private business . Yet upon the Friday or Saturday , as I remember , having understood that Sir Charles Davers was not at his lodging , I went that way and left word that I had been there to see him : which I did because I had been often solicited by Cuffe in the meantime about the meeting and told that they began to make an evil judgment of my delay . And when I answered that my Lord might as well deliver his mind to me by him as by them , he said my Lord had rather made choice of them than of him , to breed a confidence between them and me . And indeed Mr. Cuffe had been at least two or three months persuading me to make acquaintance with my Lord of Southampton and Sir Charles Davers , who he said did greatly desire notwithstanding I still omitted it . And at length he brought Sir Charles Davers to my lodging about a fortnight after Christmas , when I protest there passed nothing but compliments and ordinary talk , and was the first time that ever I had spoken with Sir Charles Davers in my life . Upon Monday , being Candlemas Day , in the afternoon about four o'clock , as I was coming out of Serjeant 's Inn , where I had acknowledged a statute before my Lord Anderson and sealed other writings , there came by in coach my Lords of Essex and Southampton , Sir Christopher Blunt and Sir Charles Davers , and went towards the Stran . And because I had told Cuffe that I would be there that day , and they had seen me so near , I went thence soon after to Drury House , and there found my Lord of Southampton with Sir Charles Davers ; where after some ordinary salutations , because I had never spoken with my Lord since he was a child in my Lord Treasurer 's house , my Lord began to break with me that my Lord had received by Mr. Cuffe so good a persuasion both of my love to him and of my honesty , discretion , and secrecy , that he had given him commission to reveal unto me a matter of great secrecy and importance ; namely that my Lord finding his life sought by his enemies by undue means , and despairing of justice against them because they were so potent about the Queen , and did besiege her so as nothing could come to her knowledge but what they listed , was advised to make his repair to her presence to declare both his particular grievances and many other , which because he knew he should not be suffered to do in private sort , he was advised to go so well accompanied as he might not be kept from her . That for the effecting thereof it was proposed to send some forty persons in several companies to the Mews , who upon the discovery of my Lord 's approach ( who should come in coach , well attended , with my Lord of Southampton ) should make on before to the Court gate and possess it . And some other of the company to be before in the hall of the Court , who upon the sight of their possessing the gate should make up into the Guard-chamber and seize upon the guards ' halberds , and so be masters of that chamber . And in the presence that there should be some lords and others to welcome my Lord when he came , and to go in with him to the Queen and countenance the action . Herein my Lord required my advice . I told him it was a matter of too great weight to be suddenly digested . But for the assurance Mr. Cuffe had given of me , if he had not exceeded his commission , which I hoped he would not being an honest man , I would perform what he had delivered from me . But for offering to draw my sword in the cause , I vow before God and his angels I never offered it nor ever meant it . Some objections and difficulties I proposed as upon the sudden , as namely these . That this was an action of the nature of those which , as Tacitus saith , non laudantur nisi peracta , and would be interpreted by the success . That it was full of difficulties and dangers ; first , because it was almost impossible to prepare so many hands as should suffice for it without communicating it to so many as it must needs be revealed . Secondly , if any door were found shut upon them they were disappointed . And lastly , the City of Westminster was at hand , which though they should prevail at the first so far as to possess the gate , yet might quickly bring in force enough to dispossess them and pull them out by the ears . To the first difficulty they answered that they would not make their purpose known till the morning they intended to execute it ; and that they would draw their company together upon some other pretext . To the second , that they hoped to come so unexpected , and those which they appointed to be before in course should be so vigilant , as there should not be time to shut any doors . And to the last , that being once in Court , and having the show of the state on their side , nobody would stir against them . Their end as it seemed was to seize on the persons of those they accounted my Lord 's enemies , and to require justice against them , tendering other presently to supply their places . I can not certainly say that they then spake of any Parliament to be called . But I am sure Cuffe did afterwards . In speech of their means I do not remember that they spake of above a hundred and twenty hands ; some noblemen they named that they would take along with them , as among other my Lord of Rutland . But they said they could not trust him with the matter above two hours before they attempted it . They spake of seizing the Tower as a matter which they could do when they would by the means of Sir John Davies . But surely at that time they had resolved certainly , as it seemed to me , neither of the time nor any circumstance of their attempt . In conclusion they prayed me to think of it , because it was new to me , and said that Sir Charles Davers should come unto me within four or five days under pretence of taking his leave of me , to have further conference of it . Since which time God is my witness I never saw either of them , or received letter or message from them or they from me . But Cuffe came to me within a day or two after , to whom I related what had passed at that conference , and said I could not nor would not give any approbation to any such enterprise unless the undertakers did all take a solemn oath not to attempt anything against the Queen 's person or her estate , as they had done in the enterprise of Amboise , a precedent whereof was to be seen in the story . And further , seeing I perceived it was directed among other against Mr. Secretary , I said I would have no hand nor be an actor in it , because I was near allied unto him and had been beholden to him , as all the world took knowledge . And I would not blot my reputation to be false unto him or any man . And this I told him walking in the alley by the east wall in the garden of my lodging ; and added these words , that they must dare pudori not to embark me into any action against him . He answered me that for the first I should make no doubt of it but I should be fully satisfied , and himself wished as well as I that it should be so . And for the second , I had reason and they would not press me . Only he wished I might be in the presence at the time when it should happen . And asking why ? he said my Lord meant to name me among other to supply some place there , and he would have me at hand . And when I replied that I should be gone into France out of hand , and that my dispatches were signed , he told me I might feign myself sick if I were pressed to be gone ; which notwithstanding I did not , as some of your Honours know , but solicited as much as I could possible to receive my money out of the Exchequer , as Mr. Skinner will testify , with a purpose to have been gone presently . So little will or purpose had I to have any partaking with the Earl even in that wherein he pretended mine own advancement . I remember that in some of his conferences with me about that time he moved me to sound a minister whom I was familiar with , how he stood affected to my Lord , and what he did conceive of the affection of the City to my Lord in his former troubles , which notwithstanding I did not . And indeed that minister was out of town all that while . He told me also that there was a buz and a flying rumour that there was some practice against my Lord 's person , which caused very many both noblemen and other to come and offer themselves to my Lord , and that there came more than they could tell well what to do with or how to put them off . About the middle of that week he told me that there had been warning given to the Mayor of London to look to the City , but that he made account that the affection of the City was sure unto my Lord , and that of twenty-four Aldermen they held themselves assured of twenty or twenty-one . The last time I spake with him he desired me from my Lord that although I would not be an actor myself in the matter , I would command my men if I were in the Court when my Lord came thither either to take part with him or at least not to take part against him . Whereunto I answered , Very well : which how he construed , I know not . But God is my witness that I neither did it nor ever meant it . And I humbly desire that my servants , if it be thought meet , may be examined of it .

Lastly , I vow and protest before Almighty God that I knew nothing neither of the matter , manner , time , nor any circumstance of their attempt that Sunday . But came that morning to the Court with Otwell Smith ( as he can testify ) to have spoken with Mr. Secretary about the merchants ' causes at Rouen , where when I understood what course the Earl took , and saw the vizard taken from him and his true intents laid open which he had so disguised before with specious pretences and cloaks of religion and virtue , I detested him and his actions from the bottom of my heart , and remained in Court till ten o'clock at night with a purpose to have spent my life in her Majesty 's defence , if there had been cause , as readily and as willingly as any man of my sort in the company . Secundo Martii , 1600 .