he had given him a deeper insight into his offence, being sorry had so stood upon his justification at his arraignment, for he was since that become another man. He thanked God that his course was so prevented; for if his project had taken effect, God knows (said he) what harm it had wrought in the realm. He humbly thanked her Majesty, that he should die in so private a manner, lest the acclamation of the people might have been a temptation unto him. To which he added, That all popularity and trust in man was vain: the experience whereof himself had felt. He acknowledged with thankfulness to God, That he was thus justly spewed out of the realm. He publicly in his prayer and protestation, as also privately, aggravated the detestation of his offence; and especially in the hearing of them that were present at the execution, he exaggerated it with four epithets, desiring God to forgive him his great, his bloody, his crying, and his infectious sin: which word infectious he privately had explained to us, that it was a leprosy that had infected far and near. THOMAS MONTFORD. ABDIE ASHTON, his Chaplain. VOL. II. 325 ADDITIONAL EVIDENCES NOT PUBLISHED WITH THE DECLARATION. THE discretion of the Queen in taking no notice of the correspondence with Scotland, or of the part which Montjoy had played in the earlier stages of the business, obliged her to leave a portion of the story half-told, and some of the most important confessions unpublished; although the effect of the Declaration was thereby considerably impaired for the narrative could not be so managed as not to involve allusion to matters of which the proofs could not be produced. Of these suppressed depositions some are lost, probably beyond recovery: among them the four sheets of confession made by Essex himself. But several are still extant; and being of real historical value in the way of evidence and illustration, I add them here to make the case complete. I. Declaration of DAVID HETHERINGTON, taken by Lord Treasurer Buckhurst, 8th January, 1599. (S. P. O.) That in this last summer Captain Thomas Lea went secretly to Tyrone and was with him two or three days; which matter coming to the knowledge of some of the Council of Ireland, the said Council did ask of the Earl of Essex if he had passed thither with his Lordship's direction: but his Lordship denied that he was anyways privy thereunto. Nevertheless there followed no punishment upon the said Captain Lea, neither was he called in question for the same. But within a while after, the said Mr. Hetherington did hear that Sir Christopher Blunt was he that did send the said Captain Lea unto Tyrone. And the said Hetherington also saith that sure he is that Captain Lea had a pardon granted him by the said Earl of Essex about a week before the coming of the said Earl out of Ireland: for he saw the said pardon and read it. And he further saith that he hath |