“Omnes qui acceperint gladium, gladio peribunt,”[303] [pg 094] said our Lord, forewarning all men, that howsoever they may receive the sword or use it, when it is given them by authority (as it is to all lawful governors and officers in commonwealths), yet to take the sword (which noteth a private will or power not authorized) is not without a fault, nor shall be without a fall. And so it happened to these conspirators, as the sequent chapter will declare.
Chapter VII. How, The Parliament Drawing Near, The Whole Plot Was Discovered, And That Which Ensued Thereupon.
The mercies of God are great, and His patient expectance of us, granting time and occasions and motives to repent, is most gracious and full of longanimity. The foresaid conspirators had intended and prepared, as you have heard, the utter destruction and overthrow both of the King with the chiefest of his family, of the Council also, with most of the nobility, and with their clergy, and others that belonged to both the Houses of Parliament. But the mercies of God were such, that He would not permit so great and universal a ruin to light upon so many, and amongst them so many worthy persons, amongst whom, it is to be hoped, His infinite wisdom hath foreseen many upon whom His goodness will bestow His grace hereafter, and so make them vessels of election, who now perhaps, in ignorant zeal, do persecute the servants of Christ and Christ in them.
And if there were any there who finally will prove but cockle in the field, yet the Father of the family would not have them so digged out as His unskilful servants desired, “ne forte eradicantibus illis zizania, eradicatum fuisset simul et triticum.”[304] We hope and pray for much good unto many of those, who should have been present at that eruption of fire, if it had succeeded according to their intent, which God forbid. And God did forbid it, for no doubt it was His will it should be discovered, [pg 096] which happened in this manner. About ten days before the Parliament should have begun the Lord Mounteagle (whose affection to Catholics hath long time been known unto divers) being at his own house and at supper, a man came to his page in the street and delivered him a letter wishing him to deliver the same unto his Lord's own hands, which the page performed, but made no stay of the bringer thereof, who presently departed. The Lord Mounteagle not knowing the hand, and seeing no name subscribed, caused one of his men to read it unto him, and it was of this tenour.
The letter sent to the Lord Mounteagle.
“My Lord, out of the love I bear to some of your friends, I have a care of your preservation, therefore I would advise you, as you tender your life, to devise some excuse to shift off your attendance at this Parliament, for God and man have concurred to punish the wickedness of this time. And think not slightly of this advertisement, but retire yourself into your country, where you may expect the event in safety. For though there be no appearance of any stir, yet, I say, they shall receive a terrible blow this Parliament, and yet they shall not see who hurts them. This counsel is not to be contemned, because it may do you good, and can do you no harm, for the danger is past so soon as you have burnt the letter. And I hope God will give you the grace to make use of it, to Whose holy protection I commend you.”
This was the letter which the Lord Mounteagle having considered, and seeing so dangerous matter contained in it, he presently went to the Lord of Salisbury, who is Chief Secretary to His Majesty, and delivered the letter unto him, with relation of all circumstances in the receipt and reading of the letter. The Lord of Salisbury seemed not at the first to make any great account of it, yet said he would acquaint some other Lords of the Council with the same, and commended the Lord Mounteagle for his fidelity and care of His Majesty's safety, and of the State, [pg 097] and presently showed the letter to the Lord Chamberlain, and then both of them thought the letter might have some relation with other informations the Lord of Salisbury had received from beyond seas, concerning some business intended by the Papists; and they seemed to think there might be some perilous attempt intended. And therefore they two concluded to join with them three other of the Council, to wit, the Lord Admiral, the Earl of Worcester and Northampton, to be acquainted with this matter; who having all of them concurred together to the examination of the contents of the said letter, they did conclude (saith the book written of the discovery of this treason) that how slight soever a matter it might at the first appear, yet was it not absolutely to be contemned, in respect of the care which it behoved them to have of the preservation of His Majesty's person. Yet they resolved, for two reasons, first to acquaint the King himself with the same, before they proceeded to any further inquisition in the matter, as well (saith the book) for the expectation and experience they had of His Majesty's fortunate judgment in clearing and solving of obscure riddles and doubtful mysteries, as also because the more time would in the meanwhile be given for the practice to ripen (if any was) whereby the discovery might be the more clear and evident, and the ground of proceeding thereupon more safe, just, and easy. And so according to their determination the said Earl of Salisbury did repair to the King upon the Friday after, being All-Hallow-day, which was the day after His Majesty's arrival from Royston, where he had been at his hunting exercise, and was come up to London to be present at the beginning of the Parliament. The Earl therefore finding the King alone in his gallery, without any other speech or judgment giving of the letter, but only relating simply the form of the delivery thereof, he presented it to His Highness. The King no sooner read the letter, but after a little pause, [pg 098] and then reading it over again, he delivered his judgment of it in such sort, as he thought it was not to be contemned; for that the style of it seemed to be more quick and pithy than is usual to be in any pasquil or libel, the superfluities of idle brains. But the Earl of Salisbury perceiving the King to apprehend it deeplier than he looked for, knowing his nature, told him that he thought by one sentence in it, that it was like to be written by some fool or madman, reading to him that sentence in it, “For the danger is past as soon as you have burnt the letter,” which he said was likely to be the saying of a fool; for if the danger was past so soon as the letter was burnt, then the warning behoved to be of little avail, when the burning of the letter might make the danger to be eschewed. But the King by the contrary, considering the former sentence in the letter, “That they should receive a terrible blow at this Parliament, and yet should not see who hurt them;” joining it to the sentence immediately following already alleged, did thereupon conjecture that the danger mentioned should be some sudden danger by blowing up of powder. For no other insurrection, rebellion, or whatsoever other private and desperate attempt could be committed or attempted in time of Parliament and the authors thereof unseen except only if it were by a blowing up of powder, which might be performed by one base knave in a dark corner: whereupon he was moved to interpret and construe the later sentence in the letter (alleged by the Earl of Salisbury against all ordinary sense and construction in grammar) as if by these words, “For the danger is past as soon as you have burned the letter,” should be closely understood the suddenty and quickness of the danger, which should be as quickly performed and at an end, as that paper should be of blazing up in the fire, turning the word of “as soon” to the sense of “as quickly;” and therefore His Majesty wished that before his going to the Parliament, the under rooms to the Parliament House [pg 099] might be well and narrowly searched. The Earl of Salisbury wondering at this His Majesty's commentary, which he knew to be so far contrary to his ordinary and natural disposition, who did rather ever sin upon the other side, in not apprehending nor trusting the advertisements of practices and perils when he was freely informed of them, and interpreting rightly this extraordinary caution at this time to proceed from the vigilant care he had of the whole State more than of his own person, yet he thought good to dissemble still unto the King, that there was any just cause of such apprehension, and ended the present talk with some merry jest as his custom is. But though he seemed to neglect it to His Majesty, yet he could not be at rest till with the Lord Chamberlain he came again unto His Majesty, at which time it was agreed that the said Lord Chamberlain should according to his custom and office view all the Parliament Houses both above and below, and consider what likelihood or appearance of any such danger might be gathered: but yet this was deferred until the afternoon before the sitting down of the Parliament, which was upon the Monday following: at what time, he according to this conclusion went to the Parliament House accompanied with the Lord Mounteagle, where having viewed all the lower rooms, he found in the vault under the Upper House great store and provision of billets, faggots, and coals: and inquiring of Whyneyard, keeper of the wardrobe, to what use he had put the lower rooms and cellars, he told him that Mr. Thomas Percy had hired both the house and part of the cellar or vault under the same and that the wood and coal therein was the said gentleman's own provision. Whereupon the Lord Chamberlain looking into the room perceived a fellow standing in a corner, who called himself the said Percy his man, and keeper of that house for him, but indeed was Guido Faulks, the man that should have acted that monstrous tragedy.
The Lord Chamberlain looking upon all things with a [pg 100] heedful eye, though in outward show he seemed careless, presently addressed himself to the King, and in the presence of the Lord Treasurer, the Lord Admiral, the Earls of Worcester, Northampton, and Salisbury, he made his report what he had seen and observed there, affirming that he did wonder not a little at the extraordinary great provision of wood and coal in that house where Thomas Percy had so seldom occasion to remain, as likewise it gave him in his mind, that his man looked like a very tall and desperate fellow. This could not but increase the King's former apprehension, whereupon he willed that those billets and coals should be searched to the bottom: and of the same opinion were the Lords there present, although they thought it fit to have it done in the night, and by a Justice of Peace only under pretence of searching for some of the King's stuff that was missing; and this for two reasons; one was lest if nothing were found, it should seem the King and State were too suspicious of every light toy; also for that they said it would lay an ill-favoured imputation upon the Earl of Northumberland, one of His Majesty's greatest subjects and Councillors: this Thomas Percy being his kinsman and most confident familiar.