That he, living here in England among certain of that sect, fell in acquaintance with one Payne, a Priest; who gave him to understand of a horrible treason intended against Her Majesty and the State, which he did expect shortly to happen.
The order, how, and after what manner, in brief is thus:
That there should be levied a certain company of armed men; which, on a sudden, should enterprise a most monstrous attempt. A certain company of these armed men should be prepared against Her Majesty, as many against my L[ord] of L[eicester], as many against my L[ord] T[reasurer, Lord Burghley], as many against Sir F[rancis] W[alsingham], and divers others whose names he doth not well remember.
The deaths of these noble personages should be presently fulfilled: and Her Majesty used in such sort as [neither] modesty nor duty will suffer me to rehearse. But this should be the general cry everywhere, Meaning the Queen of Scots. [A.M.] "Queen Mary! Queen Mary!"
It was also appointed and agreed upon, Who should have this Man of Honour's room, and who should have that Office. Everything was determined. There wanted nothing but the coming over of such Priests and others as were long looked for. [p. [72.]]
Upon this report, the aforenamed George Elliot took occasion to question with this Payne, How they could find in their hearts to attempt an act of so great cruelty; considering how high an offence it should be to GOD, besides great danger might arise thereby.
A most traitorous and villanous answer. Of every true subject to be read with due reverence of the person. [A.M.]
Whereto Payne made answer, That the killing [of] Her Majesty was no offence to GOD, nor the uttermost cruelty they could use to her, nor [to] any that took her part: but that they might as lawfully do it as to a brute beast. And himself would be one of the foremost in the executing [of] this villanous and most traitorous action.
In Lansd. MS. 32, No. 60, in the British Museum, there is a paper to the same effect, signed by G. E. [George Elliot]. It is headed Certain Notes and Remembrances concerning a Reconciliation, &c.; and bears marginal notes by Lord Burghley.
It will probably be new to most readers that Elliot's arrest of Campion was a pure matter of accident. Elliot went to Lyford Manor House more particularly in search of Payne the Priest, and found Campion there by chance. The Jesuit had been secretly, but securely, wandering through the land from one Roman Catholic household to another, for more than a year; despite the utmost efforts of the English Government to put their hands on him: and at last he becomes their prisoner almost by a pure accident.
Campion was lodged in the Tower on the 22nd July 1581. Two days later, Anthony Munday's Brief Discourse of the taking of Edmund Campion &c., was entered at Stationers' Hall [Arber, Transcript &c., II. 397]. It was therefore very hurriedly written, and mainly from information supplied by Master Humphrey Foster, High Sheriff of Berkshire: who, being himself a Roman Catholic, had been very slack at the capture of Campion [p. [214]]; but who, for his own protection, puts a better face on things in Munday's hurriedly written Discourse, &c. See pages [207,] [215,] [217.]
It is as a reply to this tract of Munday's, that Elliot wrote the following Text in 1581. In February 1582, they were however good friends again; as will be seen at page [223].]