The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-02


Of servant. He states that he suppeo
that night with the French Ambassador
with whom he stayed until midnight but
finding. on his arrival at Gravesend, that
his passport would have to be counter
signed by Lord Gotham, Lord Warden OF
the Cirque Ports before he would be al
lowed to embark at Dover. he surrepti-
tiousy went on board an English transport
carrying troops to Holland, which lay in
the river, and thus escaped, landing al
Bergen-op-Zoom, and apparently at once
entering the English service. This must
have been early in 1885. and the narrative
thenceforth consists OF a somewhat RAM
bling account OF Arthur Dudley's attempt
to betray the English cause in the Neither
lands TO the Spaniards, and his wanderings
In Germany and Italy, in the courseof which,
according to his own showing. he every
where entered into communication with
high personages, the enemies OF his country
and, as it would appear from the contest
lived luxuriously on his story.
He claims that he came to Spain on a
pilgrimage to Monserrat in Catalonia, and,
hearing Of the condemnation Of Mary
Queen Of Scots he took ship for France
and was cast back upon the Biscay coast,
where he was apprehended as a spy. His
cool proposal to Engleheld the English
secretary of King Philip H., was that the
! Spanish sovereign should take him under his
! protection and make use Of him in his
projected attack upon England. He sug-
gests that rumor could be spread to the
effect that he had escaped. As everybody
knows now that am here. My future
residence could be kept secret. l could
then write simply and sincerely to the
Earl of Leicester, telling him all that had
happened to me, in order to keep in his good
graces; and could also publish book
to any effect that might be considered
desirable. in which / should show myself
everybody's friend and nobody's foe.
Mr.. Hume says that in the Spanish manu-
scripts there is much more to the same
effect, the poor, foolish young man being APP
parently under the impression that King
Philip was an amiable altruist, who would
help him to a crown for the sake of his
bedur veur. Englefield, though inclined
to believe the story surmised, after much
| conference and cogitation that Arthur
Dudley might be an instrument in the
hands OF Elizabeth herself, perhaps with
the object of sounding the Catholic Powers
with regard to the murder Of the King of
Scots which Dudley had suggested and
the absorption Of Scotland by England.
conformity with a settlement Of the re-
ligious question in way satisfactory to
the Catholics, after which the claimant,
Dudley, might either be acknowledged AZ
the Queens son or might receive some
such other position as could be arranged
with neighboring Powers. In any case
Englefeld recommended that the unfort
innate young fellow should be detained
in a monastery.
Ill.
Mr.. Hume holds that on the face OF it
this story is a very plausible one. Lady
Harrington and Mrs Ashley were, in fact,
the only ladies about Queen Elizabeth who
we're absolutely in her confidence and
who would be likely to undertake 30 deli
cate task as the disposal OF her infant,
Mrs. Ashley died on July 49, 1865, so that
IL Dudley was born, as the dates and events
he gives seem to indicate, in 1862 or 1858,
she well might have taken part in the affair
that he imputes to her. In October, 1862,
the Queen fell i'll at Hampton Court of
serious illness, which was supposed to be
smallpox. and. in the extremity OF her
illness made the famous Protestation to
the effect that though she had always loved
Leicester, she called God to witness that
nothing improper had ever passed between
them. 1t was then. moreover, that she
urged his appointment as Protector of the
realm, with an income Of 100000 a year
and granted to Tamworth, the Earls con-
fidential man, a pension Of 1900 per an
mum. So humble person as Robert
Sothern. it might be thought, could he
safely invented so many years after his death
AZ when Arthur Dudley told his story in
Spain; but such man actually was a de-
pendent of the Ashleys, and in 1919 was
one of the deputy keepers of Enfield Chase.
Fludd, moreover, was actually Leicester's
private secretary, and Blount was member
of the Earl's household, who was specially at
tached to his nephew. Philip Sidney. when
the latter went TO the Netherlands. The
events said to have occurred in Flanders
also fit in accurately: 80 that, whoever
Arthur Dudley was. his story must have
been very carefully drawn up by some
person much older than himself who could
recollect the date OF the Queens illness
the position held by Mrs. Ashley at the
time, and the details regarding so incon-
siderable person as Robert Sothern.
Dudley's interview with Sir Edward
Stafford in Paris must have taken place
some time in 1884. as the Ambassador did not
take up his residence there until late In 1893;
while Dudley return to England, coinoiding
as it did with the pro jected protectorate
of England over the Seven United Prov
inces. must have been in the early sum
mer Of 1885. 1t lie a fact also, that the Earl
Of Derby. who returned from his mission
to France at the end of March, was in Lon
don during the summer Of the year last
named, while the Earl of Shrewsbury. after
many years absence in charge Of Mary
Stuart, had also come to Court earlier in
the year, and remained prosecuting his
suit against his wife until September, when
he took leave Of the Queen, saying that her
Majesty had released him from two devils,
the Queen OF Scots and the Countess of
Shrewsbury, 1t thus happens that. at the
very time indicated by Arthur Dudley.
he might have seen these two noblemen
with Leicester, although it had not been
possible for years previous, nor was 1t after
ward. The requirements sent to Norris
from the Thames did, in fact, leave Graves
end for Bergen-op-Z oom in July, 1885. so
that the date Of Arthur Dudley's fight is
thus confirmed. As Dudley was shriven
at Monserrat in July 1880, the period Of his