New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-03

HISTORY OF IF, 9T IIf RL FL AM1 ROE BE-
ing a Reprint of "Leycesters Commonwealth
iCfi Edited by Frank j. B. Burgoyne Small
4to pp Ky. pa. Longmans, Green & Co.
.'.yo scandal about Queen Elizabeth, l hope,
rams a well remembered line. Mr. BUrgoyne
clixes it, W n a certain ironicaI humor. to the
title page o. his reprint of perhaps the most
scurrilous composition ever written on the af-
fairs OF the great Queen. "Leycester's Com
1nonwedIth" is an old story the student, but
we are glad Of this admirable edition of it.
convenient volume, well edited and well printed,
which makes scarce classic of historic libel
generally accessible. The attribution Of the
work to Fatho~ Parsons, which seemed
plausible enough. was long ago abandoned and
the identity of the author remains to this day
a mystery. Whoever he was. he dipped his pen
in gall when he wrote this unmeasured attack
upon Eliza beths favorite. If his venom has
endured. however it has been for the good rea
that Leicester met him half way, it
were, supplying such abundant ground for
criticism give even the most atrociOus
calumny temporary appearance of truth. The
value of the document lies iii IFS vivid illustra-
tions of the full blooded way in which the Eliza
bethans lived their lives-and were talked about
in their country.
There was a public for the thing Leicester
had made it himself by his high handed course.
clearly enough in some fortnight words of hers,
written in council and addressed to the Magis-
trates of Cheshire. Her highness rot only
knoweth to assured certainty" she writes, the
books and libels against the said Earl to be
most malicious false and scandalOus. and
such none but incarnate devil himself
could dream to be true" But there Eng
lishmen who battened on the libel as upon a
sweet morse Why should they not have done
so? The verdict where LeiCester's completely
in the death of Amy Robsart is concerned must
still be nothing better than Not proven" We
do not know that he conntved at her murder, or
that she was murdered at all. Neither are we
certain that she died a natural death in which
her husband had no hand. In the sixteenth
century, when the book first saw the light.
there were plenty of people ready to believe the
charge thus boldly set forth:
His Lordship hath a special fortune that when
hee desireth any womans favour, then what person
quickly for the finishing Of his desire AS for
eXamrle when his LoIdship was in full hope to
light. as hee supposed: hee did but send her aside,
10 the house of his servant Forster of Gunner by
oxford, where shortly after shee had the chance
TO fall from paire or stares, and breake her
stood upon her head But Sir Richard varney Who
by commandement remained with her that day
force all her Servants from her, to a market two
shee died. which man being taken a regard for a
felony in the marches of Wales and Offering to
away privily in the prison And Sir Richard him
seife dying about the same time in London. cried
Gentleman of worship OF mine acquaintance. not
Butler Kindman to my L. gave out the whole fact
q little before her death.
The anonymous ibeller did not stop at this
With considerable particularly the book repre-
sents Leicester as poisoning right and left, ac-
cording as his purpose required. The earl is
painted as an evil liver Of the vilest character.
never hesitating to remove the man or woman
serving an obstacle to his will. We are told
that he had a medical in his service, skilled
in the Italian art which is to say in the dis
Greet preparation of deadly brews, and that the
two together murdered the earls foes cheerfully
and with Incompatible cunning. The accusa-
tions, moreover, are but preliminary to the ex-
hibiton Of the famous courtier as one fea thering
his own nest at the expense of every one with
whom he came in contact including his august
mistress. Here is of the bitter passages in
the Indictment:
First, in the Privy Chamber next unto her Majes-
ties Person. the most part his owne creatures
(as hee calleth them) that is, such acknowledge
their being in that place, from him: and the rest
! none may dare but to serve his tHrne And his
other parts Of the Court as nothing can passe but
/ by his admission, nothing can bee said done. or
! NnereOI PARTICULARLY
tised; no bill. supphcation. no complaint no
! suite, no speech. can passe from any man TO the
! prlncesse Except 1t bee from of the CouncelD
| hut by his good liking: or If there doe: hee being
admonlshed thereof (as presently there shal0 the
! party delinquent IS after to abide the smart
| thereof Whereby hee holdeth it a lock
upon the cares Of his Prince. and the tongues all
her Majesties servants. surely chained to his
s l as no man dareth to s3eake any thing
that may offend him, though It bee never so true
or hehovefull for her Majesty to know.
The account of all that the writer OF the fore
going lines laid at Leicester's door is long and
luTid, making the earl out to be a monster of
aNarlce and base intrigue. But his greatest
crime in the eyes of his unknown enemy was
that he contemplated end "proportionable in
greatness TO his preparations" That end. adds
the scribe, can bee no Jesse nor meaner then
Supreame Sovereignty, seeing his provision and
furniture doe tend that way, and are in every
point fully correspondent TO the same" We
Know to what heights of insane ambition Leices-
ter tried TO climb. We know with what ex-
traordinary success he wormed himself into the
good 8races Of the Queen. and how sturdly he
strove to undermine Cecil But we know also
that he was neither so baefu nor so powerful
a parsonage as his lbeller would have had Eng.
land and all Europe, believe. In short we know
that "Leycester's Commonwealth overshot the
mark. 1t may be repeated, however, that there
was occasion, if not complete Justification fol-
its appearance, and that it is therefore full OF
living interest a plangent echo to modern ears
Of time and a state of affairs rnomentous ir
English history.
I SONG OF THE PLAINS