Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: Many at the time felt that Robert Cecil , 1st Earl of Salisbury had been involved in the plot to gain favor with the king and enact more stridently anti-Catholic legislation .
Simplified: Many at the time felt that Salisbury had been involved in the plot to gain favor with the King and enact more stridently anti-Catholic legislation .