OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 393 



assuredly, the libeller spake as he thought ; but this 

 he foresaw, that the imputation of cunning doth 

 breed suspicion, and the imputation of greatness 

 and sway doth breed envy ; and therefore finding 

 where he was most wrong, and by whose policy and 

 experience their plots were most crossed, the mark 

 he shot at was to see whether he could heave at his 

 lordship s authority, by making him suspected to the 

 queen, or generally odious to the realm ; knowing 

 well enough for the one point, that there are not 

 only jealousies, but certain revolutions in princes 

 minds : so that it is a rare virtue in the rarest 

 princes to continue constant to the end in their 

 favours and employments. And knowing for the 

 other point, that envy ever accompanieth greatness, 

 though never so well deserved : and that his lordship 

 hath always marched a round and a real course in 

 service ; and as he hath not moved envy by pomp 

 and ostentation, so hath he never extinguished it by 

 any popular or insinuative carriage of himself: and 

 this no doubt was his second drift. 



A third drift was, to assay if he could supplant 

 and weaken, by this violent kind of libelling, and 

 turning the whole imputation upon his lordship, his 

 resolution and courage ; and to make him proceed 

 more cautelously, and not so throughly and strongly 

 against them ; knowing his lordship to be a politic 

 man, and one that hath a great stake to lose. 



Lastly, lest, while I discover the cunning and art 

 of this fellow, I should make him wiser than he was, 

 I think a great part of this book was passion ; 



