462 OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 



despised the occurrents, and rested upon the first 

 plot ; so that if he were crafty, it is hard to say who 

 is wise. 



Page 10, he saith, that the lord Burleigh, in the 

 establishment of religion, in the beginning of the 

 queen s time, prescribed a composition of his own 

 invention ; whereas the same form, not fully six 

 years before, had been received in this realm in king 

 Edward s time : so as his lordship being a Christian 

 politic counsellor, thought it better to follow a pre 

 cedent, than to innovate ; and chose the precedent 

 rather at home than abroad. 



Page 41, he saith, that catholics never attempted 

 to murder any principal person of her majesty s 

 court, as did Burchew, whom he calleth a puritan, 

 in wounding of a gentleman instead of Sir Christo 

 pher Hatton ; but by their great virtue, modesty, 

 and patience, do manifest in themselves a far dif 

 ferent spirit from the other sort. For Burchew, it 

 is certain he was mad ; as appeareth not only by his 

 mad mistaking, but by the violence that he offered 

 afterwards to his keeper, and most evidently by his 

 behaviour at his execution : but of catholics, I mean 

 the traitorous sort of them, a man may say as Cato 

 said sometimes of Ca?sar, &quot; eum ad evertendam rem- 

 et publicam sobrium accessisse :&quot; they came sober 

 and well advised to their treasons and conspiracies ; 

 and commonly they look not so low as the counsel 

 lors, but have bent their murderous attempts imme 

 diately against her majesty s sacred person, which 

 God have in his precious custody ! as may appear 



