COUNTESS OF SOMERSET. 197 



only for acquaintance, as an honest and worthy gen 

 tleman, and desired him to know him, and to be ac 

 quainted with him. That counsellor answered him 

 civilly, that my lord did him a favour, and that he 

 should embrace it willingly ; but he must let his lord 

 ship know, that there did lie a heavy imputation 

 upon that gentleman, Helwisse ; for that Sir Thomas 

 Overbury, his prisoner, was thought to have come to 

 a violent and an untimely death. When this speech 

 was reported back by my lord of Shrewsbury to 

 Helwisse, &quot; percussit illico animum,&quot; he was strucken 

 with it : and being a politic man, and of likelihood 

 doubting that the matter would break forth at one 

 time or other, and that others might have the start 

 of him, and thinking to make his own case by his 

 own tale, resolved with himself upon this occasion 

 to discover unto my lord of Shrewsbury, and that 

 counsellor, that there was an attempt, whereunto he 

 was privy, to have poisoned Overbury by the hands 

 of his under-keeper Weston ; but that he checked it, 

 and put it by, and dissuadedit. But then heleftit thus, 

 that it was but as an attempt, or an untimely birth, 

 never executed ; and as if his own fault had been no 

 more, but that he was honest in forbidding, but fear 

 ful of revealing and impeaching, or accusing great 

 persons : and so with this fine point thought to save 

 himself. 



But that counsellor of estate, wisely considering 



quin. p. 141. Ellowaies. In Sir W. Dugdale s Baron, of Eng 

 land, torn, ii. p. 425. Elwayes. In Baker, p. 434. Yelvis. 



