308 DECLARATION OF THE TREASONS 



forward which he made in the very end of August 

 being but a mere play and a mockery, and for the 

 purposes which now shall be declared. 



After he perceived that four months of the sum 

 mer, and three parts of the army were wasted, he 

 thought now was a time to set on foot such a peace 

 as might be for the rebels advantage, and so to work 

 a mutual obligation between Tyrone and himself; 

 for which purpose he did but seek a commodity. 

 He had there with him in his army one Thomas 

 Lee, a man of a seditious and working spirit, and 

 one that had been privately familiar and entirely 

 beloved of Tyrone, and one that afterwards, imme 

 diately upon Essex s open rebellion, was appre 

 hended for a desperate attempt of violence against 

 her majesty s person ; which he plainly confessed* 

 and for which he suffered. Wherefore judging him 

 to be a fit instrument, he made some signification to 

 Lee of such an employment, which was no sooner 

 signified than apprehended by Lee. He gave order 

 also to Sir Christopher Blunt, marshal of his army, 

 to license Lee to go to Tyrone, when he should 

 require it. But Lee thought good to let slip first 

 unto Tyrone, which was nevertheless by the mar 

 shal s warrant, one James Knowd, a person of wit 

 and sufficiency, to sound in what terms and humours 

 Tyrone then was. This Knowd returned a mes 

 sage from Tyrone to Lee, which was, That if the 

 earl of Essex would follow Tyrone s plot, he would 

 make the earl of Essex the greatest man that ever 

 was in England : and farther, that if the earl would 



