OF ROBERT EARL OF ESSEX* 329 



making sure of the utter gate of the court, and the 

 greater celerity and suddenness, to have a troop at 

 receipt to a competent number, to have come from 

 the Mews, where they should have heen assembled 

 without suspicion in several companies, and from 

 thence cast themselves in a moment upon the court- 

 gate, and join with them which are within, while- 

 Essex with the main of his company were making 

 forward. 



It was also thought fit, that because they would 

 be commonwealth s men, and foresee, that the busi 

 ness and service of the public state should not stand 

 still ; they should have ready at court, and at hand, 

 certain other persons to be offered, to supply the 

 offices and places of such her majesty s counsellors 

 and servants, as they should demand to be removed 

 and displaced. 



But chiefly it was thought good, that the as 

 sembling of their companies together should be upon 

 some plausible pretext : both to make divers of their 

 company, that understood not the depth of the prac 

 tices, the more willing to follow them ; and to en 

 gage themselves, and to gather them together the 

 better without peril of detecting or interrupting : 

 and again, to take the court the more unprovided, 

 without any alarm given. So as now there wanted 

 nothing but the assignation of the day : which ne 

 vertheless was resolved indefinitely to be before the 

 end of the term, as was said before, for the putting 

 in execution of this most dangerous and execrable 

 treason. But God, who had in his divine providence 



