OF ROBERT EARL OF ESSEX. 331 



he did but fall back to his own former opinion, 

 which he had in no sort neglected, but had formerly 

 made some overtures to prepare the city to take his 

 part ; relying himself, besides his general conceit, 

 that himself was the darling and minion of the people, 

 and specially of the city, more particularly upon as 

 surance given of Thomas Smith, then sheriff of Lon 

 don, a man well beloved amongst the citizens, and 

 one that had some particular command of some of 

 the trained forces of the city, to join with him. Hav 

 ing therefore concluded upon this determination, 

 now w- as the time to execute in fact all that he had 

 before in purpose digested. 



First, therefore, he concluded of a pretext which 

 was ever part of the plot, and which he had medita 

 ted upon and studied long before. For finding him 

 self, thanks be to God, to seek, in her majesty s go 

 vernment, of any just pretext in matter of state, 

 either of innovation, oppression, or any unworthi- 

 ness : as in all his former discontentments he had 

 gone the beaten path of traitors, turning their impu 

 tation upon counsellors, and persons of credit with 

 their sovereign ; so now he was forced to descend to 

 the pretext of a private quarrel, giving out this 

 speech, how that evening, when he should have been 

 called before the lords of the council, there was an 

 ambuscade of musketeers placed upon the water, by 

 the device of my lord Cobham and Sir Walter Ra 

 leigh, to have murdered him by the way as he passed : 

 a matter of no probability ; those persons having no 

 such desperate estates or minds, as to ruin them- 



