360 ARRAIGNMENTS OF BLUNT, DAVIS, &c. 



when they were once aloft, and had the queen in 

 their hands, and were peers in my lord of Essex his 

 parliament, who could promise of what mind they 

 would then be ? especially when my lord of Essex 

 at his arraignment had made defence of his first 

 action of imprisoning the privy counsellors, by pre 

 tence that he was inforced to it by his unruly com 

 pany. So that if themselves should not have had, 

 or would not seem to have had, that extreme and 

 devilish wickedness of mind, as to lay violent hands 

 upon the queen s sacred person ; yet, what must be 

 done to satisfy the multitude and secure their party, 

 must be then the question : wherein the example 

 was remembered of Richard the third, who, though 

 he were king in possession, and the rightful inheri 

 tors but infants, could never sleep quiet in his bed, 

 till they were made away. Much less would a Ca- 

 tilinary knot and combination of rebels, that did 

 rise without so much as the fume of a title, ever 

 endure, that a queen that had been their sovereign^ 

 and, had reigned so many years in such renown and 

 policy, should be longer alive than made for their 

 own turn. And much speech was used to the same 

 end. So that in the end all those three at the bar 

 said, that now they were informed, and that they 

 descended into a deeper consideration of the matter, 

 they were sorry they had not confessed the indict 

 ment. And sir Christopher Blunt, at the time of his 

 suffering, discharged his conscience in plain terms, 

 and said publicly before all the people, that he saw 

 plainly with himself, that if they could not have ob- 



