118 



Some Notice of William Herbert, 



spice plate with a cover, given to the Queen her Majestie by Mr. 

 John Astley, Master and Treasurer of her Jewels and Plate, 31 oz.; 

 and one guilt cup with a cover 18J oz." This bowl, presented by 

 Astley, is mentioned as "given to the Earl of Pembroke eodem die/ 

 At the same time the Countess of Pembroke offered " a cherry bag 

 of erymson satten with £15 in new angells ; 33 and received from 

 the queen, " oone guilt cup with a cover 27 J oz." 1 



In the earlier years of Elizabeth's reign Pembroke seems to have 

 acted a good deal with Cecil, with whom he held strong views in 

 favour of reformation in religion. When the queen sent Cecil to 

 Scotland in May, 1660, to make a treaty of peace with the French, 

 he went unwillingly, not knowing what influences might be brought 

 to bear on Elizabeth during his absence. Sir Henry Killigrew 

 writes, " Pembroke, Clinton, and Norfolk were true to him, but 

 other friends had he none ; I know that none can love their country 

 better than Mr. Cecil : I would the Queen's Majesty could love it 

 so well." The treaty having been signed, Lord Clinton writes to 

 Cecil, that <( no better service had ever been done to England ; Lord 

 Pembroke is your very good friend. Touching the matter of 

 Scotland, he remaineth firm and sure as in the beginning without 

 change or alteration, and hath hitherto stayed his going from the 

 court until he might hear of a final order of the matter of your 

 commissioner, which now he heareth to be such as is much to his 

 contentation." At the foot of the letter Pembroke adds his sig- 

 nature to that of Clinton, who must have shewn Pembroke what he 

 had written. The Scots were anxious to supplement this treaty by 

 inducing Elizabeth to marry the Earl of x\rran, and so counteract 

 the French Catholic interest centred in Mary Stuart; the com- 

 missioners sent from Scotland for this purpose were entertained with 

 marked hospitality by Pembroke and Bedford, who, with all their 

 friends, looked on this proposed marriage as a necessity. 



Pembroke himself was laid up with a serious illness at this time. 

 In June, 1560, Lord Robert Dudley writes to the Earl of Essex to 

 that effect, " The Erie of Pembroke is at Hendon, and as yet dare 

 not his physicians assure his recovery." 



1 Nichols's Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, vol. i., p. 108. 



