Politics & government > Life of Sir Walter Raleigh

TO THE TRIAL OP RALEIGH.
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must prove me a notorious traitor or a true subject to
the king. But first let me see my accusation, that I
may make my answer.” The declaration of Lord Cob-
ham was then shown ; after which he thus proceeded :
—“ I will show you my answer to this, and how this ac¬
cusation of my Lord Cobham arises. I was examined
before my lords of the privy-council at Windsor touching
the Surprising Treason,* and also of the Lord Cobham’s
practices with Aremberg, from all which God knows I
was free, for I never was privy to any of them ; and as
concerning plotting for the Lady Arabella, I protest
before God, at that time I never heard one word ot
it! It is true that in my examination I told the lords
I knew of no plots between Aremberg and Cobham ;
but afterwards I wrote to my Lord Cecil that I sus¬
pected Lord Cobham had intelligence with Aremberg.
* * I suspected his visiting of him from this: that
after he departed from me at Durham House, I saw
him pass by his own stairs and cross over to St Mary
Saviour’s, where I knew La Rensy, a merchant and
follower of Aremberg, lay. I gave intimation of this
by letter to the lords; but I was requested by Lord
Cecil not to speak of this, because the king at the first
coming of Count Aremberg would not give him occasion
of suspicion. Wherefore I wrote to the Lord Cecil that
if La Rensy were not secured the matter would not be
discovered, for he would fly ; yet if he were then appre¬
hended, it would give matter of suspicion to my Lord
Cobham. This letter of mine being afterwards shown
to the Lord Cobham, he thought I had discovered (and
betrayed) his dealing with Aremberg, and immediately
entered into a rage against me, and accused me; but
before he came to the stair-foot he repented, and as I
heard, acknowledged he had done me wrong. When he
came to the end of his accusation, he added, that if he
had brought this money to Jersey, he feared I would
* The plot of Brooke, Grey, Markham, and the priests, to
surprise the king, went by this name. It was also sometimes
called the Bye.