Series 3 > Mary Queen of Scots and the Babington plot

xxxviii MARY STUART AND THE BABINGTON PLOT
the all-powerful Cecil family, and died a successful and an
honoured man, in this world’s estimate.1
In April 1583, however, as in 1586, he was in difficulties
with the police. One Nix, a noted highwayman of those
days, had broken prison, and Gifford was implicated in
the affair. He therefore found it advisable to cross over
to the Continent, where he occupied himself in a bold
speculation. He applied at the beginning of May, to the
Duke of Guise, for a large sum of money, which he asked
to have locked up, and the key delivered into his possession,
until he should assassinate Elizabeth.
Before many days had passed, the worthlessness of
Gifford became known, and his project was rejected. But
at first, alas ! it was tolerated ; such was the demoralisa¬
tion which I attribute to the Ban, and to the wars of
religion. The Duke’s father had been assassinated by
the Protestants, and this murder had exercised an evil
influence over the son, a brilliant soldier, who might in
better times have been a national hero. His first impulse
was to accept, and he communicated the plan to the
ambassador of Spain and to the Papal Nuncio, and both, it
must be confessed, gave ear to the proposal with the most
reprehensible calmness. They were not asked to approve
the project, only to take advantage of it, and to be ready
for the dibdcle which it was hoped would follow. They
had the decency to appear a little ashamed of the project,
but in effect they raised no objection. They communi¬
cated the plans, not indeed to their masters, but to their
respective Secretaries of State, who in their turns took
the news as calmly as Cecil did, when he read that of the
impending murder of Rizzio; as quietly as Elizabeth
when suggesting to Poulet the advantage of ridding her of
1 See The Giffards, by Major-Gen. the Hon. George Wrottesley, 1902,
who however shows little grasp of the Babington plot period.