Series 3 > Mary Queen of Scots and the Babington plot

126 MARY STUART AND THE BABTNGTON PLOT
certainly have read it in the worst sense. The critical passage in
Gifford’s letter runs as follows :—
‘ || (The Amh.) by 5927 (Lilly) exhorted greatly H (? the present writer)
to u (? kill) S (the Queen of England) with great promises. X (Gifford)
answered that he would never offend her.’
1. The ciphers are not facsimiles, but roughly represent their shapes.
2. Phelippes’s decipherment of u is very obscure ; he has none of H ;
but the rest are clear.
3. It is strange that this document, which is supposed to have been
sent by Stafford to Walsingham against Phelippes, should have
decipherments in Phelippes’s hand.
4. Of course the whole document might be a forgery by Lilly against
Gilbert.
5. As the evidence now stands, Stafford sent in the document, and
says he was furnished with the key to read it. No doubt there¬
fore that (though he treats the insult as unmentionable), he
knew it well, and took it in the worst sense.
§ 4. In Prison, 3/13 December 1587 to [? November] 1591.
Correspondence,—The pieces are again mostly in Domestic Elizabeth. From
Gifford [’December 1587], ccviii. 90; January 1588, ccviii. 4, 5, 11, 20, 21;
February, .ccviii. 48, 57, Addenda MS., xxx. 78; July, ccxii. 54; August,
Hatfield Calendar, iii. 346; September, eexv. 69 [? 1588]; ccxvii. 81; December,
ccxix. 13. From Phelippes, ccviii. 54; July, ccxii. 72.
All Gilbert’s papers were now seized, including his alphabet, which
he was using in drder to write to Phelippes. One or two earlier letters
had been intercepted before : Paget and Morgan knew that he had pro¬
posed to kidnap or murder them, and the Ambassador was infuriated at
seeing that Gifford had probably charged him with plotting against the
Queen’s life, and that Phelippes had certainly employed such a ‘ double
treble villain’ to watch him. He wrote :
‘ His confession (for I see he will confess anything that is, and more
than is) may give subject to the enemies of her Majesty to procure a
scandalous opinion to be conceived of her and of her Council. For they
mean to turn a letter or two, but especially one of Phelippes to him to
prove that he was the setter on of the gentlemen, that were executed
for that enterprise of the Queen of Scots, and then to discover them.
Also that he was practised to this by you and Phelippes, and withal they
would fain have it,—with her Majesty’s knowledge. . . .
i: He hath showed himself the most notable double treble villain that
ever lived, for he hath played upon all the hands in the world. I have
sent you the copy of his answers, whereby you may see how vilely he
dealt with me,’ etc. etc. (Addenda Calendar, p. 233).
The letter of his to Phelippes ‘ proving that he was the setter on of
the gentlemen that were executed for the enterprise of the Queen of