d I don't know what. Still, we must always remember that they lived
near and close to awful realities of that kind, and that with their
experience it was not difficult to believe in any enormity. The
government had the same fear, and did not take the best means of
discovering the truth--for, besides torturing the suspected, it employed
paid spies, who will always lie for their own profit. It even made some
of the conspiracies it brought to light, by sending false letters to
disaffected people, inviting them to join in pretended plots, which they
too readily did.

But, one great real plot was at length discovered, and it ended the
career of Mary, Queen of Scots. A seminary priest named BALLARD, and a
Spanish soldier named SAVAGE, set on and encouraged by certain French
priests, imparted a design to one ANTONY BABINGTON--a gentleman of
fortune in Derbyshire, who had been for some time a secret agent of
Mary's--for murdering the Queen. Babington then confided the scheme to
some other Catholic gentlemen who were his friends, and they joined in it
heartily. They were vain, weak-headed young men, ridiculously confident,
and preposterously proud of their plan; for they got a gimcrack painting
made, of the six choice spirits who were to murder Elizabeth, with
Babington in an attitude for the centre figure. Two of their number,
however, one of whom was a priest, kept Elizabeth's wisest minister, SIR
FRANCIS WALSINGHAM, acquainted with the whole project from the first. The
conspirators were completely deceived to the final point, when Babington
gave Savage, because he was shabby, a ring from his finger, and some
money from his purse, wherewith to buy himself new clothes in which to
kill the Queen. Walsingham, having then full evidence against the whole
band, and two letters of Mary's besides, resolved to seize them.
Suspecting something wrong, they stole out of the city, one by one, and
hid themselves in St. John's Wood, and other places which really were
hiding places then; but they were all taken, and all executed. When they
were seized, a gentleman was sent from Court to inform Mary of the fact,
and of her being involved in the discovery. Her friends have complained
that she was kept in very hard and severe custody. It does not appear
very likely, for she was going out a hunting that very morning.

Queen Elizabeth had been warned long ago, by one in France who had good
information of what was secretly doing, that i