For Essex had now indeed abandoned himself to desperate courses. Seeing no more of Anthony Bacon, he listened only to the suggestions of his mother and Penelope Rich, to the loud anger of Sir Christopher Blount, and to the ruthless counsel of Henry Cuffe. Though Mountjoy had abandoned him, he still carried on a correspondence with the King of Scotland, and still hoped that from that direction deliverance might come. Early in the new year, (1601), he wrote to James, asking him to send an envoy1 to London, who should concert with him upon a common course of action. And James, this time, agreed; he ordered the Earl of Mar2 to proceed to England, while he sent Essex a letter of encouragement. The letter arrived before the ambassador; and Essex preserved it in a small black leather purse, which he wore concealed3 about his neck.
The final explosion quickly followed. The Earl’s partisans4 were seething5 with enthusiasm, fear, and animosity. Wild rumours6 were afloat among them, which they disseminated8 through the City. The Secretary, it was declared, was a friend to the Spaniards; he was actually intriguing9 for the Spanish Infanta to succeed to the Crown of England. But more dangerous still was the odious10 Raleigh. Everyone knew that that man’s ambition had no scruples11, that he respected no law, either human or divine; and he had sworn — so the story flew from mouth to mouth — to kill the Earl with his own hand, if there was no other way of getting rid of him. But perhaps the Earl’s enemies had so perverted12 the mind of the Queen that such violent measures were unnecessary. During the first week of February the rumour7 rose that he was to be at once committed to the Tower. Essex himself perhaps believed it; he took counsel with his intimates; and it seemed to them that it would be rash to wait any longer for the arrival of Mar; that the time had come to strike, before the power of initiative was removed from them. But what was to be done? Some favoured the plan of an attack upon the Court, and a detailed13 scheme was drawn14 up, by which control was to be secured over the person of the Queen with a minimum of violence. Others believed that the best plan would be to raise the City in the Earl’s favour; with the City behind them, they could make certain of overawing the Court. Essex could decide upon nothing; still wildly wavering, it is conceivable that, even now, he would have indefinitely postponed15 both projects and relapsed into his accustomed state of hectic16 impotence if something had not happened to propel him into action.
That something bears all the marks of the gentle genius of Cecil. With unerring instinct the Secretary saw that the moment had now arrived at which it would be well to bring matters to an issue; and accordingly he did so. It was the faintest possible touch. On the morning of Saturday, February 7th, a messenger arrived from the Queen at Essex House, requiring the Earl to attend the Council. That was enough. To the conspirators17 it seemed obvious that this was an attempt to seize upon the Earl, and that, unless they acted immediately, all would be lost. Essex refused to move; he sent back a message that he was too ill to leave his bed; his friends crowded about him; and it was determined19 that the morrow should see the end of the Secretary’s reign20.
The Queen herself — who could be so base or so mad as to doubt it?— was to remain inviolate21. Essex constantly asserted it; and yet there were some, apparently22, among that rash multitude, who looked, even upon the divine Gloriana, with eyes that were profane23. There was a singular episode on that Saturday afternoon. Sir Gilly Merrick, one of the most fiery24 of the Earl’s adherents25, went across the river with a group of his friends, to the players at Southwark. He was determined, he said, that the people should see that a Sovereign of England could be deposed26, and he asked the players to act that afternoon the play of “Richard the Second.” The players demurred27: the play was an old one, and they would lose money by its performance. But Sir Gilly insisted; he offered them forty shillings if they would do as he wished; and on those terms the play was acted. Surely a strange circumstance! Sir Gilly must have been more conversant28 with history than literature; for how otherwise could he have imagined that the spectacle of the pathetic ruin of Shakespeare’s minor29 poet of a hero could have nerved any man on earth to lift a hand, in actual fact, against so oddly different a ruler?
The Government, aware of everything, took its precautions, and on Sunday morning the guards were doubled at Whitehall. Sir Charles Davers went there early to reconnoitre, and returned with the news that it was no longer possible to surprise the Court; he recommended the Earl to escape secretly from London, to make his way into Wales, and there raise the standard of revolt. Sir Christopher Blount was for immediate18 action, and his words were strengthened by the ever-increasing crowd of armed men, who, since daybreak, had been pouring into the courtyard of Essex House. Three hundred were collected there by ten o’clock, and Essex was among them, when there was a knocking at the gate. The postern was opened, and four high dignitaries — the Lord Keeper, the Earl of Worcester, Sir William Knollys, and the Lord Chief Justice — made their appearance. Their servants were kept out, but they themselves were admitted. They had come, said Egerton, from the Queen, to inquire the cause of this assembly, and to say that if it arose through any grief against any persons whatsoever30 all complaints should be heard and justice be given. The noise and tumult31 were so great that conversation was impossible, and Essex asked the stately but agitated32 envoys33 to come up with him into his library. They did so, but hardly had they reached the room when the crowd burst in after them. There were cries of “Kill them! kill them!” and others of “Shop them up!” The Earl was surrounded by his shouting and gesticulating followers34. He tried to speak, but they interrupted him. “Away, my Lord, they abuse you; they betray you; they undo35 you; you lose time!” He was powerless among them, and, while the Lords of the Council vainly adjured36 them to lay down their arms and depart in peace, he found himself swept towards the door. He bade Egerton and the others stay where they were; he would return ere long, he cried out, and go with them to the Queen. Then he was out of the room, and the door was shut and locked on the Councillors; they were “shopped up.” Down the stairs and into the courtyard streamed the frenzied37 mob. And then the great gates were opened and they all rushed out into the street. But even now, at this last moment, there was hesitation38. Where were they to go? “To the Court! To the Court!” cried some, and all waited upon Essex. But he, with a sudden determination, turned towards the City. To the City, then, it was to be. But there were no horses for such a multitude; they must all walk. The Strand39 lay before them, and down the Strand they hurried, brandishing40 their weapons. In front of all strode the tall black figure of Sir Christopher Blount. “Saw! Saw! Saw! Saw! Tray! Tray!” he shouted, seeking with wild gestures and incoherent exclamations41 to raise up London for the Earl.
The insurgents42 entered the City by Lud Gate; but the Government had been beforehand with them. Word had been sent to the preachers to tell the citizens to keep themselves within doors, armed, until further orders; and the citizens obeyed. Why should they do otherwise? The Earl was their hero; but they were loyal subjects of the Queen. They were quite unprepared for this sudden outbreak; they could not understand the causes of it; and then the news reached them that the Earl had been proclaimed a traitor43; and the awful word and the ghastly penalties it carried with it struck terror into their souls. By noon Essex and his band were at Saint Paul’s, and there was no sign of any popular movement. He walked onward44, crying aloud as he went that there was a plot to murder him, and that the Crown had been sold to the Spanish Infanta. But it was useless; there was no response; not a creature joined him. Those who were in the street stood still and silent, while perplexed45 and frightened faces peered out at him from doors and windows on either side. He had hoped to make a speech at Paul’s Cross, but in such an atmosphere a set oration46 was clearly impossible; and besides, his self-confidence had now utterly47 gone. As he walked on down Cheapside, all men could see that he was in desperation; the sweat poured from his face, which was contorted in horror; he knew it at last — he was ruined — his whole life had crashed to pieces in this hideous48 fiasco.
In Gracechurch Street he entered the house of one of his friends, Sheriff Smith, upon whose support he reckoned. But the Sheriff, though sympathetic, was not disloyal, and he withdrew, on the pretext49 of consulting the Lord Mayor. After refreshing50 himself a little, Essex emerged, to find that many of his followers had slipped away, while the forces of the Government were gathering51 against him. He determined to return to his house; but at Lud Gate he found that the way was blocked. The Bishop52 of London and Sir John Leveson had collected together some soldiers and well-disposed citizens, and had stretched some chains across the narrow entry. The rebels charged, and were repelled53. Sir Christopher was wounded; a page was killed; and some others were mortally injured. Essex turned down to the river. There he took boat, and rowed to Essex House, which he entered by the water-gate. The Councillors, he found, had been set free, and had returned to Whitehall. Having hurriedly destroyed a mass of incriminating papers, including the contents of the black leather purse about his neck, he proceeded to barricade54 the house. Very soon the Queen’s troops, headed by the Lord Admiral, were upon him; artillery55 was brought up, and it was clear that resistance was useless. After a brief parley56, Essex surrendered at discretion57, and was immediately conveyed to the Tower.
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1
envoy
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| n.使节，使者，代表，公使 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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partisans
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| 游击队员( partisan的名词复数 )； 党人； 党羽； 帮伙 | |
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seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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disseminated
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| 散布，传播( disseminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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intriguing
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| adj.有趣的；迷人的v.搞阴谋诡计(intrigue的现在分词)；激起…的好奇心 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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postponed
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| vt.& vi.延期，缓办，（使）延迟vt.把…放在次要地位；[语]把…放在后面（或句尾）vi.（疟疾等）延缓发作（或复发） | |
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hectic
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| adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的 | |
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conspirators
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| n.共谋者，阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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inviolate
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| adj.未亵渎的，未受侵犯的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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adherents
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| n.支持者，拥护者( adherent的名词复数 )；党羽；徒子徒孙 | |
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deposed
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| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conversant
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| adj.亲近的，有交情的，熟悉的 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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envoys
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| 使节( envoy的名词复数 )； 公使； 谈判代表； 使节身份 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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adjured
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| v.（以起誓或诅咒等形式）命令要求( adjure的过去式和过去分词 )；祈求；恳求 | |
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frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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insurgents
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| n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
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traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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44
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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oration
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| n.演说，致辞，叙述法 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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49
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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50
refreshing
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| adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的 | |
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51
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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52
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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53
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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54
barricade
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| n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住 | |
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55
artillery
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| n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队) | |
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56
parley
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| n.谈判 | |
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57
discretion
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| n.谨慎；随意处理 | |
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