and the Queen of Scots, in a letter written to Elizabeth from Sheffield in November 1584, roundly taxes her with the fact. Mary's information was, however, derived only from Lady Shrewsbury, and there is no substantial ground for supposing that it was accurate (Strype, fol. Parker, ii. 356; Nicolas, pp. 13–30, 275; Labanoff, Lettres de Marie Stuart, vi. 51, 52; Froude, History of England, xi. 2–3). Hatton was probably in London in October 1573, when Hawkins, the celebrated seaman, was mistaken for him, and stabbed in the street by one Burchet, a puritan fanatic, who had vowed to take Hatton's life as an ‘enemy to the gospel.’ Elizabeth was hardly restrained from issuing a commission to try Burchet by martial law. In 1575 Elizabeth settled on Hatton an annuity of 400l., and gave him Corfe Castle in Dorsetshire. The Bishop of Ely had granted Hatton a lease of Ely Place for twenty-one years. Hatton coveted the fee-simple, and persuaded Elizabeth to write the bishop a letter requiring him to alienate it, and, according to the traditional but probably unauthentic version, threatening to ‘unfrock’ him if he did not. The bishop expostulated in his best latinity, but a letter from Lord North intimating that the queen meant exactly what she said brought him to reason (20 Nov. 1576). In 1577 the house was further secured to Hatton by royal grant. In July 1578 Hatton attended the queen on her progress to Audley End, celebrated by Gabriel Harvey in his ‘Χαῖρη, vel Gratulatio Valdinensis,’ the fourth book of which is dedicated to the Earl of Oxford, Hatton, and Sir Philip Sidney. About the same time Hatton obtained several fresh grants of land, and on 11 Nov. he was appointed vice-chamberlain of the queen's household, with a seat in the privy council. On 1 Dec. he was knighted at Windsor (Strype, Parker, fol. ii. 449; Strype, Ann. fol. ii. pt. i. 288, 338, 360, 365, pt. ii. 558; Nichols, Progr. Eliz. ii. 110, iii. 41; Dr. Dee, Diary, Camd. Soc., p. 4; Nicolas, pp. 36, 38).
Hatton represented Higham Ferrers in parliament in 1571, and Northamptonshire in the following year. At first he was a silent member, but gradually took an important part in politics. He was forward in the prosecution of Stubbes, the author of a book against the projected marriage of the queen with the Duke of Anjou. In 1580 he was appointed keeper of the manor of Pleasaunce in Kent, and one of the commissioners for the increase and breed of horses, and he was one of the commissioners appointed in April 1581 to treat with the envoys from the king of France concerning the French match. Up to this time he had seemed to favour the project, but on the appearance of the duke both he and Walsingham ‘fretted,’ says Camden, ‘as if the queen, the realm, and religion were now undone;’ and when Elizabeth at Greenwich gave the duke (22 Nov.) a ring in the presence of Mauvissière, Hatton came to her and with tears in his eyes besought her to reflect (Nicolas, pp. 43 et seq., 139–42, 167, 212; Camden, Ann. Eliz., ed. 1615, i. 320–3; Cal. State Papers, Dom. 1547–80, p. 685; Froude, Hist. of England, xi. 446–54). Sir Walter Raleigh was at this time rising into favour with the queen, and Hatton saw fit to exhibit jealousy of him, sending her (1582) some foolish tokens and a reproachful letter. A full account of this curious episode is given in Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas's ‘Life of Hatton.’ Hatton was returned to parliament for Northamptonshire in 1584, and retained the seat at the election of 1586. Having lost the queen's favour he withdrew from court early in 1584, and sulked at Holdenby until Elizabeth condescended to write him two letters desiring his return. He had early become the recognised mouthpiece of the queen in the House of Commons. In this capacity he communicated to the house on 12 March 1575 Elizabeth's desire for the release of Peter Wentworth, who had been committed to the Tower for a speech in defence of free speech, and on 24 Jan. 1581 her disapproval of an ‘apparent contempt’ committed by the house in appointing a public fast to be held at the Temple Church without taking her pleasure (Parl. Hist. i. 802, 812). On the passing of the bill against jesuits and seminary priests (21 Dec. 1584), Hatton read a prayer for the preservation of her majesty's person from their machinations. He also took a leading part in the prosecution of Parry, the only member who ventured to oppose this bill, who confessed having been long engaged in plots against the queen, and was executed in Palace Yard on 2 March 1584–1585 (Nicolas, p. 408; Cobbett, State Trials, i. 1095–1111). He was a member of both the commissions which in September 1586 tried Anthony Babington [q. v.] and others for their conspiracy in favour of Mary Queen of Scots, and showed much animation during the proceedings. ‘Is this,’ he said to Ballard, ‘thy religio Catholica? nay, rather it is diabolica’ (ib. 1127–40). He was also one of the Fotheringay commission which tried the Queen of Scots in the following October, and it was he who persuaded her in her own interest to submit to the jurisdiction of the court (Camden, Ann. Eliz., ed. 1615, i. 420).
After sentence had been pronounced (5 Nov.) he hurried to London, and in the
