Ireland was as great ; and the object of his foreign diplomacy was the sam-e, to prevent Spain from gaining a mastery which would be fatal to England. But he followed the wisdom of his father too well ; his policy was wanting in originality and depth of insight ; and he has
left no mark upon history.During the reign of the queen he had entered into correspondence with James, upon whose accession he was reappointed to the post of Secretary of State and was raised, in successive years, to the dignities of baron of Essenden, Viscount Oanborne, and earl of Salisbury. In 1608, on the death of the earl of Dorset, he added the office of Lord High Treasurer to that of Secretary. Thus he was now at once chief adviser of the king as to home and foreign affairs, mediator between him and the parlia ment, and also the responsible manager of the finances of the kingdom. In the last capacity his work was by no means easy. It was vain to hope to moderate the royal extravagance ; his attempt to obtain from the Commons an increase of 200,000 to the royal income was unsuccessful ; and the chief financial measure which he carried out was an addition to the duties on imports. As Secretary, Cecil followed his father s example with regard to the Catholics, and wrote a Treatise against the Papists. His opposition to the growth of Spanish power was consistent, though he accepted a pension from the Spanish king, and refused to unite with France and the United Provinces to effect its utter overthrow.
Cecil has been much blamed for his conduct towards three of the greatest of his contemporaries. Of his cousin, Francis Bacon, he appears to have been jealous; in the noble qualities of the earl of Essex he saw nothing but a dangerous hotheadedness ; and probably his opinion was similar about Raleigh, who, though more of a politician, was usually as little inclined to be cautious or conciliatory. But all this argues no extraordinary baseness; he was merely wanting, by nature and through education, in breadth of sympathy. The assertion that he was the sole cause of all Raleigh s troubles is unfounded, and is, indeed, contra dicted by two facts : first, that on his trial Cecil more than once insisted that he should meet with all consideration, and should be allowed to urge all he could in his own defence; and, secondly, that it was after Cecil s death that the bitterest feeling against him was displayed, and that he was offered as a sacrifice to Spain. Besides his Treatise against the Papists, Cecil published an interesting work on The State and Dignity of a Secretary of State. His corre spondence with James I. was published by Lord Hailes in 17G6.
Richard Cecil, Master of the Robes to Henry VIII. After distinguishing himself at Cambridge, he entered Gray s Inn at twenty-one, and soon after obtained the rever sion of the office of custos brevium at the Court of Common Pleas. He increased his political influence by marriage, first with the sister of Sir John Cheke, and then with the daughter of Sir Anthony Cook ; and, at length, through friendship with the protector, Somerset, he became Secretary of State in 1548. After sharing the imprisonment of Somerset, his prudence and sagacity enabled him to regain his office under Northumberland. Yet, when Edward died, he contrived to escape the danger which threatened him on every side. He signed the instrument making over the crown to Lady Jane Grey, but only as a witness ; and he kept clear of religious difficulties by displaying no dislike to Catholicism. Indeed it is probable that he really felt little or none. He confessed, attended mass, took a priest into his house ; he escorted Cardinal Pole from Brussels, and cultivated his friendship. And, though he opposed the court party in parliament, and thus kept up hia connection with his old friends, his opposition was so moderate as to be perfectly safe. He maintained a constant correspondence with the Princess Elizabeth, and on the death of her sister at once prepared a proclamation declaring her queen. He was immediately appointed Secretary of State, and member of the Privy Council ; and from this time he was the foremost minister of the Crown. Foreign ambassadors often regarded him as the possessor of unbounded power, and as practically head of the Govern ment and ruler of the queen, but, in fact, his influence was not so supreme, nor his favour with Elizabeth so uniform. No man, indeed, could always guide that strong-willed monarch ; and Cecil had no ambition to be a mere favourite and tool. Though not an enthusiast, and though he never fought for a hopeless cause, he had far nobler aims than personal advancement. Though his statesmanship Jay not so much in a power of deep and rapid insight as in the possession of a mind patient to take account of the minutest points, and able to weigh all considerations impartially, he was capable of independent thought and firm decision, and his plans often conflicted with the incon stant intrigues of the queen. On such occasions he did not shrink from telling her that she was wrong ; he rebuked her stinginess and treachery, and he several times braved her passionate resentment. From her accession he was Secretary of State, and from 1572 he was Lord High Treasurer ; but his services brought him pecuniary loss, and he received no honours but the Mastership of the Court of Wards, the order of the Garter, and the barony con ferred upon him in 1571, after thirteen years of service. He was absolutely incorruptible. He refused to use or to sell the office of Royal Exchanger, though it would have brought him several hundred thousand pounds. Mendoza in vain tried to bribe him ; to Catherine of Medici s splendid offers he replied that he served none but his God, his mistress, and his country; and he refused to share in the gold of which Drake had robbed the Spaniards. Into the deeper passions of his time he did not enter. It is true that as his life advanced he grew more and more attached to the Protestant cause. He saw that his country had identified herself with that cause, and he was, besides, firmly opposed on political grounds to the pretensions of the Papacy. He appears, however, to have had no special devotion to any form of doctrine ; and he opposed the persecution of loyal Puritans and of loyal Catholics. When, indeed, either Catholic or Puritan became disloyal or other wise dangerous he lost all compunction. He hated and persecuted the Jesuits because they placed the Pope above the laws, but he twice took the trouble to explain to the world that this was the sole reason. He was affected with no inconvenient weakness of sympathy ; he could ruthlessly crush any one who seemed dangerous to the state. Essentially honest as he was, he scrupled at no espionage or treachery to gain the secrets of his enemies. His emissaries were everywhere. He kept Herle in the Marshalsea, examined him before the council, and threatened him with torture that the Catholic prisoners might believe him to be a martyr to their cause, and might intrust him with their plans ; and he made Bishop Parker appear in the guise of the Catholic Dr Story to take the confessions of a prisoner whom torture could not move. When his policy was opposed to Spain he did not scruple to get up demonstrations against the Spanish ambassador, and to cast into prison all the Spanish merchants in London. Plots against his own life never deprived him of his calm ness ; he watched De Quadra s conspirators quietly, day after day, though every day he knew they might attempt to murder him, and let them alone till he had gained all
the information to be got. Day after day Norfolk arid
