ous, as Burnet insinuates, on political grounds that his niece
should be made away with. Such accusations are easily brought,
especially when unsupported by evidence. She was unpopular from her
manner. The London merchants looked on her with no favour as having
caused a breach in the alliance with Flanders, and the duke was an
imperialist and at heart a friend of Queen Catherine; but he had grown
old in the service of the state with an unblemished reputation; and he
felt too keenly the disgrace which Anne's conduct had brought upon her
family, to have contrived a scheme for her removal at once so awkward
and so ignominious.[562] On her examination, she declared herself
innocent; the details of what passed are unknown; only she told Sir
William Kingston that she was cruelly handled at Greenwich with the
king's council; "and that the Duke of Norfolk, in answer to her defence,
had said, 'Tut, tut, tut,' shaking his head three or four times."[563]
The other prisoners were then examined; not Brereton, it would seem,
but Smeton, who must have been brought down from the Tower, and Sir
Henry Norris, and Sir Francis Weston, two young courtiers, who had both
of them been the trusted friends of the king. Each day the shadow was
stretching further. The worst was yet to come.

[Sidenote: May 2. Tuesday. Smeton confesses, and Norris, who afterwards,
however, withdraws from what he has said.]

On being first questioned, these three made general admissions, but
denied resolutely that any actual offence had been committed. On being
pressed further and cross-examined, Smeton confessed to actual
adultery.[564] Norris hesitated: being pressed, however, by Sir William
Fitzwilliam to speak the truth, he also made a similar acknowledgment,
although he afterwards withdrew from what he had said.[565] Weston
persisted in declaring himself innocent. The result was unsatisfactory,
and it was thought that it would "much touch the king's honour" if the
guilt of the accused was not proved more clearly. "Only Mark," Sir
Edward Baynton said, would confess "of any actual thing"[566]; although
he had no doubt "the other two" were "as fully culpable as ever was he."
They were, however, for the present, recommitted to the Tower; whither
also in the afternoon the council conducted the queen, and left her in
the custody of Sir William Kingston.

[Sidenote: The queen, in the afternoon, is taken to the Tower.]

[Sidenote: She protests her innocence, and beg