d to above
twenty persons, had been religiously kept during the space of near a
year and a half. No remorse, no pity, no fear of punishment, no hope
of reward, had as yet induced any one conspirator either to abandon the
enterprise, or make a discovery of it. The holy fury had extinguished
in their breast every other motive; and it was an indiscretion at last,
proceeding chiefly from these very bigoted prejudices and partialities,
which saved the nation.

Ten days before the meeting of parliament, Lord Monteagle, a Catholic,
son to Lord Morley, received the following letter, which had been
delivered to his servant by an unknown hand: "My Lord,--Out of the love
I bear to some of your friends, I have a care of your preservation.
Therefore I would advise you, as you tender your life, to devise some
excuse to shift off your attendance at this parliament For God and man
have concurred to punish the wickedness of this time. And think not
slightly of this advertisement; but retire yourself into your country,
where you may expect the event in safety. For though there be no
appearance of any stir, yet, I say, they will receive a terrible blow
this parliament, and yet they shall not see who hurts them. This counsel
is not to be contemned, because it may do you good, and can do you no
harm: for the danger is past as soon as you have burned the letter. And
I hope God will give you the grace to make good use of it, unto whose
holy protection I commend you."[*]

* King James's Works, p. 227.

Monteagle knew not what to make of this letter; and though inclined to
think it a foolish attempt to frighten and ridicule him, he judged
it safest to carry it to Lord Salisbury, secretary of state. Though
Salisbury, too, was inclined to pay little attention to it, he thought
proper to lay it before the king, who came to town a few days after.
To the king it appeared not so light a matter; and from the serious,
earnest style of the letter, he conjectured that it implied something
dangerous and important A "terrible blow," and yet "the authors
concealed;" a danger so "sudden," and yet so "great;" these
circumstances seemed all to denote some contrivance by gun powder; and
it was thought advisable to inspect all the vaults below the houses of
parliament. This care belonged to the earl of Suffolk, lord chamberlain,
who purposely delayed the search till the day before the meeting of
parliament. He remarked those great piles of wood and fagot