the jury who tried him. The letter from Cardinal Como,
being produced in court, put Parry's narrative beyond all question;
and that criminal, having received sentence of death,[*] suffered the
punishment which the law appointed for his treasonable conspiracy.[**]
[19]

These bloody designs now appeared every where, as the result of that
bigoted spirit by which the two religions, especially the Catholic, were
at this time actuated. Somerville, a gentleman of the county of Warwick,
somewhat disordered in his understanding, had heard so much of the merit
attending the assassination of heretics and persecutors, that he came
to London with a view of murdering the queen; but having betrayed his
design by some extravagances, he was thrown into prison, and there
perished by a voluntary death.[***]

* State Trials, vol. i. p. 103, et seq. Strype, vol. iii. p.
255, et seq.

** See note S, at the end of the volume.

*** Camden, p. 495.

About the same time, Baltazar Gerard, a Burgundian, undertook and
executed the same design against the prince of Orange; and that great
man perished at Delft, by the hands of a desperate assassin, who, with
a resolution worthy of a better cause, sacrificed his own life, in order
to destroy the famous restorer and protector of religious liberty. The
Flemings, who regarded that prince as their father, were filled with
great sorrow, as well when they considered the miserable end of so brave
a patriot, as their own forlorn condition, from the loss of so powerful
and prudent a leader, and from the rapid progress of the Spanish arms.
The prince of Parma had made, every year great advances upon them, had
reduced several of the provinces to obedience, and had laid close siege
to Antwerp, the richest and most populous city of the Netherlands, whose
subjection, it was foreseen, would give a mortal blow to the already
declining affairs of the revolted provinces. The only hopes which
remained to them arose from the prospect of foreign succor. Being
well acquainted with the cautious and frugal maxims of Elizabeth, they
expected better success in France; and in the view of engaging Henry
to embrace their defence, they tendered him the sovereignty of their
provinces.

{1585.} But the present condition of that monarchy obliged the king to
reject so advantageous an offer. The duke of Anjou's death, which, he
thought would have tended to restore public tranquillity in delivering
him from