ion of
information, as the first step was about to be taken. Fifty thousand
pounds were in the treasury: to embarrass the court, and to provide
the insurrection with funds, a party of four or five--Rosey, keeper of
the Star Chamber, Heneage, an officer of the Chapel Royal, a man named
Derick, and one or two others--were chosen to carry off the money.
Before the enterprise could be undertaken, Thomas White--perhaps one
of the five, in alarm at the danger--communicated with the council;
and on the 18th of March, Throgmorton, Peckham, Daniel, Rosey, and
twelve or fourteen others, were seized suddenly, and sent to the
Tower. Dudley was traced to Southampton; he was himself beyond
pursuit, but Uvedale was discovered, and brought to London; Kingston
was sent for, but died on his way up from Wales, probably by his own
hand, in despair.

[Footnote 562: Wotton to the Queen: _French MSS._,
bundle 13.]

Information was, of course, the great object of the court; and they
would shrink from nothing which would enable them to extort
confessions. The prisoners knew what was before them, and prepared
themselves according to their courage.

Throgmorton, when locked into the room which was allotted to him in
the Tower, found that Derick was in the chamber underneath. He
loosened a board in the floor, and "required him that, in any case, he
should not be the destruction of others besides himself;" "for look,"
Throgmorton said, "how many thou dost accuse, so many thou dost
wilfully murder."

Derick, it seems, was already thinking whether he could not, perhaps,
save his own life. None of the party as yet knew how much of their
secret had been discovered, or the value, therefore, which the
government would place upon a full confession.

"He would do nothing," Derick answered, "but that which {p.267} God
had appointed; and if God would that he should do it, there was no
remedy."

When a man has made up his mind that it is God's will that he should
be a rogue, he has small chance of recovering himself. Throgmorton
tried to reason him into manliness, and thought he had succeeded.
Derick even promised to "abide the torture," "whereupon Master
Throgmorton did sup his porridge to him, in token of his truth." But
the torture was used or threatened, and Derick did not "abide" it;
promises of pardon were also used, which the prisoners knew to mean
nothing, and yet were worked on by them.[563]