APPENDICES.
473
to be either thought of, or to be written by a prince, witli diverse fondballades of her own hand ; which letters, ballades, and other writingsbefore specified vveare closed in a litle coffer of silver and gilte, here-tofore geaven by her to Bothaille. The saide letters and ballades dodiscover such inordinate love betweene her and Bothaïlle , her looth-someness and abhorringe of her liusband that was murdered, in suchsorte as a verie good and godlie man can not but detest and abhorrethe saine. Andthese men heare do constantlie affirme tlie said letters,and other writings, which they produce of her own hand, to be herown hand indede, and do offer to swear and take their oaths tln re-upon, the inatteir conteined in them being such as could not be inventedor devised by anie other than by her selfe : for that they discourse ofsome things , which ware unluiowen to anie other, than to lierselfe andBothaille, and as it is hard to counterfitte so manie, so the matter ofthem and the manner how these men came by them is such as itseemeth, that god (in whose sight murder and bludshed of the innocentis abhominable) wold not permit the same to be hid or concealed »
Tous les trois la jugeaient coupable, si les lettres, comme on l’af-firmait et comme il y paraissait, d’après le contenu même, étaientécrites par elle. Ils les trouvaient suffisantes :
« To convince her of the détestable crime of the murder of her hus-band, which in our opinions and consciences, if the said letters bewritten with hcr own hand, is verie hard to be avoided a . »
Le même jour 11 octobre, le duc de Norfolk écrivit au comte dePembroke, qui était grand maître de la maison de la reine Élisa-beth , en lui donnant sa propre appréciation :
«... Yff the l'acte shall be thowght as détestable and manefeste toyou, as for owght we cane perceave ytt semethe liere to us 3 . »
Le duc de Norfolk ne fit pas seulement connaître son sentiment àcet égard par ses lettres, il l’exprima confidentiellement à Banister,l’un de ses plus intimes serviteurs. Il lui déclara qu’après l’examen
1 Lettre du duc de Norfolk, du comte de Sussex et de R. Sadler, à Elisabeth, du11 oct. 1568, dans Anderson, t. IV, part, n, p. 62, 63.
2 Ibid., p. 63.
3 Lettre du duc de Norfolk au comte de Pembroke, dans Anderson, t. IV,part. Il, p. 77.