Marginalia1558.them, said: My Lordes (quoth she) I am glad to see you: for me thinke I haue bene kept a great while frō you desolatly alone. Wherfore I would desire you to bee a meane to the King and Queenes Maiesties, that I may be deliuered from prison, wherin I haue bene kept a long space, as to you my Lordes, it is not vnknowen.

MarginaliaLady Elizabeth requested by Winchester to submit her selfe to the Queenes mercy.When she had spoken, Steuen Gardiner the Bishop of Winchester kneeled downe, and requested that she would submit her selfe to the Queenes grace, and in so doyng he had no doubt but that her Maiestie would be good vnto her: she makyng aunswere that rather then she would so do, she would lye in prison all the dayes of her life, addyng that she craued no mercie at her Maiesties hand, but rather desired the law, if euer she did offend her Maiestie in thought, word, or deede: MarginaliaLady Elizabeth standeth to be tryed by the law.And besides this, in yelding (quoth she) I should speake against my selfe, and confesse my selfe to be an offender, which neuer was towardes her Maiestie: by occasion wherof the Kyng & the Queene might euer hereafter conceiue of me an ill opinion: And therfore I say my Lordes, it were better for me to lye in prison for the truth, then to be abroad & suspected of my Prince. And so they departed, promising to declare her message to þ^e Queene.

MarginaliaTalke againe betwen Winchester and Lady Elizabeth.On the next day, the Byshop of Winchester came agayne vnto her grace, and kneelyng downe declared that the Queene marueiled that she would so stoutly vse her selfe, not confessing to haue offended:MarginaliaLady Elizabeth denyeth to confesse any fault done to the Queene. so that it should seme the Queenes Maiestie wrongfully to haue imprisoned her grace.

Nay quoth the Lady Elizabeth, it please her to punishe me as she thinketh good.

Well quoth Gardiner, her Maiestie willeth me to tell you, that you must tell an other tale ere that you be set at libertie.

Her grace answered, that she had as liefe be in prison with honesty and truth, as to be abroad suspected of her Maiestie: and this that I haue sayd, I will (sayd she) stand vnto, for I will neuer bely my selfe.

Winchester agayne kneeled downe, and sayd: Then your grace hath the vauntage of me & other the Lordes for your long and wrong imprisonment.

What vauntage I haue (quoth she) you know, takyng God to record I seeke no vantage at your hands, for your so dealyng with me: but God forgeue you and me also. With that the rest kneeled, desiryng her grace that all might be forgotten, and so departed, she beyng fast locked vp agayne.

MarginaliaLady Elizabeth sent for to the Queene.A seuenight after the Queene sent for her grace at. x. of the clocke in the night, to speake with her: for she had not seene her in two yeares before. Yet for all that she was amased at the so sodaine sendyng for, thinkyng it had bene worse for her then afterwardes it proued, and desired her Gentlemē and Gentlewomen to pray for her, for that she could not tell whether euer she should see them againe or no. At which time Syr Henry Benifield with Mistres Clarencius cōming in, her grace was brought into the garden vnto a stayres foote that went into the Queenes lodgyng, her graces Gentlewomen waityng vpon her, her Gentleman Vsher and her Gromes goyng before with torches: where her Gentlemen and Gentlewomen beyng commaunded to stay all sauyng one woman, MarginaliaLady Elizabeth brought to the Queenes bed chamber.Mistres Clarencius conducted her to the Queenes bed chamber, where her Maiesty was. At the sight of whō her grace kneeled downe and desired God to preserue her Maiestie, not mistrustyng but that she should try her selfe as true a subiect towardes her Maiestie, as euer did any, and desired her Maiestie euen so to iudge of her: and sayd that she should not find her to the contrary, what so euer report otherwise had gone of her.

MarginaliaTalke betwene the Queene and Lady Elizabeth.To whom the Queene aunswered: you will not confesse your offense, but stād stoutly to your truth: I pray God it may so fall out.

If it doth not, quoth the Lady Elizabeth, I request neither fauour nor pardon at your Maiesties handes.

Well, sayd the Queene, you stifly still perseuere in your truth. Belike you will not confesse but that you haue bene wrongfully punished.

I must not say so (if it please your Maiesty) to you.

Why, thē (said the Queene) belike you wil to other.

No, if it please your Maiesty (quoth she) I haue borne the burden, and must beare it. I humbly besech your Maiestie to haue a good opinion of me, and to thinke me to be your true subiect, not onely from the begynnyng hetherto, but for euer, as long as lyfe lasteth: MarginaliaSmall comfort at þ^e Queenes hand toward her sister.and so they departed with very few comfortable wordes of the Queene, in English: but what she sayd in Spanish, God knoweth. It is thought that Kyng PhilipMarginaliaKing Phillip thought to be a frend to Lady Elizabeth. was there behind a cloth, and not seene, and that he shewed him selfe a very frend in that matter. &c.

MarginaliaLady Elizab. by Gods prouidence set at libertie.Thus her grace departyng, went to her lodgyng againe, & MarginaliaSyr Henry Benifield discharged.the seuenight after was released of Syr Henry Benifield her Gailor (as she termed him) and his souldiours, and so her grace being set at libertie frō imprisonment, went into the countrey, and had appointed to go with her Syr Thomas Pope, one of Queene Maries Counsellours, and one of her Gentlemen Vshers, M. Gage, and thus straitly was she looked to all Queene Maries tyme. And this is the discourse of her highnes imprisonment.

Then there came to Lamheyre, M. Iernyngham, and M. Norris Gentleman Vsher, Queene Maries men, who tooke away from her grace Mistres AshleyMarginaliaMistres Ashley sent to the Fleete. to the Fleete, Marginalia3. gentlewomen of Lady Elizabethes sent to the Tower.and. iij. other of her Gentlewomen to the Tower: which thing was no litle trouble to her grace, saying that she thought they would fetch all away at the end: but God be praysed, shortly after was fetched away Gardiner, MarginaliaNote the wonderfull working of the Lordes prouidence in sauing of Lady Elizabeth.through the mercyfull prouidence of the Lordes goodnes, by occasion of whose opportune deceasse (as is partly touched in thys story before, pag. 1951.) the lyfe of this excellent Princesse, the wealth of all England, was preserued. For this is credibly to be supposed, that the sayd wicked Gardiner of Winchester had lōg labored his wits, and to this onely most principall marke bent all his deuises, to bryng this our happy and deare soueraigne out of the way, as both by his wordes & doinges before notified, may sufficiently appeare.

MarginaliaLady Elizab. deliuered by the death of Steuen Gardiner.But such was the gratious and fauorable prouidence of the Lord, to the preseruation not onely of her Royall Maiestie, but also of the miserable and wofull state of this whole Iland & poore subiectes of the same, wherby the proud platformes & peuish practises of this wretched Achitophel preuailed not, but contrariwise both he, and all the snares and trappes of his pernicious counsell layd agaynst an other, were turned to a net to catch him selfe, accordyng to the Prouerbe: Malum consilium consultori pessimum.  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Varro, Res Rusticae, 3. 2. 1.

Foxe text Latin

Malum consilium consultori pessimum

Foxe text translation

Not translated.

Translation (Wade 2004)

Bad advice is very bad for a counsellor

Actual text of Varro, Res Rusticae, 3. 2. 1

candidati tabella dimidiata aedificemus nobis? Opinor, inquam, non solum, quod dicitur,
malum consilium consultori est pessimum, sed etiam bonum consilium,
qui consulit et qui consulitur, bonum habendum.

[cf. A. Otto, 1890, p. 90]

MarginaliaHow the Lord here beganne to worke for Lady Elizabeth.After the death of this Gardiner, folowed the death also and droppyng away of other her enemies, wherby by litle and litle her ieopardy decreased, feare diminished, hope of comfort began to appeare as out of a darke cloude: and albeit as yet her grace had no full assuraunce of perfect safety, yet more gentle intertainment dayly did grow vnto her, till at lēgth in þ^e moneth of Nouember, and xvij. day of the same, three yeares after þ^e death of Steuen Gardiner, followed the death of Queene Mary, as hereafter God grauntyng shalbe more declared.

MarginaliaA note of a story declaring the malignant hartes of the Papistes toward Lady Elizabeth.Although this history followyng be not directly apparteining to the former matter, yet the same may here not vnaptly be inserted, for that it doth discouer & shew forth the malicious hartes of the Papistes toward this vertuous Queene our soueraigne Lady in the tyme of Queene Mary her sister, which is reported, as a truth credibly told by sondry honest persons, of whom some are yet aliue & do testifie the same. The matter wherof is this. Soone after the sturre of Wyat and the troubles that happened to this Queene for that cause: it for-