398 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 6& brother, Sir John, being required to take an oath after the coming in of the Jesuit's, and being unable to com- ply, had forfeited an office which he held in Cheshire, and had thereupon become malcontent with the rest of his family. Sir John's second son, Thomas, was with Charles Paget at Paris, and, as has been seen, had come over with him into Sussex in September. Francis, the eldest, had also spent a year or two on the Continent, and had been, among other places, at Madrid, where he had discussed the invasion of England with Englefield. His father, to whom he wrote, ' seeing no probability of success, had dissuaded him from further meddling.' On his way home he had met Morgan in Paris, who, seeing that he was of the right metal, had admitted him to share the honours and the dangers of the great conspir- acy. He had a house in London at Paul's Wharf, to which he returned, and became the medium through which Morgan communicated with the Queen of Scots, and the Queen of Scots with Mendoza. The secret police observed him frequently leaving the Spanish am- bassador's house. He was watched. Other suspicious circumstances were noted, and an order was issued to seize his person and search his rooms. When the con- stables entered he was in the act of ciphering a letter to Mary Stuart. He darted up a staircase, destroying the paper on his way. He had time to entrust a casket of compromising letters to a maid- servant, who carried them to Mendoza. But a list was found of the Catholic English confederates, plans of harbours sketched by Charles Paget, and described as suitable for the landing
