owing to the discovery of his liaison with Elizabeth Throckmorton (who became his wife), and had consequently had to give up the command of the expedition to Frobisher. But when his crews returned and heard that he was in prison, their wrath was unbounded, and it became necessary to send him down to pacify them. Cecil notes that "his poor servants to the number of a hundred and forty goodly men, and all the mariners came to him with such shouts and joy, as I never saw a man more troubled to quiet them in his life. … Whensoever he is saluted with congratulations for liberty, he doth answer, 'No; I am still the Queen of England's poor captive.' I wished him to conceal it, because here it doth diminish his credit, which I do vow to you before God is greater amongst the mariners than I thought for."[1]
The following draft of a letter written by Sir Robert from Dartmouth to the Queen is endorsed by Burghley, and therefore was presumably approved by him. All one can say of it is, that though Elizabeth may have been pleased with such an effusion, written in the flamboyant style then current, neither Burghley himself nor Sir Thomas Cecil would ever have approached her Majesty in such terms:—
- ↑ To Sir Thomas Heneage (Edwards, I. 154).
