The policy of Elizal)( th, in regard to Scotland, was more delicate and complicated than towards either France or Spain. Mary had committed the iloprudence, net er to he forgiven, of assuming her title, and disputine; her legitimacy. She eclipsed Elizabeth, likewise, in those personal charms, of which the queen of England was as jealous as the less enlightened part of I er sex. On the other hand, the free tenets of the Scottish Pro testants were as much the aversion of Elizabeth as those of her own Puritans. When they proceeded to brim their sovereign to trial, and to deprive her of her liberty and her power, the high prerogative feelings of Eliza beth were alarmed, and she could with dillicults be re strained from sending an army against them. The long confinement to which Mary was afterwards subjects I in England, resulted front the concurrent advice of Cecil and of all Elizabeth's ministers, who regarded her as an implacable enemy, both to their mistress and their reli gion. They represented, likewise, that the possession of the person of the Scottish sovereign gave Elizabeth a powerful hold over the Protestants in Scotland, who dreaded nothing' so much es the return of an offended sovereign. In the trial of the unfortunate .Mary, Cecil was one of the leading commissioners. lie was privy, also, to the transmission of the warrant for her execution, though by no means the principal cause of that unjusti fiable act, as his artful sovereign all'•cted to declare. No princess ever understood better than Elizabeth the art of shifting odium from herself; the blame of the Duke of Norfolk's death having, in like manner, been charged by her on Cecil.
Tu purrorm the various duties of the situations occu pied by this statesman, required an extraordinary share of application. Yet, by adheri ig strictly to method, and to his favourite maxim. that the " shortest way to do many things is to do one thing at once," he contrived to fulfil his task without either hurry or confusion. In his court, he expditc d more causes in one term than his predecessor s tad been accustomed to get through in a twelvemonth. Even w hen kbouring under severe pain from gout, he frequently made himself be carried to his office f.Ar the dispatch of business ; and one of his con temporaries has declared, that, during a period of men tv•four veers, he nee er saw him idle for half an hour to ge tiler. I he w as rem..rked 14 preserving an unaltered countenance in the most embatratsing situations, and for allowing to one among his friends to acquire an ascend ency ()yet. I ha, so as to influence his public conduct. lie behaved w ith great command of temper towards his cne lilies; and as he favoured his familiar acquaintances no more than strangers, in regard to 2..,overninent promo tions, it became a common say ing, that he WI'S a enemy than friend," Merit in t.air respective d•part ments was with him the only title to preferment ; and never were the agents of the English government better chosen than under his direction. Ile was remarkable for obtaining early intelligence of the- secret plans of the queen's enemies, both at home and abroad ; and if the methods to which he resorted for this purpose were ex ceptionable, we should recollect, that he lived in an age when the public doctrine of his antagonists was, to " keep no faith with heretics." No man could be more delicate or impartial in the administration of justice,—a virtue by no means common in those days, when the favour of the great was the road to wealth and preferment. It was common for him to receive every day, during term time, a number of petitions, which he took home with him, read during the evening, and was ready with his an swers to the whole body of applicants the next morning.
His stile of living was more costly than might have been expected in a man so completely absorbed in busi ness. He had four places of residence,—his lodgings at court, his house in the Strand, his seat at Theobald's, which was his favourite resort, and Burleigh-house, the family residence. It was computed, that his domestic expences at his house in London amounted to 301. a week in his absence, and 401. or 501. when he was pre sent. This stile of expellee, and the open hospitality connected with it, have been ascribed to the view of cul tivating popularity. It was at Theobald's that he was accustomed to receive his share of those frequent visits with which his royal mistress was accustomed to com pliment her principal ministers. In regard to the queen's temper, though his gravity and respectability of charac ter exempted him from frequent returns of those sallies of passion which she was accustomed to vent on her courtiers, he was subjected, notwithstanding, to serious mortification. At several periods of his long career, we find him desirous of retiring from office ; but Elizabeth would never listen to it, and used to rally him on it in let ters which arc still preserved, and form a curious con trast to the stately gravity of official communications in the present day. \V bile she would not hesitate, when contradicted, to call him a " froward old fool," she was studious, at other times, to make up, by a return of atten tion, for such occasional rudeness. 'When, in his latter years, his gout had become very troublesome, she used to make him sit down in her presence, saying, " lord, we make use of you, not for your bad legs, hut for your good head." The attacks of this complaint con curred, with his habit of business, in rendering him very temperate. I lis rule was, to partake of few dishes, to drink only thrice at a meal, and very seldom of wine. Though noon was, in these days, the hour of dinner, it was not unusual with him to refrain from supper.
Burleigh was remarked for his piety, amid, in regard to his tenets, was strictly attached to the established church. He was regarded, in fact, as its official protec tor at court ; a circumstance which is thought to have induced his rival Leicester to place himself at the head of the Puritans. In addition to his other good qualities, he was eminently charitable, it being computed that he and lady Burlcigh distributed annually 5001. to the poor.
Ills death took ',lac( in 1598, in his 78th year. In sum ming up the leading of his character, we find no pretensions to the possession of oratory, or of engaging ; unwearied application and cool consideration constitute the basis of his fame. Neither his speeches nor writings indicote any alter 1pt to display imagination, app( ,trs the rigid and de,ihe •,tt • exercise of intel lect. It is needless to sov, how much more of the states man is disco~ creel by these qualities, than by that which so often constitutes a passport to power,—a fluency in public speaking. And when we look back to the judg ment with which Burleigh steered the vessel of the state, in times no less perilous than the present, we may be induced to wish that the habits of our ministers were more akin to those of this cautious and successful states man ; in particular, that it were in their power to re trench the share of their time appropriated to parliamen tary debate. A larger proportion would thus be left for the exercise of that reflection in the closet, which so eminently characterised the cabinet of Queen Elizabeth, and was the source of that renown with which his name has been handed down to pesterity. (x)