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none of these noblemen are known to have had anything to do with Kyd or his plays, and certainly in none of them can be discovered the ultra devout lordship who equally patronised prayers and players and obtained plays from an author he could not endure the name or sight of.

Although this letter is undated, it was, as already stated, assumed to have been written in the summer of 1593, some time after June 1st; this, however, is the merest conjecture, as there is no clue whatever to the date of its composition. In it Kyd is represented as referring to his arrest on the suspicion of being the author of, or concerned in the production of, a 'libell that concerned the State,' and as having his room ransacked for incriminating matter. What was discovered amongst his papers is supposed to have given rise to his having been further suspected of atheism. How readily the designation of atheist was bestowed at this time by one man upon another whose political, even as well as religious, opinions differed from his own, has been referred to already; but when this accusation involved a charge against a person of disbelieving in religion as established by law, or by the queen's authority, the charge was regarded as most heinous, and, if proved, was punishable by death.

In the letter in question Kyd is thus made to explain how suspicion arose of his orthodoxy being tainted: 'When I was first suspected for that libell that concerned the state, amongst those waste and

idle papers (which I carde not for) and which unaskt I did deliver up, were founde some fragments of a disputation, toching that opinion, affirmed by Marlowe to be his, and shufled with some of myne (unknown to me) by some occasion of our wrytinge in one chamber twoe yeares synce.'

These fragments (preserved in the Harleian MSS.) are endorsed on the back, 12 May 1593, vile heretical Conceiptes denyinge the deity of Jhesus Christe of Savior fownd emongst the papers of Thos. Kydd prisoner'; they contain nothing of an atheistic nature, but are really an exposition of deism or unitarianism, supported by the quotation of various biblical texts. The whole matter is summed up by the writer's opinion, I call that true religion which instructeth mans minde with right faith and worthy opinion of God. And I call that right faith which doth creddit and beleve that of God which the scriptures do testify not in a few places.' Words certainly not sufficient to substantiate a charge of atheism nowadays, but much too free and independent for that time; for even less men were consigned to a terrible death.

Time need not be expended in criticising these fragments, as, although they may not have propounded anything that Marlowe, who was alive at the date when they were 'found,' would have disapproved of, neither their composition nor calligraphy is his. The letter ascribed to Kyd contains several Latin quotations written in an italicised hand

writing differing from the rest of the document; and this italicised script is apparently that of the writer of the fragments, as a comparison will prove to any unprejudiced person. The last fragment was apparently signed, but, either by accident or intention, the signature has been torn off, or perhaps worn off, and only the first letter of it, either K or R, now remains. So Marlowe may be acquitted of the authorship of the theological disputation.

This letter is evidently intended to be read as having been written after Marlowe's death, and to inform the Lord Keeper of circumstances about the poet with which he was unacquainted, yet it is a strange fact that in the middle of May, although the writer of the letter was ignorant of it, Marlowe was charged with or accused of a state offence, for which he was ordered to put in an appearance before the 'Star Chamber,' as the room wherein the Privy Council held its sittings was designated. It is impossible that the charge against Marlowe could have resulted from this letter to Puckering, because, as is seen, the letter was confessedly written after the poet's death, and yet is presumed to introduce the name of Marlowe to the Lord Keeper for the first time.

Among the Acts of the Privy Council is a record that on the 18th May 1593, those present in the Star Chamber being the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Keeper, the Lord Treasurer, Lord Derby, the Lord Chamberlain, Lord Buckhurst, Sir John Wolley, and Sir John Fortescue, a warrant was issued to

Henry Maunder, one of the messengers of Her Majesty's Chamber, 'to repair to the house of Mr. Thomas Walsingham, in Kent, or to any other place where he shall understand Christofer Marlow to be remaining, and by virtue thereof to apprehend and bring him to Court in his company.'

, 141

Unfortunately, no documents can be discovered to show why Marlowe's presence was required by the Privy Council. The existing records of that allpowerful State body show that as at that time no crime, or alleged crime, was too considerable to escape its adjudication, so likewise was no offence too trivial for it to take cognisance of. No person, however powerful, or of any importance whatever, appears to have been able to avoid a visit to the much-dreaded office. Noblemen, knights, gentlemen, ladies, high sheriffs, learned professors, heads of colleges, all were summoned or arrested. Some were ordered into custody, and some punished, but the majority of them appear to have been severely admonished only let off with a caution as to their future behaviour.

Woe betide those who neglected or refused to obey the order to appear! They it was who were punished. There were instances, however, when excuses for non-attendance were accepted. At the very period when Marlowe was wanted, Mr. John Hall, gentleman, from Southampton, on his appearance excused the non-attendance of his sister, Mrs. Anne Rolles, who had also been summoned, on the very pertinent

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reason that she 'was not well at ease, and thereby (though she was in town) not in case to repair hitherto.' The plea seems to have been accepted on the understanding that on her recovering her ease Mrs. Rolles should attend on their Lordships.142

Only on the 23rd of the month preceding Marlowe's appearance, Dr. William Coale, president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, who had been similarly sent for by their Lordships, entered an appearance, and was instructed in a similar way as was the poet, not to depart without special licence from Her Majesty's Privy Council. 148

Mr. Thomas Walsingham, to whose house the Privy Council's messenger was to repair, was first cousin to Sir Francis Walsingham, the queen's secretary, and was father to Marlowe's friend, Sir Thomas Walsingham. Mr. Walsingham had an estate at Scadbury, Chislehurst, and the poet was doubtless visiting there at the time, probably to be away from the plague which was then desolating London.

If

The rector of Scadbury at this period was none other than the Rev. Richard Harvey, astrologer, almanac-maker, and, above all, brother of Gabriel Harvey, Thomas Nashe's bitter antagonist.14 Marlowe's arrest had been publicly effected at Scadbury, it has been surmised that it would have afforded peculiar gratification to the Harvey family, who held his name in detestation for his supposed approval of the satirist Nashe's onslaughts. Gabriel, writhing

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