The revels of Christmas had hardly closed when the Lady Arabella forgot that she had been forgiven, and again relapsed into her old infirmity.  She renewed a connexion, which had commenced in childhood, with Mr. William Seymour, the second son of Lord Beauchamp, and grandson of the Earl of Hertford.  His character has been finely described by Clarendon:  he loved his studies and his repose; but when the civil wars broke out, he closed his volumes and drew his sword, and was both an active and a skilful general.  Charles the First created him Marquis of Hertford, and governor of the prince; he lived to the Restoration, and Charles the Second restored him to the dukedom of Somerset.

This treaty of marriage was detected in February, 1609, and the parties summoned before the privy council.  Seymour was particularly censured for daring to ally himself with the royal blood, although that blood was running in his own veins.  In a manuscript letter which I have discovered, Seymour addressed the lords of the privy council.  The style is humble; the plea to excuse his intended marriage is, that being but “A young brother, and sensible of mine own good, unknown to the world, of mean estate, not born to challenge anything by my birthright, and therefore my fortunes to be raised by mine own endeavour, and she a lady of great honour and virtue, and, as I thought, of great means, I did plainly and honestly endeavour lawfully to gain her in marriage.”  There is nothing romantic in this apology, in which Seymour describes himself as a fortune-hunter! which, however, was probably done to cover his undoubted affection for Arabella, whom he had early known.  He says, that “he conceived that this noble lady might, without offence, make the choice of any subject within this kingdom; which conceit was begotten in me upon a general report, after her ladyship’s last being called before your lordships,[333] that it might be.”  He tells the story of this ancient wooing—­“I boldly intruded myself into her ladyship’s chamber in the court on Candlemas-day last, at what time I imparted my desire unto her, which was entertained, but with this caution on either part, that both of us resolved not to proceed to any final conclusion without his majesty’s most gracious favour first obtained.  And this was our first meeting!  After that we had a second meeting at Briggs’s house in Fleet-street, and then a third at Mr. Baynton’s; at both which we had the like conference and resolution as before.”  He assures their lordships that both of them had never intended marriage without his majesty’s approbation.[334]

But Love laughs at privy councils and the grave promises made by two frightened lovers.  The parties were secretly married, which was discovered about July in the following year.  They were then separately confined, the lady at the house of Sir Thomas Parry at Lambeth, and Seymour in the Tower, for “his contempt in marrying a lady of the royal family without the king’s leave.”