Leicester had always hated Sir John Norris, but he knew that the mother had still much favour with the Queen, and he was therefore the more vehement in his denunciations of the son the more difficulty he found in entirely destroying his character, and the keener jealousy he felt that any other tongue but his should influence her Majesty.  “The story of John Norris about the cartel is, by the Lord God, most false,” he exclaimed; “I do beseech you not to see me so dealt withal, but that especially her Majesty may understand these untruths, who perhaps, by the mother’s fair speeches and the son’s smooth words, may take some other conceit of my doings than I deserve.”

He was most resolute to stamp the character of falsehood upon both the brothers, for he was more malignant towards Sir John than towards any man in the world, not even excepting Wilkes.  To the Queen, to the Lords of the Privy Council, to Walsingham, to Burghley, he poured forth endless quantities of venom, enough to destroy the characters of a hundred honest men.

“The declaration of the two Norrises for the cartel is most false, as I am a Christian,” he said to Walsingham.  “I have a dozen witnesses, as good and some better than they, who will testify that they were present when I misliked the writing of the letter before ever I saw it.  And by the allegiance I owe to her Majesty, I never knew of the letter, nor gave consent to it, nor heard of it till it was complained of from Count Hollock.  But, as they are false in this, so you will find J. N. as false in his other answers; so that he would be ashamed, but that his old conceit hath made him past shame, I fear.  His companions in Ireland, as in these countries, report that Sir John Norris would often say that he was but an ass and a fool, who, if a lie would serve his turn, would spare it.  I remember I have heard that the Earl of Sussex would say so; and indeed this gentleman doth imitate him in divers things.”

But a very grave disaster to Holland and England was soon the fruit of the hatred borne by Leicester to Sir John Norris.  Immediately after the battle of Zutphen and the investment of that town by the English and Netherlanders, great pains were taken to secure the city of Deventer.  This was, after Amsterdam and Antwerp, the most important mercantile place in all the Provinces.  It was a large prosperous commercial and manufacturing capital, a member of the Hanseatic League, and the great centre of the internal trade of the Netherlands with the Baltic nations.  There was a strong Catholic party in the town, and the magistracy were disposed to side with Parma.  It was notorious that provisions and munitions were supplied from thence to the beleaguered Zutphen; and Leicester despatched Sir William Pelham, accordingly, to bring the inhabitants to reason.  The stout Marshal made short work of it.  Taking Sir William Stanley and the greater part of his regiment with him, he caused them, day