"Your honour knoweth," he said to Walsingham, "that her Majesty can hold no secrets, and if she do impart it to Leicester, then am I sped." Nothing came of it however, and the relations of Wilkes and Buckhurst with Hohenlo continued to be friendly.

It was a lesson to Wilkes to be more cautious even with the cautious Walsingham.

"We had but bare suspicions," said Buckhurst, "nothing fit, God knoweth, to come to such a reckoning.

Wilkes saith he meant it but for a premonition to you there; but I think it will henceforth be a premonition to himself--there being but bare presumptions, and yet shrewd presumptions." Here then were Deventer and Leicester plotting to overthrow the government of the States; the States and Hohenlo arming against Leicester; the extreme democratic party threatening to go over to the Spaniards within three months; the Earl accused of attempting the life of Hohenlo; Hohenlo offering to shed the last drop of his blood for Queen Elizabeth; Queen Elizabeth giving orders to throw Hohenlo into prison as a traitor; Councillor Wilkes trembling for his life at the hands both of Leicester and Hohenlo; and Buckhurst doing his best to conciliate all parties, and imploring her Majesty in vain to send over money to help on the war, and to save her soldiers from starving.
For the Queen continued to refuse the loan of fifty thousand pounds which the provinces solicited, and in hope of which the States had just agreed to an extra contribution of a million florins (L100,000), a larger sum than had been levied by a single vote since the commencement of the war.
It must be remembered, too, that the whole expense of the war fell upon Holland and Zeeland.

The Province of Utrecht, where there was so strong a disposition to confer absolute authority upon Leicester, and to destroy the power of the States-General contributed absolutely nothing.