He acted; however, on the inspiration of Burghley, who drew his own from the fountainhead.
But it was in vain for the Queen to affect concealment.

The States knew everything which was passing, before Leicester knew.

His own secret instructions reached the Netherlands before he did.

His secretary, Junius, was thrown into prison, and his master's letter taken from him, before there had been any time to act upon its treacherous suggestions.
When the Earl wrote letters with, his own hand to his sovereign, of so secret a nature that he did not even retain a single copy for himself, for fear of discovery, he found, to his infinite disgust, that the States were at once provided with an authentic transcript of every line that he had written.

It was therefore useless, almost puerile, to deny facts which were quite as much within the knowledge of the Netherlanders as of himself.