[Leicester’s Commonwealth]; The Copy of a letter Written by a Master of Art of Cambridge (1584) and related documents - Edited by Dwight C Peck
Leicester’s Commonwealth is a scurrilous attack on Robert Dudley Earl of Leicestershire and favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. It was printed anonymously in France and found its way into Tudor England in large quantities, vigorous attempts were made to squash its promulgation and attempts were made to smoke out the authors and printers, but these were unsuccessful at the time. The book purported to tell the inside story (the black legend) of the Earl of Leicester and was taken as a valid source by historians and fictionalists: Sir Walter Scott did much to further the view that Leicester was a thoroughly bad lot. D C Peck’s edition of the Commonwealth puts the whole thing in context with an excellent introduction, extensive notes and summary of the latest historical research as at 1985 when his edition was printed.

The letter itself takes the form of a secret conversation between a Scholar and a Lawyer witnessed and written up by a Master of Art of Cambridge. The conversation starts innocently enough as the topic for discussion is the definition of a traitor, it is clear that the scholar is a protestant and his friend the lawyer is a catholic. They seem to agree that catholics in a protestant country could strictly be defined as traitors, but would not be traitors under law until they took action against the state in the name of their own religion. Many examples in Europe are given of protestants living peacefully in catholic countries and vice versa. The conversation then moves to consider the actions of the Earl of Leicester and very soon turns into a detailed indictment of the treachery and crimes he has committed, while serving as a courtier and close advisor to Queen Elizabeth I. The crimes mount and it feels like once they have started on the subject of the Earl then common sense seems to fly out the window it becomes a little hysterical. He is accused of murder, lechery, bigamy, rape, corruption, atheism and really anything else that they can think of. They conclude that he is the most powerful man in England and effectively runs the country for his own financial gain effectively making it Leicester’s commonwealth. They give as evidence many examples of his actions: the murders he has committed, the women he has spoiled. the extortions and corruption that constitute his working methods. They then turn to discuss his traitorous family and the history of the Dudleys.

The conversation calms down when they consider the huge issue of the succession to Elizabeth I. There is a history lesson of who has a claim to the throne and these are discussed in some detail, with agreement that King James of Scotland would make the best candidate. However they cannot stop talking about Leicester and the final part of the letter reiterates the crimes and the ambitions of the Earl:
He Killed his first wife Amy Robsart so that he could marry the queen
He killed the Earl of Sussex after an affair with his wife.
He committed bigamy with Lady Sheffield
He was responsible for the Drayton Basset riot where men were killed.

Peck’s view is that the Commonwealth was written by catholics in exile in France and that there were several contributors, this would account for the unevenness of the text. The allegations against Leicester can certainly not be proved, but that does not mean that they are entirely false. It is clear that Leicester was the queens favourite for a long time and as such wielded tremendous power at Court. He was a proud man and was a forceful enemy to the rival factions at court and it was easy to see why the attacks against him became personal. Peck says that the information in the Commonwealth cannot be relied upon for the facts of the case but they are a reliable guide to the “gossip’ of the time.

The Commonwealth is generally well written and there is some intentional humour, there are some parts that are not so interesting, but generally the text is a lively window into what was being talked about outside of the Queens court, something like a modern scandal sheet journal. Libellous it certainly was and dangerous for the authors and printers, well worth a read (its free on the internet) for readers interested in the Tudors. For me it was a four star read. ( )