Did James the First of England die from the effects of poison, or from natural causes? / by Norman Chevers.

  • Norman Chevers
Date:
1862
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Did James the First of England die from the effects of poison, or from natural causes? / by Norman Chevers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    It is said that Lamhe had predicted his own death and that of the Duke. He may, readily, have done so without any aid from magical art, seeing how strongly the signs of the times were displayed against the Duke. Mead, in one of his letters to to Sir Martin Stuteville, dated the 5th of that month, says “ The old scaffold on Tower-hill was pulled down and burned by certain unhappy boys, who said they would have a new one built for the Duke.” Disraeli adds that a report had arisen that Buckingham had been committed to the Tower, and that this mistake spread even to the country which blazed with bonfires announcing the fall of the minion. Carte affirms that Buckingham was not even acquainted with Lambe’s person, and Mr. Jesse has drawn attention to a letter,—relating to the proceedings against Lady Purbeck, the Duke’s sister-in-law and Sir B. Howard, from Sir B. Heath and Sir T. Coventry to the Duke,*—which clearly proves that, at least up to the 24tli of February 1624, Lambe was no creature of the Duke’s. It is just possible, however, that they, subsequently, became confederates in evil. The passage is as follows—“ Concerning the point of sorcery, we do not conceive the proof such that we can conclude any sorcery to be acted, either by Lambe or Frodesham, against your Grace or the Lord Purbeck; but that the Lady Purbeck did resort often to Lambe is most manifest, and we verily think with evil intention to your brother, and that Sir Edward Howard went often with her is equally clear, but that this intention was to have any sorcery used is not so plain; so as we think the use to be made of this part the business will be rather to aggravate and make odious the other part of the offence, than to proceed upon it as a distinct crime of itself.” The popular hatred of Buckingham was by no means sated by the slaughter of Dr. Lamb. The author of Observations on the History of the Reign of King Charles : published by II. L. [Hamond L’Estrange] says, “But to return again to the threatening words used by the people in the murder of Doctor Lamb, I well remember that this bold rhime was spread about not long after, in pursuance of them,— let Charles and George doe 7ohat they can, The Duke shall die like Doctor Lamb, And I remember also that, about the same time, there came out a Chronogram, in which the numeral letters of Georgius * Bishop Goodman’s Memoirs, vol. 2, page 377.