The Alchemical Patronage of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley

Elizabeth and her brother King Eric XIV of Sweden. However, she had only succeeded in
accruing truly enormous debts. 35 Hounded by her creditors, Cecilia turned to de Lannoy
for an alchemical solution. The bond pledged de Lannoy to lend the Princess £10,000,
presumably created through his alchemical process, which Cecilia promised to repay with
twelve yearly payments of one thousand pounds. 36 Cecil, obtaining a copy of this bond,
resolved to keep a tighter watch on the troublesome alchemist, lest de Lannoy divert his
efforts away from his undertaking for the Queen.
De Lannoy and the Princess remained undeterred. Thinking to conceal their
communication, they exchanged letters through Cecilia‘s chaplain Dr. Olaf. They had,
however, underestimated the extent of Cecil‘s intelligence network. From January through
March 1566 Cecil‘s spies intercepted and copied almost twenty letters between the pair. 37
De Lannoy‘s pleas that ―she must read secretly and burn‖ his letters were futile. 38 Well
aware of de Lannoy‘s duplicity, Cecil had little faith in his promises ―to testify by deeds that
he is one of Her Majesty's most faithful servants‖, or sympathy with his complaints of
interference in his process. 39
Meanwhile, an incident involving the ―immoral overtures‖ of one of Waad‘s men, a
Mr. West, towards one of de Lannoy‘s wife‘s maidservants had caused unbearable tension
at Somerset House. 40 Waad reported that de Lannoy ―seems more and more to take to
heart this lately discovered act, and can by no means abide West, the sight of whom stirreth
up his colere‖. 41 Perhaps de Lannoy believed that West was disturbing the pure moral
atmosphere supposedly required for transmutation. By mid February 1566 Waad was sure
that de Lannoy planned to flee to Middelburg in Zealand, taking Princess Cecelia with him.
There was, however, no suggestion that de Lannoy needed to escape because he could not
35 Ethel Seaton, Queen Elizabeth and a Swedish Princess, London, 1926, pp.15-23.
36 Bond between Cornelius de Lannoy and Princess Cecilia, 20 January 1566 in S. R. Scargill Bird (ed.), CMS.
Vol. 1: 1306-1571, London, 1883, p. 325.
37 Scargill Bird (ed.), CMS. Vol. 1: 1306-1571, London, 1883, pp. 325-337.
38 Armigil Waad to Cecil, 24 February 1566 in Scargill (ed.), CMS, Vol. 1, p. 328.
39 Cornelius de Lannoy to Queen Elizabeth, 15 February 1566 in Scargill (ed.), CMS, Vol. 1, p. 327.
40 Cornelius de Lannoy to Cecil, 15 February 1566 in Scargill (ed.), CMS, Vol. 1, p. 326.
41 Armigil Waad to Cecil, 15 February 1566 in Scargill (ed.), CMS, Vol. 1, p. 326.
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