[Cromwell] is now beyond all possibility of recovery" Falconbridge had written on Tuesday, Aug.

31: "I long to hear from A.
[Henry Cromwell] what his intentions are.

If I may know, I'll make the game here as fair as may be; and, if I may have commission from A., I can make sure of Lord Lockhart and those with him." One might imagine from this that Falconbridge would have liked to secure the succession for Henry; but it rather appears that what he wanted was to counteract a cabal against the interests of the family generally, which he had reported as then going on among the officers.

Certain it is that, after Richard had been proclaimed and Henry had most loyally and affectionately put all his services at the disposal of his elder brother, Falconbridge continued in cipher letters to inform Henry of the proceedings of the same cabal.

Gradually, in these letters and in other documents, we come to a clear view of the main fact.