LORD BURLEIGH wrote only one essay, but it gave him a distinct place in English literature which certainly he did not either expect or attempt. No handbook of English literature is considered complete without it. As prime minister of England for forty years under Elizabeth, who created him “Baron of Burleigh” in 1571, he helped to make English history at one of its most important periods, and in doing so won for himself enduring celebrity as one of the greatest of the statesmen who have made England what it is. He was born at Bourne, Lincolnshire, September 13th, 1520, and died at London, August 4th, 1598. Among the best known of his numerous political papers is that entitled “The Execution of Justice in England for the Maintenance of Public and Christian Peace.” He was in many things civilized beyond his day. His influence prevented the persecution of both Puritans and Catholics. When Catherine de Medici attempted to bribe him to become her secret agent in England he replied: “I serve only God, my mistress, and my country.”