ABSTRACT
Lord Herbert returned from the Court to Wilton at the end of 1595, not to pursue his Court career again until 1597. Lord Herbert’s career was to be impeded at the court of James I by his adherence to his religious and political principles, but these were not at all in evidence in 1597: the seventeen-year-old lord was more interested in the life of the courtier than in that of the politician or statesman. Nevertheless, if he were to succeed at all at Elizabeth’s Court, he would have to come to terms with the powerful political factions which surrounded the ageing Queen. Lord Herbert was certainly keeping up his ties with the Essex connection, and could not be accused of ‘want of ambition’. Lord Herbert’s activities at Court soon came to the attention of the indefatigable gossip and correspondent, John Chamberlain.
