William Parry (died 2 March 1585) was a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 doctor who considered assassinating Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

.

In the household of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke until the Earl's death in 1570, Parry then entered the Queen's service. He appears to have involved himself in financial difficulties, and sought a commission from Lord Burghley to spy on Catholic

Catholic

The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...

s on the Continent of Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, with the idea of escaping his creditors. After two trips abroad, he assaulted one of his creditors in 1580 and was sentenced to death, but received a royal pardon. On a third trip abroad in 1582, he appears to have become a double agent

Double agent

A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...

, going over to the Catholic side and considering Elizabeth's assassination. But on his return in 1584, he disclosed his dealings to the Queen, claiming to have done so only to cover Protestant plots. She pardoned and pensioned him, and rewarded him with a seat in Parliament for Queenborough

Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)

Queenborough was a rotten borough situated on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.From 1572 until it was abolished by the great reform act of 1832, it returned two Members of Parliament. The franchise was vested in the freemen of the town, of whom there were more than 300. Its electorate was therefore one...

. However, Parry was still unable to pay off his debts, and attempted to manufacture another plot to be "discovered". His co-conspirator was John Somerville

John Somerville (conspirator)

John Somerville was a conspirator against the life of Elizabeth I of England.His plan was discovered before he became a serious threat. His co-conspirator was William Parry. His father-in-law, Edward Arden was also arrested, found guilty by Christopher Wray and executed for the plot. Somerville...

. He approached Sir Edmund Neville

Edmund Neville

Edmund Neville , was an English courtier and conspirator. He was allegedly involved in Parry's Plot.-References:...

 and suggested to him that they should ride up and shoot the Queen in her coach, or kill her during a private audience. According to some accounts, Parry did attempt to carry out the assassination, but lost his courage before he could do the deed. However, it is unclear whether he genuinely intended to kill the Queen, or to raise his own standing by "exposing" Neville. Examined by Sir Francis Walsingham

Francis Walsingham

Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...

, Parry confessed to plotting the murder, and was hanged, drawn and quartered

Hanged, drawn and quartered

To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...

 at Westminster

Westminster

Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...

 on 2 March 1585.

An epigram on his death, quoted by Holinshed, was reproduced in The Worm Ouroboros

The Worm Ouroboros

The Worm Ouroboros is a heroic high fantasy novel by Eric Rücker Eddison, first published in 1922. The book describes the protracted war between the domineering King Gorice of Witchland and the Lords of Demonland in an imaginary world that appears mainly medieval and partly reminiscent of Norse sagas...

:

It was pittie

One so wittie

Malcontent:

Leaving reason

Should to treason

So be bent.

But his gifts

Were but shifts

Void of grace:

And his braverie

Was but knaverie

Vile and base.