William Cecil

During Tudor times, Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley served as secretary and advisor to Queen Mary and later Queen Elizabeth He was eminently a “safe” man, not an original thinker, but a counselor of unrivaled wisdom, candor and honesty in English history. He ably served as the Secretary of State and later as Lord High Treasurer. Queen Elizabeth said of him, "This judgment I have of you, that you will not be corrupted with any manner of gifts, and that you will be faithful to the state." An Historical Figure of England, Tudor Dynasty.