Doctor Dee

John Dee, also known as Dr. Dee or simply Dee, is a Welsh mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, occultist, doctor, adviser of Queen Elizabeth I. He is the main villain from the book Tower of Terror by Terry Deary.

History
Doctor Dee works as Queen Elizabeth I's doctor and advisor. However, when she starts to die, he is afraid that he will lose his job. Dee also knowns that the possible next king of England and Ireland, James I, hates magic and witches and it will be too dangerous to stay in England when Elizabeth dies. He needs money. And he also knows there are fifty diamonds on Elizabeth's funeral dress.

When Simon Tuttle and his friend Moll come to Richmond Palace to steal the treasure of Elizabeth, they only find sad, dying queen in a poor palace, accompanied by Dee. He lets Simon to entertain Elizabeth and tells Moll to sew fifty "diamonds" on Elizabeth's funeral dress, as there are fifty "vitreous corals" on it now. However, he is lying to the children and only lets them to do his dirty work.

Also, he "hears" Elizabeth to appoint James I as her successor. When Elizabeth finally dies and the sewing is already finished, Dee informs Lord Cecil about it. Cecil immediately arrives to the palace. Dee takes all the "corals" and then blames Simon and Moll for stealing diamonds from Elizabeth's funeral dress and replacing them by corals. Moll runs away, but Simon is captured and sent to the Tower of London. Dee then flees with diamonds.

Behind the Laughter

 * Doctor Dee really could be afraid of James I, but this story is fictional.
 * William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, was an advisor for Queen Elizabeth I, but he actually died in 1598, five years before Elizabeth.