 In 1588 he accompanied Lord Derby in his mission to the Netherlands to negotiate peace with Spain.He was elected for Hertfordshire in 1589, 1593, 1597 and 1601, was made a Privy Councillor in 1593 and was leader of the Council by 1597.Following the death of Sir Francis Walsingham in 1590, Burghley acted as Secretary of State, while Cecil took on an increasingly heavy work-load.