1570 October เ CHAP XIX she meant no good-but Mary Stuart must continue to treat with her as though she had confidence in her friendship,' 'and must give her words for words.' 1 To the Bishop of Ross a few days later he wrote more in detail. We are to yield in everything,' he said, 'and receive humbly at English hands what they 'please to give us. It breaks my heart to see us at 'this point that Englishmen may give us law as they 'will. I understand by your letter that the Duke of 'Norfolk is at liberty, which is the best news I have heard this twelve months; and unless it had been 'the Queen of Scots' restitution, or that the Queen of 'England had gone ad Patres, ye could not have sent 'me any word whereat I would have been more glad. 'I hope to God since that has come to pass, the rest 'shall follow shortly. When ye write the Queen of 'England gives you good words, ye do well to make 'semblant to believe her, and to hope for goodness at 'her hands, but on my peril in your heart trust never 'word she speaks, for ye shall find all plain craft with'out true meaning. Always continue in the treaty 'until the untruth appears of itself. You desire my opinion what is to be answered to the demand of the 'Prince, some of the nobility for hostages, and the 'castle of Dumbarton. I will write you frankly what 'I think. The Queen of Scots is in the Queen of 'England's hands, and I think she intends never with 'her goodwill to part from her, and therefore to satisfy 'other Princes proposes the harder conditions which 'she thinks shall be refused. It is for the Queen of 'Scots hard to deliver her son in England, and it is 6 1 Maitland to the Queen of Scots, Aug. 9.-MSS. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS, Rolls House. 1570 October 'hard for Scotland to have our principal strengths in CHAP XIX 'the hands of England. Yet rather than the Queen ' of Scots should remain still a prisoner, the conditions 'cannot be so hard that at length I would stick upon 'to recover her liberty; for if that point were once 'compassed, other things may be helped again with 'time. It is well done for the Queen of Scots to make difficulty that the Prince be delivered in England, 'because it will let the people of Scotland see that 'she is careful of him. Yet for the matter itself I see 'no sik danger in it, neither for preservation of his person nor yet for peril may thereafter follow to the Queen of Scots herself by setting up of him against 'her, that I would advise her to refuse it in the end. 'Those that are enemies to her title in England would 'rather destroy her person than his, because he is but a bairn, and the succession of his body is far off; but 'her person is the mould to cast more bairns in; so long as she is safe they will never press to destroy him; be'sides that, I think, having interest to the title after 'her, his nomination among them shall further it with 'the people. เ 'Besides, if she were once at liberty, I fear not that 'means shall be found to make both England and Scot'land loth to enterprise far against her. I speak all 'to this end, that in any wise her liberty be procured whatsoever the conditions be; press it to the best, but 'if we fail we must accept the worst. As I write of 'the Prince I mean of Dumbarton. It is not the being ' of Dumbarton in English hands that will more thrall 'Scotland to England, than Berwick may do without 'Dumbarton; nor yet may Dumbarton keep Frenchmen 'or strangers out of Scotland if the Queen of Scots 'desire them; for she being at home, Leith, any part 1570 October เ CHAP XIXof Fife, Dundee, Aberdeen, and briefly all the coast ' of Scotland, will serve that turn as well as Dumbarton 'can do. Yield as little as ye may, but yield to all ' rather than she remain a prisoner, because I think her 'life always in danger in medio nationis prava. You 'write of a secret purpose touching the Queen of Scots' escape. I pray you beware with that point, for albeit 'I would be content to be banished Scotland all the days of my life to have the Queen of Scots obtaining 'liberty without the Queen of England's consent, for 'the great uncourtesy that she hath used unto her, ' rather than have it with her consent and I the best 'earldom in Scotland between hands, because I would 'she might be even with the Queen of England, yet I 'dare not advise her Majesty to press at it without she 'be well assured there be no kind of danger in executing of her enterprise. I fear deadly the craft of her 'enemies that will not stick to set out some of themselves 'to make her Majesty offers to convey her away, and let 'her see probability to give her courage to take it in 'hand, and then, they being privy to it, to trap her ' in a snare, and so to execute against her person their 'wicked intentions, which now for fear of the world and 'shame of other Princes they dare not do. Save her 'life whatever ye do, and sure I am God with time shall 'bring all other things to pass to our contentment. 'But that point lost can never be recovered, and then 'all is gone.'1 When this letter was read by Elizabeth and Cecil it was made evident to them at once, that not a single scheme of revenge or ambition was intended to be seriously abandoned, and that for all the oaths that might Maitland to the Bishop of Ross, Aug. 17.—MSS. QUEEN OF SCOTS. be sworn, the French and Spanish armies were to be CHAP XIX introduced into Scotland at the first opportunity. 1570 As yet, however, and conscious of her own sincerity, October Elizabeth was able to half persuade herself that Mary Stuart was weary of conspiracy, and was willing to remain quiet till she herself was dead. The Queen of Scots' protestations were incessant. She for ever said that she had some mysterious secret which she was longing to communicate, but would only reveal in person. Elizabeth did not believe her, yet did not utterly disbelieve her; and a sufficient proof that she was serious about the treaty-she appointed no less a person than Cecil to go to Chatsworth to negotiate with her. To the smooth letter she replied in a tone which even Maitland could not accuse of insincerity : 'You have caused a rebellion in my realm,' she said, ' and you have aimed at my own life. You will say you 'did not mean these things. Madam, I would I could 'think so poorly of your understanding and could lay your fault on your want of knowledge. You say that you desire to heal the wounds which you have caused. Well, I send two of my Council to you who know all 'my mind. I am not influenced by the menaces of 'France. Those who would work upon me through my 'fears know but little of my character. You tell me you have some mystery which you wish to make known เ to me. If it be so, you must write it. You are aware 'that I do not think it well that you and I should 'meet. I trust you will give me cause to forget your 'faults. God knows how welcome that would be to me.'1 With the utmost art Elizabeth could have scarcely 1 Elizabeth to the Queen of Scots, Sept. 17. Abridged.—TEULET, vol. ii. P. 406. CHAP XIX counterfeited language which, if she meant well and honourably, would have expressed better what ought to October have been her feeling. She would not see the Queen 1570 of Scots herself. It was not without misgiving that she trusted even Cecil within the reach of her fascinations. No one perhaps except Knox had escaped from an encounter with this extraordinary woman altogether uninfluenced. Not a spell of subtlest glamoury would be left untried on Cecil; and it was impossible to forget that he was going into the presence of a person whom disease or accident might make at any moment his titular, perhaps his reigning Sovereign. Both the Queen and Lady Lennox warned him at his parting not to be won over,' and his confident promises scarcely reassured them.1 The Bishop of Ross and Sir Walter Mildmay accompanied him. 'The Bishop of Ross,' wrote Don Guerau, 'sends me word by one of his servants that he will return in 'a week and tell me what his mistress will do. I know 'for certain that the Duke of Anjou is a suitor for her 'hand, and that she is not disinclined to accept him. 'But her English friends do not like it, and your Ma'jesty may believe that I do not. The Catholics, your Highness is aware, are also against her marriage 'with the Duke of Norfolk, not being assured that he ' is a Christian. The Earl of Arundel and Lord Lum'ley undertake, however, that the Duke will submit 'to the Holy See, and for the sake of a Crown per'haps he will do anything good or bad. He has been 'cool about the marriage lately, but it seems that he เ 1 Lady Lennox to Cecil, Oct. 5.-MSS. QUEEN OF Scots. Dépêches, Oct. 16. 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