BOOK 11. the English army moved into Scotland in pursuit of these, the French king, instead of any sympathy towards Elizabeth, assumed a very lofty tone, and threatened, if it was not withdrawn, to make Mary's cause his own:65 insisted on her being set free, to regain her power: urged Elizabeth to re-establish her in it by force: prepared an army to embark for Scotland, and every month caused his ambassador to apply to the English court for Mary's unconditional liberation.69 68 66 67 65 Charles, on 12 April 1570, chose not to believe that the English forces had marched, as she says, to chastise the fugitives from her kingdom, who have retired there. I am persuaded she has some other intentions, which I could not by any means suffer or endure, having such a great and good heart as I possess, and which will never degenerate from the virtuous and magnanimous actions of the kings my predecessors. Therefore the queen of England must not be surprised if I should embrace her [Mary's] cause as my own; nor will a queen and Catholic princess in this affliction be ever abandoned by a king of Spain, nor by all the other Christian princes.' MS. ib. 66 To govern and command in the kingdom as she ought.' ib. 67 Catherine, on 4 May 1570, wrote, that she and Charles had desired the English ambassador at Paris to express to Elizabeth, 'that we wished she would set the queen of Scots at liberty, and assist her in all she could to replace her in her kingdom with due authority.' Murray MS. On 10 June, Charles ordered his ambassador in London to urge Elizabeth to set Mary at liberty, and in the authority which she ought to have in her kingdom.' MS. ib. 68 On 10th June 1570, Charles instructed his ambassador to assure Elizabeth, I have countermanded the captains with the forces which I was sending to Scotland.' MS. ib. By the king's letter of 19th January 1572, we find the English ambassador complaining that French troops had been sent into Scotland, and that the sieur de Flamyn was about leading more soldiers there.' ib. 69 Mary was the unceasing subject of the despatches of Charles IX. and of his mother, to Fenelon. On 19th June 1570, Catherine approves what he had done for her. On 15th September Charles, as to her affairs, says, I refer you to what I bave given in charge to Sabran, who will tell you particularly my intentions.' Catherine, on 26th September, 'I beg you will assist, in all that you can, the queen of Scotland, and effect, if possible, by the means which we enjoin you, that she may be soon put in liberty, and her affairs go on well.' With a postscript: The ambassador of the queen of Scots has just told me that you have written to his mistress, or caused to be said to her, that we could not any how assist her with the harquebussiers, of which we had given her hope. On this point you must carry yourself with the XXX. We find this queen also in secret and dangerous CHAP. communications with Spain; sending her agents to the duke of Alva, to induce him to land with military succors for her benefit; and also for money, to enable her friends to maintain the chief fortresses of Scotland, against its regent government." On his part, the Spanish commander employed several persons to go secretly into Scotland from him, on transactions unknown, and not communicated to the French cabinet; 72 but apparently, as that suspected, for concerting an invasion on some part of the British islands.73 utmost discretion towards the queen of England, especially not to say any thing which will put us into war, and yet doing all the good offices you can to assist the queen of Scots to a prompt liberation.' On 13th October, Charles orders him to render to the queen of Scots, and to her affairs, every assistance possible.' She is the chief subject of his letters of 6th November, and of 21st December. On 26th of that month he wrote, ' By your four letters I see what has been journellement fait for the affairs of the queen of Scotland.' 'Do all that you can to assist her.' MS. ib. The same theme appears in most of the royal correspondence in 1571 and 1572. 70 On 26th December 1570, Charles wrote to Fenelon: I observe by your despatch, that the lord Seton, who is gone to the duke of Alva, would be able to obtain so much of the succors which he required from him on the part of the queen his mistress, that on the means which Seton proposed to the duke to conduct these succors so à propos to the places he mentioned, he would be well received by the Scots.' MS. ib. 71 And in like manner on the promise which this duke had made to furnish 10,000 ducats to relieve with provisions the castles of Edinburgh and Dumbarton, after he had received on the whole the answer of the king of Spain, his master, to whom he had written.' MS. ib. 72 On 29th Jan. 1571, the despatch of Charles IX. was, 'Take care to discover if there be any thing done or resolved with the duke of Alva, on the 10,000 crowns you mentioned to me, and also who is the gentleman that the duke of Alva last sent into Scotland, besides the two others who had been there before by his command; and to learn, if possible, on what occasion such frequent voyages are made.' MS. ib. 73 For if it be to undertake any thing on that side, there or in Ireland, I should wish to know it early, and with much certainty. It is true, there is not great appearance that the king of Spain, or D'Alva, are undertaking it; yet, if it be possible, you will enlighten yourself on this subject, if you can learn any thing from the people, of the bishop of Ross, or others, but so that no one may think that you have given them any charge about it.' MS. ib. BOOK II. 74 The disclosures obtained by the English government, on the arrest and examinations of the duke of Norfolk and the bishop of Ross, and their agents, of Mary's secret dealings with the treasonable conspirators, had disposed it to think, that she ought to be subjected to a corresponding punishment: but Elizabeth would not assent to the severity. Her justified displeasure against Mary was increased by detecting her in an application to Alva to invade Scotland, and carry its young prince away by force to Spain, to which she would go likewise;75 and stating that she had a strong party among the English nobility, and hoped to reduce England again to the Catholic religion. On this ground, the English queen would not allow her to be taken to France;" but appealed to the king's own judg 76 74 In the account which Charles IX. on 19 Jan. 1572, gave to Fenelon of his audience with the English ambassador, sir T. Smith, he mentions that sir Thomas had declared franchement, that if they pressed his queen more on Mary's liberation, they would but hasten her death, et servit en cause de lui faire trancher la tête;' adding, that if his mistress eut voulu croire en cela son conseil, she would have done it already, as he himself had advised her, from having seen by the prosecutions that had been made, the greatest reasons in the world for it.' MS. ib. The letter of sir R. Sadler to Burghley, on 27 Feb. 1572, urges him to advise the queen to do, if not in respect of herself, yet for the surety and quietness of her people, that justice, whereby the hope of all her enemies and naughty subjects may be ended.' Murd. State Pap. 176. 75 It was on 20 March 1572, that Charles IX. recapitulated to Fenelon what he had learnt that Elizabeth had stated to him and Le Crocq. 'On his speaking to her of setting the queen at liberty, she became very angry, and then shewed you both a ciphered letter, of which the signature you acknowlege to be the hand-writing of my said sister. By this she told you that my sister exhorted the duke of Alva to make haste to lead ships into Scotland to seize the prince, her son, as a thing which would be very easy to him, and that with him she would commit herself to the king of Spain.' Murray's MS. 76 And that she promised herself to have in England a strong party [bonne part,] and of lords who favored her party, with a hope which she had that the island of England viendroit a être reduit a la religion Catholique.' ib. MS. 77 He says, she would only permit Le Crocq to go and see her, but would not accorder qu'elle fut amenée en France.' MS. ib. XXX. ment, whether she ought not, by continuing Mary's CHAP. confinement, to use the means which she thus providentially possessed, of preserving herself and her country." 78 The French king was vexed at this discovery, and directed his ambassador to comfort Mary, but to request her to write no more such letters, and to abandon such practices," as by this altered conduct, she might in time soften the indignant and endangered Elizabeth.80 But Charles ordered his minister to watch carefully that no such Spanish or Flemish enterprises be attempted,1 because he knew that the earl of Mar, and some others of those who were of Mary's party, were in concealed correspondence with the formidable Alva.82 Two days afterwards, the king informed his ambassador, that Elizabeth had intercepted another cipher from Mary to the duke of Alva, with fresh urgencies 78 The king adds, 'On the contrary, she said to both, that when I should have well considered what this queen per tant de fois a voulu faire contre elle, I should not require her to put out of her hands the only means she has, and which heaven had sent her pour sa propre sureté et de son état.' Lett. Murray's MS. 79 He desires Fenelon to continue to make for Mary'doucement' all the good offices with Elizabeth that he could. You will console her, and make her understand the charge I had given Le Crocq and you for her liberation, and that I will still interfere and do all that I can for her and her kingdom with the queen of England; but that I advise her to write no more such ciphers, and se departir de telles pratiques et menées, for I fear that these will give occasion for worse treatment being done to her.' Lett. ib. 80 While I hope that, to please me and my mother, the queen of England may in time treat her more graciously, especially when she sees that she will restrain herself, and leave off these dealings.' ib. MS. 81 On this, without seeming to be doing any thing, you must keep your eyes open, and Le Crocq also, that no enterprise be made in Scotland by the Spaniards, Flemings, or by any other whomsoever, and especially to keep the prince of Scotland from being taken away.' ib. Having on this point to tell you, that we have advice from a good quarter, that the earl of Mar, and some others near him, are secretly in very good intelligence with the duke of Alva, how much soever in appearance they shew to the contrary.' ib. MS. 82 BOOK for his pursuing the machination she was promoting; 83 and had also obtained other information of her secret measures, by which she was both irritated and alarmed.85 84 The concurrence of Mary with the proposals to her of the pope and king of Spain, and her employment of Ridolfi, as her messenger to them, and the communication of these by her desire to the Duke of Norfolk, are explicitly stated by the bishop of Ross, in his own voluntary account to his unfortunate mistress." He declares likewise that the 83 On 22 March 1572, Charles wrote from Blois, Smith came yesterday to my mother, and, walking in the garden with her, said, that his queen had charged him to tell us, that since the audience she had given to M. Fenelon and Le Crocq, she had again intercepted a letter in cipher of the queen of Scots to the duke of Alva, by which she [Mary] again admonished him to make haste to take the prince of Scotland, and to carry him into Spain.' Lett. MS. Murray. 84And that she had also certain advices that lord Seton had passed from Flanders in disguise, and had entered the castle of Edinburgh, where he was carrying on this pratique, and was arranging it so that the Spaniards and Flemings should execute their enterprise.' ib. 85 We found that the queen of England was greatly excited against the queen of Scotland for this, and was in much fear and doubt about the undertaking. I mentioned that I had besides received advice of it.' MS. ib. On 4 March 1572, Burghley wrote to earl Shrewsbury, I have disclosed [deciphered] some of the letters your lordship lately sent me, hid under a stone. One was from the queen to the duke Alva making plain mention of Ridolfi, and imputing the discovery to the neglect of others.' Lodge Illust. v. 2. p. 64. From sir T. Smith's dispatch of 22 March 1572, we learn that these original letters had been shewn to the French envoys, Le Crocq and De la Motte, and the French king had said of her, Ah! the poor fool will never cease till she lose her head. In faith, they will put her to death. I see it is her own fault and folly. I see no remedy for it. I meant to help, but if she will not be helped, Je ne puis plus [I can do no more.'] Lett. in Digges, p. 194. 86 His prefatory epistle to his negociations is dated 26 March 1572. In the letter beginning from 11 April 1571, he states, The queen, our mistress, wrote a long discourse to me of the good and friendly offers made to her by the pope's holiness and king of Spain, by sundry their letters and messages; and because Ridolfi had made her advertisement that he was to pass into Italy, and offered to pass also from thence to the king of Spain, she thought him most fit to bear her message, and therefore wished me to persuade the duke of Norfolk to |