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her, and that favor to Mary, from which the ante- СНАР. cedent pontiff had, from other views, been declining." But, in truth, the ambitious Sixtus Quintus rather doubled his instruments and his schemes, than peculiarly befriended Mary. While he upheld and urged the Spaniard with the one hand to pursue his personal claims and expedition, his legate in France entered into conspiracies with the Guises and Mary's ambassador, and the Jesuits in France, in the Spring of 1586, to assail Elizabeth also with the results of their devices." But this was only to keep two

12

"So Mary's friend, Morgan, notices in his letter of 25 Jan. 1586, This pope is better inclined to your majesty than was his predecessor.

Murd. 473.

12 We may infer, from a paragraph in the report of Morgan to his mistress Mary, on 31 March 1586, how far pious and sacred objects as to Elizabeth and England, were the only objects of her ambassadors, of the Jesuits, and of the papacy. He thus discloses his vexation at what 'Father Creighton' had unwisely and unexpectedly acknowleged :

A few days before I was committed to prison, I received from England, out of the Tower, an examination and confession of good father Creighton, which forthwith I imparted to your ambassador; for that it appeared to me manifestly, to my great grief, that there was foul and unhonest secrecy kept in a matter of great importance, wherein, at the first, there was only the duke of Guise, my lord of Glasgow [Mary's ambassador,] father Claude, and myself, acquainted, and THE OLD NUNCIO. But in a short time after, I well understood that others of the fathers of the Jesuits had the matter amongst them, and had written thereof to some friends of theirs in England, which then terrified me much. Yet for that I well hoped that the matter should not come out of good men's hands to the enemies; I said nothing then, whatsoever I thought. But having seen the said examination and confession of father Creighton, I was not a little troubled; insomuch that I told my lord of Glasgow that I was ashamed to live, and to intermeddle with things of importance, and to have the same in some sort discovered by the adversaries: and therefore prayed my lord to confer of this discovery with the said fathers; and to pray them, for the time to come, that some few of them should handle the things IN SECRET: and that the same should not be communicated to all the rest; whereby such discoveries happen TO THE OVERTHROW OF GOOD SERVICE and good members.' He then rejoices that 'so much' was not discovered as to involve her, ' tho now I remember that your majesty wrote unto this country of the like matter, yourself altogether of this matter ignorant, here begun by the duke of Guise, THE

II.

BOOK powerful engines of his policy, and of the passions and aims of others, in perilous operation against her; in order that one at least might at length complete the grand hope of the inveterate Vatican.

The death of Mary terminated the prospect of seating a Catholic sovereign, of the league and Guisian faction, on the English throne, and left Sixtus and the Jesuits free to pursue, with undivided energy and attention, their preferred plan of conquering England by force, with the revenues of Philip II., and of having in his person a more congenial king over this intractable country, whom they and the Inquisition could more arbitrarily govern. The jealousy and politics of Henry III. were always embroiling him with Philip." He was continually mistrusting him :15 yet tho seeming at times to be

13

SAID NUNCIO, my lord of Glasgow, father Claude and myself.' Murd. 496. This father Claude looks like Claude Aquaviva, then the general of the Jesuits.

Here this worthy agent regrets the discovery of their plots, but does not impeach the veracity of Creighton's statement; and he brings before us the fact, that there were five great plotters against Elizabeth at Paris: the pope's nuncio, Mary's ambassador, father Claude, Guise, and himself. This was a distinct nest of conspiracy connected with Mary, and different from the Spanish one, for the benefit of Philip.

13 We have already intimated how this haughty king, who was causing so many millions to dread him, was himself subjected to his own inquisition. See before, p. 141.

14 Thus Henry III. allowed, in Feb. 1584, don Antonio to take 800 French soldiers to act against Philip in Portugal (Murd. 393,) and permitted others to operate with Alençon in Flanders, yet avoiding direct

war.

15 At the end of July 1584, sir E. Stafford reported from Paris to his court, that the king of France feareth the king of Spain. There are perpetual watches, at all hours, about the Spanish ambassador's house, to see who cometh at him; and when he goeth out of doors, continual secret attenders are upon him [to observe] whither he goeth, and with whom he speaketh.' Murd. 431. And in Feb. 1586, Morgan apprised the queen of Scots, that the Dutch states have had twice audience in this court, and made large offers of Holland and Zealand to this king [Henry III.] and five millions of gold towards the support of the wars, if the king would assist them against Philip.' Murd. 468.

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on the point of direct warfare, would not allow him- CHAP. self to be urged into it.16 While his mind remained so ambiguous or fluctuating, Philip could only promote plots and form preparations privately against Elizabeth, but he employed the suspending interval in the formation of a new Romish league, to overwhelm Protestantism every where. The ardent mind of Sixtus Quintus had directed its perverted energies to revive and accomplish the exterminating projects of his predecessors, under the auspices of a potentate, so willing and so formidable as Philip; and Henry III. was solicited to make it irresistible by joining it." That the leading and favorite idea of the papal party was still extermination, altho so much bloodshed had been effected by it, unavailingly for six and fifty years since Francis I. and Clement VII. had begun it in modern Europe, as all were emerging so auspiciously from the darker

16 Sir E. Stafford, on 21 June 1584, reporting a rumor, that the malcontents and Spaniards have spoiled a great way in France about Peronne,' shews the king's reluctance to such a war in the expressive addition; I would to heaven they had taken that, and two or three places more, for I am afraid the king will never have any feeling, till he be bitten by the bottom at the least.' Murd. 410.

17 It is from Morgan, the agent of Mary, whom, by the preceding note 12, we have seen to be in such confidential conspiracy with the old papal nuncio and Jesuits, that we learn this great fact. He thus explicitly states it in his secret letter to Mary, of 25 February 1586: "There is a league concluded between HIS HOLINESS, the emperor, the KING OF SPAIN, and the princes and states Catholic, for the SUBVERSION OF HERESY; and this king, [Henry III.] as I am informed, hath been moved by his holiness to join in this league, wherein he hath taken time to deliberate. If the king dissent from this HOLY UNION, his holiness is like to trouble this realm, and perhaps dispose the same in prædam, rather than suffer the same to stand to support heresy. The principal favorers of the same king of Spain do practise with the cantons of the Swisses in league with this king, to make them neutral, whereby the duke of Savoy may recover Geneva, and so remove THAT DEN OF HERETICS; for which purpose, the king of Spain is disposed to assist the duke of Savoy.' Murd. 469.

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18

ages; and altho millions now must have become the victims, if these plans of Erebus could have been effectuated; we perceive, by the unqualified language of that confederate of the Romish conspiracy, who reports it deliberately for the gratification or information of his concurring, or not disapproving, at least un-opposing sovereign. We add these epithets, because we have not met with any document of the times, which indicates that Mary objected to such sanguinary resolutions. Her heart, like those of her hierarchy, was fixed on the triumph of the Catholic system; and with this feeling we have seen that she died,19 and to it she would have educated her son James, and even purposed to produce his deposition, if he should prove refractory to such tuition.20 These circumstances forcibly imply

18 It is in his long report to Mary of all he knew and advised, on 31 March 1586, that he reminds her that he had recommended her by 'former letters to write to his holiness, and so discharge your own obedience towards the same. You may also inform him, that by the tyranny of the heretics, all intelligence is stopped between your majesty and your son, whereby you may truly allege, that you cannot work that good upon him and Scotland that you desire to do, and are also bound to do. Wherefore, your majesty may earnestly commend that isle to his holiness, and your son also; and desire his holiness, of his goodness, to take him to his special protection in time, for the better service of God and of his church, AND THE EXTIRPATION OF heresy. For this pope is well inclined towards your majesty, and to do good in common.' Morgan's lett. in Murdin, p. 497. How Mary estimated and used this person and his information and service, we learn from her letter to sir Francis Englefield, on 20 May 1586: Nor could I have advertised you of thus much, if it had not been [for] poor Morgan, the chief and almost the only finder out, and director of all the intercourse of intelligence I have had these many years past; who hath, notwithstanding his troubles, appointed me this way for the present.' Mary's lett. in Murdin, p. 514. On 1 July, 1586, she says to him in another epistle, 'Your advice shall be followed! and your travail for intelligence with every one, met withal, as occasion and opportunity shall offer.' ib. 519.

19 See before, p. 462.

20 See before, p. 446, and her letter to Mendoza, on this point, in State Trials, 1. p. 147. On 4 July 1586, Morgan informs her, that one

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what a deluge of misery would have terrified and CHAP. saddened Europe, if the Grand Armada of the Escurial and of the Vatican had succeeded in its direful expedition. This league of persecution Henry III. did not join. On the contrary it is intimated, altho he was bigot enough," and had been also a sufficient Huguenot destroyer, to have deserved as much as Pius V. a place place in the Roman Breviary

of his friends had secretly seen one of James' letters to Elizabeth, and in much alarm at the prospect which it opened, adds, ' It should seem, that she has made him some deceitful assurance of that crown after her; so that the heretics of both realms make their account to live in continual heresy under him, and so prefer him before yourself unto that crown. But I hope in heaven the heretics shall be frustrate of their wicked practices.' Murd. 525. It was against her giving James the succession that Mary herself wrote the warm French letter of the 23 March 1586, to Elizabeth: What can be more impious and detestable, than for an only son to take from his mother her state and crown! Be you not aware that I should give him, as I will if he persists, my malediction, and deprive him, as far as I can, of all good and greatness, which by me he can pretend to in Scotland or elsewhere? I doubt not that I shall find in Christendom heirs enough, who will have nails sufficiently strong to retain what I shall put into their hand.' Murdin, p. 566.

Of some of the habits and superstitions of Henry III. we find a few notices in the dispatches of sir Edward Stafford, in 1584. On his habits, we read: He is continually occupied from two o'clock after midnight, which is his ordinary time of rising, till eight o'clock in the morning, shut up in his cabinet, himself scribbling, and two or three others under him.' Besides his ordinary guard of French, in two sorts, and of Swissers and Scots, he has erected five-and-forty, which they term Talliagambi. These must never go from his person; and whenever he goeth out, they must be nearest the king; every one with a cuirass under his coat, and never eat nor drink out of the court or their own chamber, at any bodies board whatsoever. Besides these, he hath 40 gentlemen of his chamber, who must perpetually wait; every one a chain of gold about their neck.' Murd. p. 426.

On his superstitions, we learn from the ambassador, on 10 Dec. 1583, that Henry chose to invent a new order of friars. The king is in a marvellous humor for a new confreyrey of Jeronomites, which he erecteth at Bois de Vincennes, and will have his favorites to be of it with him. They be clad in a kind of smoky grey, to go bare-foot, to have stones in their hands to knock their breasts with when they be at their prayers; and to live of alms. The king, a Sunday was se'nnight, went thither, and for three hours together wore the habit; and took such cold, that when he came home he fell into a fever and a flux; so that men were in doubt that he would have ended his life with his new order. He is now very well again.' Murd. 383.