II. BOOK language of very deferring, but of rather strong affection.109 About the middle of March she seeks to rouse his hesitating or receding mind, by an assurance of her devotedness to him;110 she notices the bishop of Ross as her adviser," and induces our suspicions of Pembroke's fidelity to Elizabeth, by the manner in which she mentions his death,' and she intimates how much the duke had done already for her."13 In May we learn that he had resumed his correspondence with her." She avows 112 liberty, and satisfaction of your conscience; meaning, that you promised me, you could not leave me.' Hardw. 190. 109 If you think the danger great, do as you think best, and let me know what you please that I do; for I will ever be, for your sake, perpetual prisoner, or put my life in peril for your weal and mine. As you please, command me; for I will, for all the world, follow your commands, so that you be not in danger for me in so doing. I will either, if I were out, by humble submission, tho all my friends were against it, or by other ways, work for our liberties so long as I live. Let me know your mind, and whether you are not offended at me ; for I fear you are, seeing that I do hear no news from you. I pray God preserve you, and keep us both from deceitful friends. This last of January [1570.] Your own faithful to death-Queen of Scots. My Norfolk!' Hard. 190. 110 Mine own good lord! I have forborne this long time to write to you, in respect of the dangers of writing which you seemed to fear. But I must remember you of your own times, as occasion serves; and let you know the continuance of my truth to you, which I see, by this last, looks much detested. But if you mind not to shrink at the matter, I will die and live with you. Your fortune shall be mine. Therefore let me know in all things your mind.' Lett. 19 March. Hard. p. 191. The bishop of Ross writes to me, that I should make the offers to the queen of England now in my letter, which I write generally, because I would enter into nothing till I knew your pleasure, which I shall now follow.' ib. 191. 112 I have heard that God hath taken your dear friend Pembroke, whereof I am heartily sorry.' ib. 113 Let not that nor other matters trouble you to your heart; for else you will leave all your friends and me, for whose cause you have done so much already, that I trust you will preserve to you to a happier meeting, in despite of all such railers; wherein I suspect Huntington for such like talk. I have prayed God to preserve you, and grant us both his grace. And then, let them, like blasphemers feel.' ib. 191. 114 I have received my own good, constant lord! your comfortable writings, which are to me as welcome as ever thing was; for the hopes 115 XXVII. the grief she had felt on the news of Northumber- CHA P. land's failure, and warmly asserts her attachment,116 In the middle of June, in a letter less ardent, she represents the bishop of Ross to him as her confidential assistant," and refers him to this prelate for further business.118 We find afterwards that the intercourse was still kept up, thro the agency of Borthwick.119 She acknowleges again her obligations to him,120 stimulates him also by affectionate assurances," 121 admits the reception of I see you are in to have some better fortune than you had yet, thro all your friends favor.' Lett. 17 May. Hardw. p. 192. 115The earl of Shrewsbury came one night so merry to me, shewing that the earl of Northumberland had been in rebellion, and was rendered to the earl of Sussex; which I have since found false, but, at the sudden, such fear for friends cumbering me, I wept so, that I was all swollen three days after.' ib. 192. 116I trust to write by one of my gentlemen shortly more surely. I pray you, think and hold me in your grace as your own, who daily shall pray to God to send you happy and hasty deliverance of all troubles, not doubting but that you would not then enjoy alone all your felicities, not remembering your own faithful to death, who shall not have any advancement or rest without you. Your own queen.' ib. 192 117 6 My good lord! It has not been small comfort to me to have the means to discover at length with our trusty servant the bishop of Ross, that I might more plainly discover in all matters, nor betray it; both for the better intelligence of the state there to me, and of my heart to him, but especially for the better intelligence betwixt us two.' Lett. 14 June 1570, from Chatsworth. These allusions have an obscurity which we cannot now elucidate. 118 Therefore command him as for yourself, and as your trusty servant, and believe him of all that he will assure you in my name, that is, in effect, that I will be true and obedient to you, as I have promised, as long as I live.' ib. 193. 119Sunday, I received a writing by Borthwick from you, whereby I perceive the satisfaction you have of my plain dealing with you, as I must do of my duty.' Letter from Wingfield late at night, this 24th. ib. 194. 120 6 Considering how much I am beholden to you, many ways, I am glad that the grant of my good will is so agreeable to you.' ib. 121 Albeit I know myself to be so unworthy to be so well liked of one of such wisdom and good qualities, yet do I think my hap great in that; yea, much greater than my desert. Therefore, I will be about to use myself so, that so far as God shall give me grace, you shall never have cause to diminish your good conceit and favor of II. BOOK another letter from him,122 and discovers to us the important facts so perilous to Elizabeth, that she was then in correspondence with the duke of Alva; that the bishop of Ross was privy to it, and that thro him the duke of Norfolk was also consulted upon it. 123 Something of consequence and anxiety for her benefit was expected by her in the summer, and she hopes he will not be betrayed.12 The communications between Ridolfi and the French ambassador, and the precise share of the latter in the papal conspiracy, cannot be ascertained, because his confidential dispatches on this subject have not been published. But some intimations appear in the letters of Charles IX. and of his mother to their ambassador, de la Mothe Fenelon, which deserve our passing notice.125 me, while I shall esteem and respect you in all my doings, so long as I live, as you would wish your own to do.' Hardw. 194. 122 This day I received a letter from you by the bearer, whereby I perceive the thought you take of my health, which is much better than it was at his departing, but not yet very strong, nor quit of the soreness of my side. It causes me to be more heavy and pensive than I would or need to be.' ib. 194. 123I write to the bishop of Ross what I hear from the duke of Alva, governor of the Netherlands. Let me know your pleasure at length, in writing, which I shall answer.' ib. 194. We see the nature of her connexions with Alva, from the letter of Charles IX. to his ambassador, on 26th December 1570. I observe by your's that the lord Seton, who is gone to the duke of Alva, will be able to obtain so much of the secours which he required from him on the part of the queen of Scots, his mistress, and the means which Seton proposed to the duke to conduct the said secours so apropos, and to such places where, he said, they would be well received by the Scots, as you inform me.' Murray's MS. 124 But and this summer past, I hope by good all the year. God preserve you from all traitors, and make your friends true and constant.' ib. 195. 125 I quote these letters of Charles from the copies in the hands of Mr. Murray, to whom I am indebted for the perusal of them. He purchased them of a French gentleman. They are the same which De Potter mentions to have been in the possession of M. Barrere. Lett. Pie V. Introd. p. 26. In the summer of 1569, the French king was apprised of the intended marriage of Norfolk and Mary, 120 altho Elizabeth was then wholly ignorant of the design; and he earnestly desired his representative in London to exert himself in every way to promote it, but as from himself, and to keep it a profound secret that the French government was urging it," and so to manage his own dealings in it, that his interference might remain entirely unknown.128 129 About a month afterwards we perceive allusions of Charles, to a commotion preparing in England,' to a league between the Catholic powers, suspected by Cecil to be forming against it,130 and to the 126 It was on 27 July 1569, that Charles IX. wrote from St. Germain: I am informed that the queen of Scotland is much advanced in the project of a marriage with the duke of Norfolk, and that they hope the things may be brought to some good end; which I much more desire than that it should be made with the bastard of Spain, as I know has been treated about.' MS. Murray. 127 I beg you that zealously, but as of yourself and without making it known the least in the world, that I have written any thing to you upon it, you will do all that is possible to induce the queen of Scots to think well of this marriage; and so favor it by every means in your power, that it may be conducted to a good effect.' ib. MS. 128 Above all, take care to handle it so secretly that you may not be discovered by any one: and that it does not come to be known that any thing has been mentioned to you about it from this side.' ib. MS. He mentions that he had raised new levies of 8000 Swiss, besides 50 French ensigns, and that Philip was sending him 4000 Spaniards against the Huguenot army, and the foreign forces with which they threaten me.' ib MS. 129 I have well considered the ample memoir which you have sent me of the state of things au delà [in England], which altho they seem some little prepared for a commotion. Lett. from Amboise, 19th Aug. 1569. MS. ib. 130 The opinion which they have got into their head of the league, which they say to be certain between the emperor, the king of Spain, and myself, as the secretary Cecil has been endeavoring to prove to you, by his reasons mentioned in your memoir, and which leads my good sister to a perpetual mistrust that I mean to attack her, of which I do not see any appearance: but rather that she has her eye open to draw from the misfortunes of my kingdom some advantage in her pretensions.' ib. MS. СНАР. XXVII. BOOK 11. 131 French ministers dealings with English lords, with an order that he should promote the projected marriage; 132 but mixed with great uneasiness lest his Huguenot subjects should obtain succor from Elizabeth or in her country.133 But the king's next letter authenticates the intimation made by the pope to him,13 that some of the state counsellors of Elizabeth were corruptly and traitorously busy to keep her from supporting the French Protestants; and shews that they were, as he stated, in communication with the French ambassador and court on that subject," at the precise time when the Huguenots 135 131 I approve of what you have had with the lords beyond.' MS. Murray. 132 I recommend to you the affair in my last despatch. Employ yourself in it so actively that the marriage may be completed, using all the best and most dexterous means.' Lett. ib. MS. 133 He directed Fenelon to urge Elizabeth to deny favor in her kingdom to my rebels: and as to the money which they are borrowing there on the jewels of the queen of Navarre.' ib. 134 See before, the letter of Pius V. quoted in notes 102, 103. 135 On 16 August Charles wrote, You think that I should write to thank some lords beyond for their good offices, in keeping peace between me and the queen. As to the letters, I will send them to you to assist you by them as much as you shall wisely judge to be expedient for the good of my service.' (Pour vous en aider, autant que vous jugerez sagement che apropos pour le bien de mon service.) Lett. MS. ib. This important despatch gives us the time of their treasonable conduct, August 1569. We find from the queen mother's letter of the 15 Aug. that at this critical time the Huguenots had been a fortnight besieging Poitiers. That the duke of Guise had entered it with 1200 gentlemen, to assist in its defence, and had made the finest sallies that had ever issued from a besieged place; and that by the 20th, there would be 5000 French chevaliers collected, whom they mean to employ in giving une bonne battaile, to put us at the end of our evils.' MS. ib. So that at no period could the secret treacherous machinations in her cabinet, to keep Elizabeth neutral, be more important to the successes of the papal party in France, nor more disadvantageous to the Huguenots. We learn also from a letter of Charles, dated 30 August, that his ministers of the 15th had noticed the earnest solicitations which the Huguenots were making to Elizabeth for her assistance. The king adds, Oppose them always. They have now besieged Poitiers above a month. They have found so much resistance that they are despairing of taking it by force, and mean to reduce it from want of food. But it is well provided, and in four or five days my army of seven |