no opportunity of urging the Queen to severe measures. If Cecil can once be dismissed from the council, the Catholic religion and your Majesty's interests in England will all be the better for it. Lord Robert, who is your Majesty's most faithful friend, believes that this book may be the knife with which to cut his throat. If the Queen can be prevailed upon to part with him much good will follow, and I am strongly advised to use Lord Robert's assistance.

'I have said that I shall always welcome Lord Robert's help, that your Majesty I was well aware would wish me to do so, and that in the present matter I will do what I can; but I mean to move cautiously and to see my way before I step.'

DE SILVA TO PHILIP II.

July 2.

'Lord Robert is more pressing than ever in offering his assistance to your Majesty. The gentleman of whom I spoke tells me that Lord Robert has still hopes of the Queen; and that if he succeeds, the Catholic religion will be restored. Again cautioning me to be secret, he informed me that Lord Robert was in communication with the Pope about it, and had agents residing continually at the Papal Court. He spoke of his intentions in the warmest terms, especially with reference to the restoration of the truth.

'The interests at stake are so weighty, there are so many pretensions liable to be affected, and such a multitude of considerations on all sides which may not be

overlooked, that I must entreat your Majesty to direct me what to do and say. I have not as yet exchanged a word upon the subject with any one except the person I speak of. I suspect the French have been trying to make use of Lord Robert. His father, people tell me, had large French connections.'

DE SILVA TO PHILIP II.

July 10.

'I have been at Court at Richmond again. The Queen was in the garden with the ladies when I arrived, and she bade the Grand Chamberlain bring me to her. She received me with the most pointed kindness. She had been so anxious to see me, she said, that she could not help giving me the trouble of coming.

'She took me aside and led me into a gallery, where she kept me for an hour, talking the whole time of your Majesty, and alluding often to her embarrassments when she first came to the throne. I need not weary your Majesty with repeating her words; but she spoke with unaffected sincerity, and seemed annoyed when we were interrupted by supper.

'The meal was attended with the usual ceremonies. Nothing could be more handsome than the entertainment. She made the band play the 'Battle of Pavia,' and declared it was the music that she liked best in the world.

'After supper she had more conversation with me; and as it was then late I thought it time to take my leave but the Queen said I must not think of going; there was a play to be acted which I must see. She

must retire to her room for a few minutes, she said, but she would leave me in the hands of Lord Robert. The Lord Robert snatched the opportunity of her absence to speak of his obligations to your Majesty, and to assure me that he was your most devoted servant. She returned almost immediately, and we adjourned to the theatre. The piece which was performed was a comedy, of which I should have understood but little had not the Queen herself been my interpreter. The plot as usual turned on marriage. While it was going on the Queen recurred to the Prince of Spain, and asked about his stature. replied that his Highness was full grown. She was silent a while, and then said

I

"Every one seems to disdain me. I understand you think of marrying him to the Queen of Scots?'

"Do not believe it, your Majesty,' I said. 'His Highness has been so ill for years past with quartan ague and other disorders that his marriage with any one has been out of the question. Because he is better now, the world is full of idle stories about him. Subjects are never weary of talking of their princes.'

That is true,' she answered. It was reported a few days since in London that the King my brother intended to offer him to me.'

'The play was followed by a masque. A number of people in black and white, which the Queen told me were her colours, came in and danced. One of them afterwards stepped forward and recited a sonnet in her praise; and so the spectacle ended. We adjourned to a saloon where a long table was laid out with preserved

fruits and sweetmeats.

It was two in the morning

before I started to return to London. The Queen, at the same time, stepped into her barge and went down the river to Westminster.'

It is possible that the communications from Lord Robert to the Spanish ambassador were part of a deliberate plot to lead Philip astray after a will-o'-the-wisp; to amuse him with hopes of recovering Elizabeth to the Church, while she was laughing in her sleeve at his credulity. If Lord Robert was too poor a creature to play such a part successfully, it is possible that he too was Elizabeth's dupe. Or again, it may have been that Elizabeth was insincere in her offer of Lord Robert to the Queen of Scots, while she was sincere in desiring the recognition of Mary Stuart's title-because she hoped that to escape the succession of a Scottish princess, one party or other would be found in England to tolerate her marriage with the only person whom she would accept. If the Queen was playing a false game, it is hard to say which hypothesis is the more probable; yet, on the one hand, it will be seen that Cecil, Randolphevery one who has left an opinion on record-believed that she was in earnest in desiring Mary Stuart to accept Lord Robert; while, on the other hand, the readiness with which the Spanish Court listened to Lord Robert's overtures proves that they at least believed that he had a real hold on Elizabeth's affections; and it is unlikely, with the clue to English State secrets which the Spanish ministers undoubtedly possessed, that they would have

been deceived a second time by a mere artifice. The least subtle explanations of human things are usually the most true. Elizabeth was most likely acting in good faith when she proposed to sacrifice Dudley to the Queen of Scots. Lord Robert as probably clung to his old hopes, and was sincere-so far as he could be sincere at all-in attempting to bribe Philip to support him in obtaining his object.

That this was Philip's own opinion appears certainly from his answer to de Silva.

PHILIP II. TO DE SILVA.

August 6.

'Your reply to the advances made to you by Lord Robert's friend was wise and cautious. So long as Cecil remains in power you must be careful what you do. If means should offer themselves to overthrow him, every consideration should move you not to neglect the opportunity; but I leave you to your own discretion.

'As to Lord Robert's marriage with the Queen: if he will assure you that when he becomes her husband he will restore the true ancient and Catholic faith, and will bring back the realm under the obedience of the Pope and the Holy See, you may promise in our name that we will assist him to the uttermost of our power.

"The propositions of the Irish Catholics you will cut short, courteously but firmly.' The time does not suit to encourage rebellion in that quarter. They have ap

Alluding to something in a | sions about Lord Robert's agent in letter of de Silva's which is lost. Rome, which would have shown The same letter contained expres- more clearly what de Silva himself