'I do find this Queen so captivate either by love or cunning or rather to say truly by boasting or folly— that she is not able to keep promise with herself, and therefore not able to keep promise with your Majesty in these matters.'1

Anticipating an immediate insurrection in Northumberland and Yorkshire, he begged that Bedford, who had gone to London, might return to Berwick without an hour's delay; and that the troops there might be largely reinforced. He returned at his leisure through York, to inform the council there of the names of dangerous persons which he had learnt in Scotland; and meanwhile he sketched a course of action to Leicester and Cecil which would either prevent the marriage or cripple it with conditions which would deprive it of its danger.

Elizabeth he thought should immediately make public 'the indignity' which had been offered her by the Queen of Scots, and should declare without ambiguity her intention of chastising the arrogancy' of subjects who had disowned their allegiance. He recommended the arrest of the Earl of Northumberland, the detention of Lady Lennox 'in close and separate confinement,' and the adoption of prompt measures to disabuse 'the Papists' of their belief that they were themselves in credit and estimation.' An eye should be kept on the Spanish ambassador- there the matter imported much '—and favour should be shown to Lady Catherine Grey, who, though fast sinking under hard usage, still survived.

1 Throgmorton to Elizabeth, May 21; Scotch MSS. Rolls House.

The English Government should avoid differences with France and Spain; and then 'either a breach of the matter would follow or else a good composition."

Randolph, after Throgmorton's departure, continued at his post, and sent up accounts from week to week of the position of parties and of the progress of the crisis.

He described Darnley as a conceited, arrogant, intolerable fool; he spoke of Murray as true to his mistress in the highest sense, and still labouring to save her from herself of Maitland 'as more honest than many looked for '—of Argyle and the Lords of the old Congregation as true to their principles, and working all together-of the Earl of Ruthven alone as to his shame stirring coals to bring the marriage to effect.' 'Of the poor Queen herself' he knew not what to say, 'so pitiful her condition seemed to him;' he had esteemed her before,' he said, 'so worthy, so wise, so honourable in all her doings; ' and he found her so altered with affection towards Lord Darnley that she had brought her honour in question, her estate in hazard, her country torn to pieces.'"

Affection it might be, or else, as Maitland thought, 'the foundation of the matter might have been anger and despite :' so far from loving the weak idiot whom she had chosen, she was more likely already shuddering at the sacrifice which her ambition and revenge had demanded; Lord Darnley had few qualities to command either love or respect from Mary Stuart.

1 Throgmorton to Cecil and Leicester, May 21: Scotch MSS. Rolls House. 2 Randolph to Leicester and Cecil, May 21: Scotch MSS. Rolls House.

June.

'David Rizzio,' continued Randolph in a

later letter, is he that now worketh all, chief secretary to the Queen and only governor to her good man. The bruits here are wonderful, men's talk very strange, the hatred towards Lord Darnley and his house marvellous great, his pride intolerable, his words not to be borne, but where no man dare speak again. He spareth not also in token of his manhood to let blows fly where he knows they will be taken. When men have said all and thought what they can, they find nothing but that God must send him a short end or themselves a miserable life. They do not now look for help from England. Whatsoever I speak is counted but wind. If her Majesty will not use force let her spend three or four thousand pounds. It is worth the expense of so much money to cut off the suspicion that men make of her Majesty that she never liked thing in her life better than to see this Queen so meanly matched. She is now so much altered from that which lately she was known to be, that who now beholdeth her doth not

Her Majesty is laid aside;

think her to be the same. her wits not such as they were; her beauty other than it was; her cheer and countenance changed into I wot not what a woman more to be pitied than any that ever I saw. The Lord Darnley has said that if there were war to-morrow between England and Scotland, this Queen should find more friends in England than the Queen's Majesty's self."1

1 Randolph to Leicester and Cecil, June 3: Scotch MSS. Rolls House.

Maitland continued to write confidentially to Cecil, promising to do his best to prevent a collision between the two countries, and entreating Cecil to assist him. Randolph, distracted by the suspicions of Elizabeth's motives which he saw round him, advised that unless the Queen of Scots was to be allowed to take her will,' an English army should advance to the Border, and that he should be himself empowered to promise the Congregation distinct and open support. In that case all would be well. The Papists should be bridled at home, and all intelligence cut off between them and the Scots and either Mary Stuart would be put to the hardest shift that ever prince was at, or such a stir in Scotland that what part soever was strongest should be the longer liver.'1

The agitation in England after Throgmorton's return was almost as great. A series of remarkable documents remain to illustrate the alarm with which the crisis was regarded, and to reveal many unexpected features in the condition of the country.

First is a paper in Cecil's hand, dated the 2nd of June, entitled 'The perils and troubles that may presently ensue and in time to come follow upon the marriage of the Queen of Scots with the Lord Darnley.'

"The minds,' thus this paper runs, 'of all such as be affected to the Queen of Scots either for herself, or for the opinion of her pretences to this crown, or for the desire to have a change in the form of religion in this

1 Randolph to Cecil, June 12: Ibid.

realm, or for the discontentation they have of the Queen's Majesty or her successors or of the succession of any other besides the Queen of Scots, shall be by this marriage erected, comforted, and induced to devise and labour how to bring their desires to pass; and to make some estimate what persons these are, to the intent the quantity of the peril may be weighed, the same may be composed in these sorts either within the realm or without.

'The first are such as are especially devoted to the Queen of Scots or the Lord Darnley by bond of blood and alliance-as all the House of Lorraine and Guise for her part, and the Earl of Lennox and his wife with all such in Scotland as be of their blood there and have received displeasure by the Duke of Chatelherault and the Hamiltons.

'The second are all manner of persons both in this realm and in other countries that are devoted to the authority of Rome and mislike of the religion here received; and in these two sorts are the substance of them comprehended that shall take comfort in this marriage.

'Next therefore is to be considered what perils and troubles these kind of men shall intend to this realm.

'The general scope and mark of all their designs is and always shall be to bring the Queen of Scots to have the royal crown of this realm; and therefore though their devices may vary amongst themselves for the compassing hereof, according to the accidents of the times, and according to the impediments which they shall find by means of the Queen's Majesty's actions and govern