to the

selves;' 'but your Majesty I am assured will consider CHAP VIII the unfitness of the match for greater causes than 1564 I can think of any-of which not the least will be November the loss of many a godly man's heart that by your objections Majesty enjoyeth now the liberty of their country, Darnley and know but in how short a time they shall lose the marriage. same, if your Majesty give your consent to match her with such an one as either by dissention at home or lack of knowledge of God and his word, may persecute them that profess the same."

The Scotch Protestants comprehended instinctively the thousand dangers to which they would be exposed. The house of Lennox was the hereditary enemy of the Hamiltons, who had headed the Revolution of 1559. Darnley was known to be a Catholic; and his marriage with Mary Stuart was well understood to mean a Catholic revolution.

"The terrible fear is so entered into their hearts,' continued Randolph, that the Queen tendeth only to that, that some are well willing to leave their country, others with their force to withstand it, the rest with patience to endure it and let God work His will.'

Maitland seems to have believed that Mary Stuart would be moderate and reasonable even if she was recognized unconditionally and was left to choose her own husband; he professed to imagine that some 'liberty of religion' could be established in the modern, and at that time impossible, sense in which wolf and dog, Catholic and Protestant, could live in peace together, neither worried nor worrying each other. But few of the serious Reformers shared his hope; and a gap was already opening wide between him and the

1 Scotch MSS. Rolls House.

CHAP VIII Earl of Murray.

Maitland was inclined to press Eng1564 land to the uttermost;' Randolph in a private converNovember sation with Murray found in that nobleman a marvellous good will' to be guided by Elizabeth, although he was disturbed by the conflict of duties. The Earl, as the meeting of the commissioners approached, in his perplexity sent Elizabeth a message 'that whatever he might say, or however vehement he might seem to be in his mistress's cause, he hoped her Majesty would not take it as if he was in any way wanting in devotion to her.' Both Murray and Randolph were nervously conscious of their incapacity to cope with Maitland in a diplomatic

Conference at Berwick.

encounter.

To meet with such a match,' Randolph wrote to Elizabeth, 'your Majesty knoweth what wits had been fit. How far he exceedeth the compass of one or two heads that is able to govern a Queen and guide a whole realm alone, your Majesty may well think. How unfit I am, and how able is he to go beyond me, I would it were not as I know it to be."

Little time was lost in preparation. On the 18th of November the four commissioners met at Berwick: Bedford-a plain determined man, with the prejudices of a Protestant and the resolution of an English statesman; Randolph-true as Bedford to Elizabeth, but entangled deeply in the intricacies of diplomacy, and moving with more hesitation; Murray-perplexed as we have seen;

1 Randolph to Elizabeth, November 7.-COTTON MSS., CALIG, B. 10. On the same day Randolph wrote to Leicester, I would you were to be at Berwick to say somewhat for yourself, for there I assure you somewhat will be said of you

that for your lordship may tend to little good. How happy is your life that between these two Queens are tossed to and fro. Your lordship's luck is evil if you light not in some of their laps that love so well to play." -Scotch MSS. Rolls House.

and Maitland-at home in the element in which he CHAP VIII played with the practised pleasure of a master.

1564

The preliminaries were soon disposed of. Both sides November agreed on the desirableness of the union of the realms; and the English ministers admitted the propriety of the recognition of the Queen of Scots, if adequate securities could be provided for Elizabeth's safety and for the liberties of the realm.

The main subject was then approached. Lord Bedford said that his mistress would undertake to favour Mary Stuart's title if Mary Stuart would marry where the English Council wished; and he proposed the Earl of Leicester as a suitable husband for her.

The Earl of Leicester,' Maitland replied, 'was no fit marriage for his mistress taken alone; and he desired to be informed more particularly what the Queen of England was prepared to do in addition. Indefinite promises implied merely that she did not wish the Queen of Scots to make a powerful alliance; his mistress could not consent to make an inferior marriage while the Queen of England was left unfettered; the Queen of England might herself marry and have children.'

It is not the intention of the Queen of England,' said Randolph, 'to offer the Lord Robert only as Earl of Leicester without further advancement. She desires to deal openly, fairly, and kindly; but neither will her Majesty say what she will do more, nor ought she to say, till she knows in some degree how her offer will be embraced.' 'As you,' he said particularly to Maitland, 'have spoken an earnest word, so I desire without offence to have another, which is that if you think by finesse, policy, or practice, or any other means, to wring anything out of her Majesty's hands, you are but abused and do much deceive yourselves.'

As much as this had probably been foreseen on all

November

CHAP VIII sides. Maitland wished to extort an independent ad1564 mission of Mary's claims from which Elizabeth would not afterwards be able to recede; the English would admit nothing until Mary had consented generally to conditions which would deprive her of the power of being dangerous. But it seems that they were empowered, if Leicester was unacceptable, to give the Queen of Scots the larger choice which Maitland demanded. Cecil had foreseen that Leicester would be rejected. 'I think,' he said, writing on the 26th of November to Sir Thomas Smith, that no marriage is more likely to succeed than if it may come from them."'

The name omitted was doubtless Darnley's. De Silva in describing the conference to Philip said that the English commissioners had given the Scots the alternative of Leicester, Norfolk, or Darnley.' Of Norfolk at that time there had been little mention or none. Darnley perhaps Elizabeth would have consented to allow if the Queen of Scots would ask for him; for in giving way to Mary Stuart's wishes she could have accompanied her consent with restrictions which would render the marriage innocuous; while the Queen of Scots on the other side would have accepted Darnley had Elizabeth offered him ; for Elizabeth would have been unable to shackle her own proposal with troublesome stipulations.

No matter what promises Elizabeth might make, no matter to what engagements she might bind herself, the Queen of Scots had long resolved to agree to nothing which would alienate the Catholics. As Maitland had told the Bishop of Aquila, she could have no confidence that any engagement would be observed unless she was supported by a force independent of Elizabeth; and if she married Darnley it was necessary for her to keep unim

1 De Silva to Philip, December 18.-MS. Simancas.

paired her connexion with the party of insurrection and CHAP VIII with the foreign Catholic powers.

1564

Thus neither side would be the first to mention November Darnley. The arguments played round the mark but never reached it; and at last, when there was no longer a hope of a satisfactory end, the commissioners found it was useless to waste time longer. They parted without a quarrel, yet without a conclusion, Maitland summing his own demands in the following words :

up

to

mands of

"That the Queen of England would permit his mistress Final demarry where she would, saving in those royal houses the Scots. where she desired her to forbear; that her Majesty

would give her some yearly revenue out of the realm of England, and by Parliament establish unto her the crown, if God did his will on her Majesty and left her without children; in so doing her Majesty might have the honour to have made the marriage, and be known to the world to have used the Queen of Scots as a dear and loving sister."

Immediately after the breaking up of the conference Mary Stuart wrote to request that Lord Darnley might be allowed to join his father in Scotland, and assist him in the recovery of the Lennox estates. Had Elizabeth anticipated what would follow, she would probably, instead of complying, have provided Darnley with a lodging in the Tower. But the reports from Scotland were contradictory; Lennox said openly that his son should marry the Queen;' yet Randolph knew of many, by that which had been spoken of her own mouth, that the marriage should never take effect if otherwise she might have her desire.' Lennox had succeeded imperfectly in making a party amongst the lords; and Darnley's eleva

1 Report of the Conference at Berwick.-COTTON MSS., CALIG, B. 10. ELIZ. II.

I