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. I replied that his Highness was full grown. She was silent a while, and then said

66

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

you

'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, Randolph— every 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

1 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

plied to me before and I have answered always in the same tone.

'I have read what you say of the book on the succession; of the Queen's anger; and of the suspicions indicated to you by Lord Robert that Cecil was at the bottom of it. I avail myself of the occasion to tell you my opinion of that Cecil. I am in the highest degree dissatisfied with him. He is a confirmed heretic; and if with Lord Robert's assistance you can so inflame the matter as to crush him down and deprive him of all further share in the administration, I shall be delighted to have it done. If you try it and fail, be careful that you are not yourself seen in the matter.'

Over such mines of secret enmity walked Cecil, standing between his mistress and her lover, and never knowing what a day would bring forth.

August.

At the beginning of August the Court broke up from Richmond. Elizabeth went on progress, and for a time had a respite from her troubles. Among other places she paid a visit to Cambridge, where she had an opportunity of showing herself in her most attractive colours.

The divisions of opinion, the discrepancies of dress and practices by which Cambridge, like all other parts of England, was distracted, were kept out of sight by Cecil's industry. He hurried down before her, per

thought about Lord Robert. Philip | platicas que os avisó mi Embajador answers En lo de aquel caballero que habia tenido con su Santidad, Ingles que se tuvó en Roma, y sospechamos lo mismo que vos.'

suaded the college authorities for once into obeying the Act of Uniformity; ordered the fellows and chaplains to appear in surplices; concealed the dreary communion tables in the college chapels behind decent coverings; and having as it were thrown a whitewash of order over the confusion, surprised the Queen into an expression of pleasure. The Church of England was not, after all, the miserable chaos which she had believed; and 'contrary to her expectation, she found little or nothing to displease her.'

She was at once thrown into the happiest humour; and she moved about among the dignitaries of the University with combined authority and ease. She exchanged courtesies with them in Latin; when they lauded her virtues she exclaimed 'Non est veritas;' when they praised the virgin state she blessed them for their discernment: she attended their sermons; she was present at their disputations; and when a speaker mumbled she shouted 'Loquimini altius.' The public orator addressed her in Greek-she replied in the language of Demosthenes. On the last day of her visit she addressed the University in Latin in the Senate House. In a few well-chosen sentences she complimented the students on their industry; she expressed her admiration of the colleges and chapels-those splendid monuments of the piety of her predecessors. She trusted, if God spared her life, she might leave her own name not undistinguished by good work done for England.

Not one untoward accident had marred the harmony of the occasion. The Queen remained four days; and