Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/100

 8o REIGN OF ELIZABETH. ten. 57 Desperate at so extraordinary a proposition, 1 Wal- singham requested to be recalled, confessing, ' that the evil proceedings of things at home moved him the rather to make that motion/ 'If her Majesty/ he added in language which was as well deserved when the words were written, as a few months later it must have sounded like a mockery ' if her Majesty do think that this prince is of any value, who is towards all men sincere, and towards her Majesty well affected, she must not weigh him in one balance with Spain/ 2 Charles was too anxious for the success of the treaty to press heavily on points of difference. To the intercession for the Queen of Scots, Lord Burghley replied that 'it would be mere open folly in her Majesty to yield to any- thing which would better her condition/ 3 He told La Mothe he ' would rather advise the Queen to accept war with France and Spain combined than set her at liberty/ 4 But the move in the Queen of Scotd* favour had been made for form's sake, or as a spur to Eliza- beth, The discoveries at Harwich had again proved that Mary Stuart's hopes and interests were now exclu- sively with the Spaniards, and the Queen-mother said that they would speak for her no further. 5 The diffi- culty on the invasion clause was got over bv the King 1 'The article of the provision for the King of Spain is strangely taken here. The end of the league being only to bridle his greatness, to provide for his safety who seeketh both our destructions, they cannot tell what it meanelh.' Walsingham to Burghley, March : DIGGES. 2 Ibid. 3 Notes in Burghley's hand, March 28 : MSS. QUEEN OP SCOTS. 4 La Mothe, March 18. 5 Sir T. Smith to Elizabeth, April 3 : DIGGES.