Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/163

 1572.] THE MASSACRE OF ST BARTHOLOMEW- fore the holy man in the cathedral as he passed through, and received his apostolic blessing. Such was the judgment upon the massacre in the Catholic world, where no worldly interests obscured the clearness of the sacred vision. In England meanwhile to the latest moment the Alen?on marriage was still the subject of perpetual dis- cussion. The Court was on progress : the Queen had been at Woburn and Gorhambury, and was spending the last week of August at Kenil worth and Warwick shooting, hunting, and, in the intervals, playing the spinette to the French ambassador, talking of her boy- suitor, and speculating on the possibility of accepting him. As usual, she objected her age; as usual La Mothe Fenelon and his companions insisted that time had no effect on beauty like her Majesty's. The small- pox was a more considerable difficulty. If some skilful doctor could mend Alen^on's face, the worst objection, it was hoped, might be removed. Three couriers ar- rived close on one another at Kenilworth from Paris, bringing letters from Charles to the ambassador, and letters from Coligiiy and Montmorency to Leicester and Burghlcy. All were in the same strain, pressing either for the marriage or else for a declaration against Spain ; all urging the Queen not to let the opportunity pass from her. If England would commit itself, Charles promised to follow, and to contribute at once 200,000 ducats towards Elizabeth's expenses. 1 1 ' En este tiempo que alii estuvo el Mot, que fueron 20 dias, le vini- eron tres correos despachados por el Key con cartas suyas para el, y en