Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/485

 1 5 78. 1 THE ALEN^ON MARRIA GE. 465 from the uncertainty of the English security, neverthe- less held Cobham and Walsingham responsible for the Queen's engagements, and they found themselves threatened with arrest. Under this pressure the bonds were issued, and were eventually redeemed. They were not sent over however till the States had placed the crown jewels of the House of Burgundy in Elizabeth's hands for security, nor till they had again bound them- selves to repay immediately the original forty thousand pounds which she had first lent them. Burghley pleaded hard to obtain for them a longer respite ; 'But though her Majesty shewed no reasons to move her to persist, she said she would have it : ' ' her pleasure/ he added, writing to Walsingham, ' comes upon many evil conceits secretly put into her of the States there, by such as went over with you and are returned, that do sting all profession of good religion.' 1 For the rest, all her direct dealings with the Nether- lands were now closed. She no longer recognized their political existence. Her concern in their future for- tunes was to depend on her influence over Alencon, and if Alengon proved unmanageable, she meant to fall back on Spain. Her resolution was formally com- municated to the States : the bitter expressions with which it was accompanied Walsingham declined to de- liver, ' perceiving/ as he frankly told her, ' that such speeches would add an increase of grief to their wounded minds, who, laying their necessities before her High- 1 Burghley to Walsingham, August 31 : MSS. Holland. VOL. x. 30