Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/490

 470 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH, 61. The Queen perhaps fancied at first that she could humour Monsieur as she had humoured him before, ex- cite his hopes till his resources were spent, and then once more let him drop : and it may have been with this view that she dictated the message to him which Burghley refused to send. Then followed the interval of valour called out by Norris's victory, which so soon cooled again. Yet still, so far as Leicester could observe, she was no nearer * to the satisfying of Monsieur's ex- pectations/ She was ' persuaded of her ability to direct him to her liking/ but Leicester could not conjecture on what ground. He supposed, and Walsingham agreed with him, that at most there might be some paltry trifling between them, which would end in vapour. 1 The matter however had gone deeper than Leicester, or Walsingham, or even Burghley suspected. A few weeks after the arrival of de Quissey and Bacqueville, there came a formal letter from Paris intimating the King's approval of his brother's suit; 2 and Sussex, whom the Queen took into her confidence, had a long conversation with de Quissey, probably at his mistress's desire. De Quissey was perfectly frank. Monsieur, he said, was ill-used at home, and it was necessary for him to seek greatness abroad, to secure his prospective in- terests in France. Having engaged in his present en- terprise, he could not now abandon it and return home having effected nothing. He had made up his mind to 1 Leicester to Walsiugham, Au- 2 The Lords of the Council to Sir gust 29 ; "VValsinghara to Burghley, Amyas Paulet, September 5 : MSS. August 27 : MSS. Holland. I Frmce.