Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/208

 REIGN Of ELIZABETH. [CH. 64. professed to fear that she would be left alone with a war with Spain upon her hands, her real hope being that France was implicated already, and that now she could escape altogether. And France was so far really implicated that the King declared himself ready to accept one of the al- ternatives first offered by Elizabeth. If she would marry his brother he was willing to take his chance for the future, to declare war and send an army into Flan- ders, and bind himself to ask for nothing either in ships, men, or money from England. 1 Elizabeth, just then in anguish for her money, once more considered Monsieur preferable, and sketched a letter which she was on the point of sending to Mauvissiere, intimating that if the King would confirm this promise under the Great Seal of France she would hesitate no longer, and the marriage should forthwith be completed. 2 But again the mood changed. She flattered herself that by stop- ping Don Antonio'~s ships she had diverted Philip's anger from herself upon France. Once more she said she could not marry into a war ; nor could she permit Monsieur to throw up the Netherlands. She therefore promised to give him money, but privately only, and she refused to specify the sum. And meanwhile d'Au- 1 "Walsingham to Elizabeth, Au- gust 16 : DIGGES. 2 ' La quelle promesse et asseu- rance nous estant faicte par ledict S r Roy en forme que dessus, et le traicte de marriage nagueres conclu pareillement ratifie, vous luy pour- rez donner la parole de nostre part qu'il peult tenir ledict marriage pour parfaict et conclu.' Copy of her Majesty's letter intended to have been written to the French ambassador, August, 1581 : MSS. France.