Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/224

 2o8 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 64. brown lips, took a ring from her finger and placed it herself on his hand. 1 She sent for, the ladies and gentle- men of the household and presented Monsieur to them as their future master. She despatched a messenger to tell Burghley, who was confined to his bed with the gout. He drew a long breath of satisfied relief. ' Blessed be God/ he exclaimed ; ' her Majesty has done her part ; the realm must complete the rest.' Letters were sent out to summon Parliament imme- diately. Couriers flew to Paris with the news, and for a few days every one believed that the subject of such weary negotiations was settled at last. But Burghley and all others were once more de- ceived. Not only was nothing settled, but Elizabeth neither meant anything to be settled nor even believed at the time that she meant it. Hatton, her ' sheep,' as Mendoza ascertained, came to her afterwards with tears running down his cheeks : well as he knew her, the gift of the ring had frightened him, and he bleated about the grief of her people. Leicester asked her sarcastic- ally whether they were to consider her as betrothed. She assured them both tenderly that they had nothing to fear. 2 She meant to demand concessions to which 1 ' Ella le respondi6 podreis scribir esto al Eey que el Duque de AlenQon sera mi marido, dandole al memento al Alen9<m un beso en la boca y un anillo que sac6 de su mano en sefial de ser cierto.' Don B. de Mendoza al Eey, 24 Noviembre, 1581 : MSS. Simancas. 9 ' Hatton la hablo con muchas lagrimas, diciendole que cuando qut- siere casarse, tuviese cuenta quanto lo sintia su Eeyno. etc. Ella le re- spondio con gran ternura.' Don Bernardino al Eey, 4 Deciembre, 1581. 'Hatton dixo a un confi- dents suyo que el no habia temido jamas el casamiento sino cuando la Keyna di6 el auillo a Alenqon, pcro