Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/247

 1581.] THE JESUITS IN SCOTLAND. 231 larly tenacious. To call James King, was to admit the validity of her own deposition at Lochleven. It was to reduce her into the position of a subject, and to deprive her of those sovereign rights on which she most relied for the safety of her person. The proposal, it was true, went no further than to acknowledge him as rul- ing jointly with herself; * but the reservation would be inadequate so long as the title of her son to share the throne with her originated with any authority but her own. She professed herself willing to associate James with her by her own act, leaving her rights unimpaired, and holding herself free, should James continue a Pro- testant, or otherwise oppose her wishes, to interfere in the government of Scotland, and to resume her throne when she could obtain her liberty. But if the Scotch sovereignty was once recognized abroad as existing in her son independently of herself, she knew well that she would cease to be an object of interest to the European powers ; that her virtual deposition would be construed to extend to her expectations also ; and that from the heir- presumptive of the throne of England, she would sink into a cipher. In reply therefore to the King's September. and Queen s letters, she begged them earnestly to do nothing directly or indirectly, until a deed of as- sociation, proceeding from herself, had been accepted by the Scotch Parliament. The acknowledgment that James was a lawful King under other conditions, she said would be utter ruin to her ; and instead of accredit- ' Coujoinctment avcc vous,' ' ensemble avec vous.'