Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/29

 THE JESUIT INVASION. himself on the wisdom of the Kirk to choose a fitting pastor for him. 1 Bowes came up to London to tell Elizabeth what could not be safely committed to letter. She sent orders to Lord Shrewsbury to keep a vigilant eye on Mary Stuart, and she despatched Bowes again to Scotland, with instructions to demand an audience from which d'Aubigny should be excluded, to insist to the King that whatever d'Aubigny might pretend he was 'a professed enemy to the Gospel,' that he had come to Scotland to carry out a plot which had been devised at Rome for the overthrow of religion, and to entreat at all events that he should not be left in pos- session of a place of so much importance as Dumbarton. If the King paid no attention, it appeared as if Eliza- beth had made up her mind at last to the other alter- native. Bowes was empowered ' to confer with the Earl of Morton and other enemies of Lennox, 2 how the matter might be helped, either by laying violent hands on the said Lennox and his principal associates, or in any other way which by the Earl of Morton should be thought meet ; ' her Majesty giving a positive assur- ance ' that the Earl should not lack any assistance that she could give him/ and ' express commandment ' having been sent to the governor of Berwick to put himself and his force at Morton's disposition. 3 Sir Robert had himself seen and spoken with Eliza beth, and, notwithstanding past experience, believed that 1 CALDERWOOD. 2 So d'Aubigny will henceforth be called. 3 "Walsingham to Bowes, August 31 : MSS. Scotland.