Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/343

 1583.] THE JESUITS IN SCOTLAND. 327 hand between the Pope and the princes Catholic, for a war against England ; that the pretext was to be religion and the liberty of the Queen of Scots, and that they held the enterprise easy, considering their own prepara- tion and the factions at home.' 1 This was not enough. Elizabeth required further particulars as to these fac- tions, and desired that either ' Holt should be substan- tially examined and forced by torture to deliver what he knew,' 2 or else be handed over to herself as an Eng- lish subject. The second alternative meant Little Ease, the Tower Rack, and the Tyburn quartering knife ; and Mendoza, in some alarm, could but pray 'that God would give Holt constancy that he might earn his mar- tyr's crown, and confess nothing that would do harm.' 3 But the poor wretch was spared the trial. James, with some pity for him, ordered his prison door to be left un- locked. He escaped and went again into a safe hiding-place. Elizabeth had been very angry, and her resentment had not passed off when the Commissioners arrived in London. The first difficulty, as Mendoza anticipated, was about the King's guard. The King would have been seized and carried off had he been left unprotected. It had been necessary and the necessity continued to keep 300 men-at-arms at the Court. ' The life of the cause depended on the guard,' yet the King had not a penny to pay their wages ; 4 and unless something was done 1 Davison to Walsingham, March 4, 1583 : MSS. Scotland. Walsingham to Bowes, April 8 Don Bernardino to Philip, April 4: MSS. Simancas. 1 Colville to Walsingham, May 1 6 : MSS. Ibid. 7 : MSS. Scotland.