Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/391

 I583-] EXPULSION OF MENDOZA. 375 Lords of the English party, and send their opponents away. For Lady Lennox's estate, whiph was the sym- bol of the succession, and the point therefore of especial soreness, she bade Walsingham say that she had suspended her answer for his own sake. She could not consent till the opposing claims had been heard of the Lady Arabella, and as the issue might be such as would offend him she preferred to leave it undecided. 1 How far evasions of this kind were likely to influence James in his present mood, or how far Elizabeth's a$r monition was likely to work favourably on him, may be gathered from a letter which he now wrote to the Duke of Guise. He was infinitely delighted with himself for having recovered his liberty. He assumed that Guise was ready as ever to use Scotland as his stepping-stone to England, but was anxious to let him know that he claimed for himself a right to a share in the enterprise, ' Your proposal to send troops here is most agreeable to me,' he said. ' I will accept or not accept it as cir- cumstances shall require. I hold myself happy in having so brilliant and distinguished a kinsman, the first captain of his age, ready to take arms in my be- half. M. de Mainville, you tell me, has been pleased to speak of the 'virtues and rare qualities which God has bestowed upon me. 2 I am the more bound to imitate the ever-memorable deeds of my ancestors of the noble 1 Instructions to Walsingham, August 13 23 : MSS. Scotland. 2 This letter is preserved in a Spanish translation, sent by de Tas- gis to the King of Spain. The words in italics were underlined by Philip, who remarked upon them ' a modest young gentleman* ('bien las confiesa de si').