Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/426

 410 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 66. practice was to repair themselves to the ambassador's residence. Since the collected Cabinet wished to speak to him, however, he would wait on them and hear what they had to say. The party which he found assembled consisted of the Chancellor, the Earl of Leicester, Lord Charles Howard, Lord Hunsdon, and Walsingham. Burghley for some cause was absent. They rose as Don Ber- nardino entered, raised their hats gravely, and withdrew with him into an inner apartment, where they sat down and motioned him also to a chair. Don Bernardino spoke English imperfectly, and Walsingham, as the spokesman for the rest, addressed him in Italian. ' The Queen/ he said, ' regretted that he had given her seri- ous cause to be dissatisfied with his conduct. From the time that he had come to England to reside, he had troubled the quiet of the realm. He had connected himself with the Queen of Scots, had written to her, encouraged her to rely for support on Spain, and con- trived plans for her escape. He had fomented the dis- content of the Catholics. He had corresponded with Charles Paget, with the traitor Throgmorton, and with the Earl of Northumberland, and had concerted plans with them for bringing in the Duke of Guise. His house had been the rendezvous of conspirators, Jesuits, seminary priests, and other disaffected subjects. It was now her Majesty's pleasure that he should leave the country, and leave it within fifteen days/ Mendoza had been careful in his communications. He knew that Francis Throgmorton was the only wit-