Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/502

 486 REitiN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 7. and that her one desire was to see France and England united in defence of the Netherlands. She had been in- sincere before, and the ambassador saw no reason to believe that she had changed her nature. He replied that in all his transactions with her he had found nothing but words. She had commenced an alliance with the Protestants. She had played with M. Segur. She had pretended marriage to France, while underhand she had been treating with Spain, and if Spain had been willing she would have renewed the League between her father and Charles Y. When France would have gone to war at her will, she had drawn back. She had meant only to tempt his master into trouble, and then leave him there. It was perfectly true. She protested, but Mauvissiere silenced her denials. She had aimed only, as he proved, at protracting time. She had shown an absolute disre- gard of her word. She had sought nothing but her own interests, whether honourably or dishonourably she did not seem to care, and France, he said, could believe her no longer. She had, in fact, as Walsingham told Stafford, 'grown to half a resolution ' to act straightforwardly ; 1 and the state of mind was so unusual with her that she mistook it easily for a settled purpose. She assured the ambas- sador, on her word of honour, that if France would now rely upon her, and send an army into the Netherlands, her own navy should go to the "West Indies and capture or destroy the gold fleets. 1 "Walsingham to Stafford, July 1727 ; MSS. France.