Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/520

 54 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 67. November. public that England could hold but one Queen, ar<d that Mary Stuart was to return to Scotland. 1 Mauvis- siere too was about to close his long embassy. His suc- cessor, M. de FAubespine, had been named; but the signs appeared so favourable that he lingered to take part in the Queen of Scots' release, and on the 1 4th of November he expected that a few days would see the conclusion of the treaty. 2 And yet, as Walsingham observed, ' each of the two Princesses had a jealous conceipt of the other which could hardly be removed.' Twenty years' experience had taught Elizabeth that when the Queen of Scots spoke most fairly, she most intended mischief, while, beyond the broad grievance of her detention, the Queen of Scots had to complain that she had been tricked and played upon in petty and paltry ways. In mere weari- ness she had consented two years before to terms which, even in the opinion of Walsingham, left Elizabeth no more to ask for. She had abandoned every pretension .which she had ever made, without condition or stipu- lation ; she had left her future to Elizabeth's clemency. She had even promised to make no changes in the estab- lished religion in Scotland after her return thither. 1 ' II a este advisu que le segre- taire de la Reyne d'Escosse viendroit icy pour adviser de sa liberte, et voye grande apparenee que la Reyne d'Angleterre a volunte d'en estre delivrce, et plustot de la renvoyer a, son filz que de la retenir en ce Roy- aulme, de peur de quelque nouveau inconvenient, disant qu'il ne fault plus que une Reyne en Angleterre.' Mauvissiere au Roy, 12 22 Oc- tober : TEULET, vol. iii. " ' Cela estant, j'espere que en pen de jours vous aurez 1'honueur de la liberte de la dicte Reyne d'Es- cosse.' Mauvissiere au Roy, 4 14 November: TEULET, vol. iii.