Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/536

 $2O REIGN OF ELIZABETH, [CH. 67. according to the nature of their proposals. All parties were playing false. The Queen of Scots was preparing to swear that she would not seek to disturb the peace of England during Elizabeth's life, while privately she was bidding the Catholic Powers go on with their in- vasion at all hazards. James was pretending to his mother that it was for her sake and not his own that he was seeking a separate treaty, when his real wish was that she should remain in confinement, and that her claims should be postponed to his own. Elizabeth, who had found at last that the alliance of Scotland was ne- cessary to her very existence, yet meant to drive as hard a bargain as circumstances would allow. She, it is evident, most feared Mary Stuart : Walsingham. most feared her son. Walsingham for once was at fault in his j udgment of character. He was unable to conceive that James would be as indifferent to his mother's fate as in fact he was. He advised therefore that terms should first be made with the Queen of Scots, and he regretted that his mistress disagreed with him. 1 The Master of Gray was coming up to represent James. Mary Stuart was to send her French secretary, M. Nau. The first hearing was assigned to Gray, and 1 ' I am of opinion that without that Queen's assent, who doth alto- gether direct the King, there will no hold be taken of Scotland, and therefore I have been always per- suaded that some trial should be made of her offers, with such cau- tions as she promiseth to give, wherewith I see no cause but that her Majesty should rest satisfied. The impediment grows principally through a jealous conceit that either of the two Princesses hath of the other, which I see will hardly be re- moved.' Walsingham to Sadler, October 1727: MSS. MAUY QHEEN OF SCOTS.