Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/544

 528 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 67. driving his mistress to ' an accord ' with England. The Pope had said that he had done his best, but could effect nothing; and had seemed to think indeed that if the Queen of Scots was as good a Catholic as she pre- tended to be, she ought not to shrink from more pro- tracted suffering in the cause of the Church. ' What!' his Holiness had exclaimed, ' will she now, after having persevered so long, come to an agreement with heretics ? "Will she dishonour herself on earth and imperil her immortal soul ? What ! Connive with Jezebel, ally herself with the worst infidel and persecutor of Ca- tholics that the world contained ! It was too monstrous to be believed/ 1 Charles Paget and his companions sung the same song. Finally, Englefield, from Madrid, was obliged to say that she must look for no inter- ference till either Flanders was conquered or Elizabeth dead, or till a revolution had broken out in England. Even Mendoza, eager as he had been, was now for delay, and did not even wish her to escape. Engle- field said he had told Philip that if she found herself deserted, after bearing her cross for so many years, she might come to terms with her oppressors ; it was a miracle that she had held out so long. But Philip had other views for the settlement of England. Her son's having taken on himself the supremacy of the Church of Scotland, had cooled the Pope. It was reported from Flanders that the supposed party among the English citizens, who were to take arms in her favour, was a 1 La Rue to the Qneeu of Scots, December, 1584 : MSS. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTH