Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/550

 $34 RElGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 6?. ' The desire of sovereignty,' it might be said, ' was so great that no device could bridle ambitious minds.' ' The matter would be reduced to the sword before Parliament could assemble : ' or the pro- visional Government, ' having the sword in their hands,' might themselves name the successor, and ' when Par- liament assembled, every one would be afraid to speak his mind, for fear, if his opinion was over- ruled, he would be in disgrace with the Prince that should succeed.' The last difficulty might be met by an arrangement that the decision could be taken ' not by open declaration but by secret balloting, as in Venice.' It might be said again, that the interposition of Parliament was unpre- cedented ; that the crown belonged to the right heir, whom Parliament could not alter. But the object was to determine, quietly and indifferently, who the right heir was ' otherwise the sword would be the judge, to the nation's utter overthrow.' The situation itself was without precedent. There was no instance in English history where the succession had remained so doubtful and where men's minds were so many ways abstracted ; and precedent or no precedent, if no reso- lution was taken, ' nothing but the sword could decide the controversy, to the very ruin of the realm, effusion of blood without end, and subversion of true religion ; ' there were objections to every course which could be proposed, but anything was better than to leave so fear- ful a possibility unprovided for. 1 1 Notes in Lord Burghley's hand, j the Queen's death, 1584-5: 3fSS. for the establishing the realm after I Domestic.