Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/570

 554 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 67. was more behind. It came out ' that the sea towns also were to be reserved.' l In the face of Elizabeth's atti- tude, more tangible advantages were needed to tempt the King into a war, and the well-founded impression at the Court was that ' when it came to the point her Majesty would hinder rather than further their action/ 2 Lord Derby arrived in the middle of February with the Garter, which was accepted with the due solemnities. But his political instructions were vapouring and meaningless. The Queen affected to be anxious that France should go forward, while she had herself induced the States to make their offer of themselves valueless. On Sunday the 28th of February (March 10), the King sent for the Deputies to give them their answer. In the presence of Lord Derby he thanked them for their good- will; but he regretted that the condition of France prevented him from being able to assist them. They should find him a good neighbour, he said, and such private good offices as he could do for them should not be wanting ; but to be their sovereign he was obliged to decline. Thus dismissing them he desired Derby and Stafford to follow him into his cabinet, and alone with his two secretaries he went over the whole history of his nego- tiations with England upon the subject. He showed how he and his brother had been played with and trifled with. It was impossible for him, he said, to place suffi- 1 Stafford to Walsinghara, Feb- I ham, February 23 March 5 : MSS. ruary 12 22 ; 3fSS. France. Ibid. 3 Derby and Stafford to "Walsing- 1