Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/586

 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CM. 67. ham's sent him word in August that there would be an invasion before the close of the winter. Guise was going to Scotland : Spain would make a diversion in Ireland. Neville, Percy, Arundel, Paget, Throgmorton, were to land at different points upon the English coast. Mauvissiere had left London at last. His successor, M. de 1' Aubespine, ' had been framed to the purpose ; ' and ' the Papists/ once more in heart and spirits, 'were in hope to be in England before Christmas.' 1 The signal was to be the consent of the King of Navarre to conditions which Elizabeth's desertion seemed likely to force upon him. Casimir offered to go to his help if she would bear part of the cost, but she would not. She ' was indisposed to yield to a contribu- tion for the levy in Germany, and would be content that a lame peace should be shuffled up in France rather than be put to any such charges.' ~ i The execution of the plan however implied the co- operation of Scotland, and was ' dashed,' according to an informant who was or professed to be in the secret, 3 by another of those sudden ' alterations ' there, of which the young King was for so many years the football. We go back to the embassy of the Master of Gray and the treaties with the Queen of Scots and with James. 1 MS. endorsed ' the enterprise of England, August n, 1585:' MSS. France. 2 Walsingham to Stafford, De- cember 717: MSS. Ibid. 3 Secret advertisement to Wal- singham, December 16 : JlfSS. Ibid.