Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/607

 1585] THE BOND OF ASSOCIATION. 591 James, who had been at first frightened, was fast recovering his confidence. Arran assured him that the Queen was ' but boasting/ as she had done before the execution of Morton, and that she dared not move. The Master of Gray, distracted at 'the long English delay/ told Wotton plainly that if another fortnight was allowed to pass ' he would shift for himself ; ' the French were making large offers to him, and he could not re- fuse to join them. Wotton said that he was not gener- ally an adviser of ' violent courses/ but ' matters framed so unthwartly that no good could be done but by way of force ; ' in another week or two Arran would be mas- ter of Scotland and the King would be clay in his hands. For himself, Wotton entreated to be immediately re- called. Every one at the Court carried pistols, and men who had not spared kings and regents would not be nice about ambassadors. ' If the Queen would send down the Lords/ he said, ' they would work wonders and remedy all inconveniences : if she would not, the country would be clean lost and all her friends wrecked. The King was young, and easily carried away, and most of the persons about him were Papists or Atheists/ * There was, as usual, one straight honourable road open to Elizabeth, and as usual she would not travel upon it. To avow and protect the Lords, who had been driven out of Scotland only for having served her too faithfully ; to restore them, frankly, conspicuously, and with confessed support, was a step to which no argu- "Wotton to Walsingham, September 22 October 2 : MSS. Scotland.