Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/61

 THE JESUIT INVASION. 45 nature of their country doth require. One thing I am to move your Holiness in their behalf for without the fulness of your apostolical authority they dare attempt nothing if any person moved with zeal should take out of this life their wicked Queen, whether your Holiness would approve the action/ 1 The Pope it was the same Pontiff who had sung Te Deums for the massacre of St Bartholomew turned to the kneeling pair, and said : ' Children, beloved in the Lord, we embrace you in the bowels of Christ. We have always had a fatherly and pastoral care of you and your country. We have opened the bowels of our compassion upon you, and have long bewailed your miseries. As touching the taking away of that im- pious Jezebel, whose life God has permitted thus long for our scourge, I would be loath you should attempt anything unto your own destruction, and we know not how our censure on that point amongst her subjects which profess themselves our children would be taken ; but if you can wisely give such counsel as may be without scandal to the party or to us, know you we do not only approve the act, but think the doer if he suffer death simply for that to be worthy of canoniza- tion. And so with our Apostolic benediction we dis- miss you.' 1 1 Tyrrell was twice examined, and gave two accounts of this convers- ation. Both are preserved, one of them being endorsed by Burghley. They vary very little, one being merely rather fuller than the other. The shorter confession adds a tew interesting words on the disposition towards regicide of the English Catholic laity. ' We were warned,' says Tyrrell, ' to be very cautious of the Pope's censure to our country