Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 3.djvu/388

368 thus possible; but at the price of increasing scandal to the queen-mother. Perhaps her profligacy had become too patent for endurance; perhaps her interest was becoming of less importance. At any rate, as the factions drew together, even the Archbishop of St Andrew's consented to unite with Angus and Argyle in a representation to Henry on the character of the person whom his sister allowed to associate with the King, with an entreaty that, if his mother was to remain in authority, she should consent to have 'discreet and honourable persons appointed for the high offices of State and for the chairs of the judges.' Margaret herself had almost resolved upon concessions. She ventured on one last effort to escape the hard necessity. Her husband and Lennox remained at Dalkeith: she implored the Earl of Cassilis and Lord Murray to attack and destroy them. But the two lords refused to undertake a crime which had no object but the gratification of a woman's revenge: she agreed to treat; and while the terms were being discussed, the Edinburgh citizens, on the 14th of February, shortened the debate by