Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/192

 172 RKIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 43. which the treaty named. Throgmorton said that his mistress would make no objection to six hundred thousand if they were afraid of the stipulated figures ; but this way out of the difficulty did not commend itself. La Halle, a gentleman of the Court, aiming at Eliza- beth through her weak side, suggested a present of a hundred thousand crowns to Lord Robert. The Queen- mother offered to add to it some rich jewel from the French crown ; but Sir Nicholas encouraged this sug- gestion as little as the French Court had encouraged the other. At last the Cardinal of Lorraine in private told him that a hundred and twenty thousand crowns would be paid for the hostages so much and no more. The Prince of Conde and those in the French council whom the Queen of England had obliged the most were op- posed to making any concessions at all, and only wished the war to continue ; and the Cardinal hinted as a rea- son for Elizabeth's consent that it was well known that she could not trust her own subjects. To this last suggestion Throgmorton answered that 'Although there were some that desired the Roman religion, as he thought there were, yet the former agi- tations and torments about the change of religion had so wearied each party that the whole were resolved to endure no more changes, for they were so violent ; all sorts, of what religion soever they were, did find more ease and surety to serve and obey than to rebel ; and for proof the greatest number of those that had lost their lives in the wars at Newhaven and other places were