Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/206

 i86 kEtGN OF ELIZABETH. |CH. 43. would rather never see him in Scotland again ; and Itan- dolph took the opportunity of giving Cecil his opinion of the Karl of Bothwell. ' One thing I thought not to omit, that I know him as mortal an enemy to our whole nation as any man alive ; despiteful above measure, false and untrue as a devil. If he could have had his will, neither the Queen's Ma- jesty had stood in as good terms with the Queen of Scots as she doth, nor minister left alive that should be a travailer between their Majesties for a continuance of the same. He is an enemy to my country, a blasphem- ous and irreverent speaker both of his own sovereign and the Queen's Majesty my mistress ; and over that the godly of this whole nation hath cause to curse him for ever. Your honour will pardon me thus angrily to write ; it is much less than I do think or have cause to think.' 1 Having an animal of this temper in her hands Eliza- beth had not been anxious to let him go. Bothwell was detained for three months at Berwick, and was then sent for to London. The English Government, exasperated at the unexpected support which the Scotch Protestants then were lending to Mary Stuart's claims, trusted by keeping him in close confinement and examining him strictly to extract secrets out of him which could be used to reattach them to England some proof that the Queen intended as soon as occasion served to turn round against them and against the Reformation. 2 1 Randolph to Cecil, January I 2 'La de Inglaterra, deseosa de 22, 1563 : MS. Rolls House. descubrir alguna cosa que pudiese