Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/230

 210 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH, 43. Scotland to be employed in secret service. So highly she valued his abilities, that notwithstanding her poverty she settled on him an annual pension of a thousand marks twice the income perhaps of the richest nobleman in Scotland. 1 He was already ac- quainted with Elizabeth, who, according to his own account, had spoken confidentially with him about the Queen of Scots' marriage. This Melville it was whom Man^ Stuart now selected to be her instrument to pacify and cheat Elizabeth, to strengthen her party at the English Court, and to arrange with Lady Lennox for Darnley's escape to Scotland. She directed him to apologize to Elizabeth for the hasty letter which she had written, and to beg that it might be forgotten. He was to entreat her not to allow his mistress's interests to suffer any prejudice in Parliament ; and further, he had secret instructions from Mary's own lips, the nature of which he indicates without explaining himself more completely ( to deal with the Spanish ambassador, Lady Margaret Douglas, and sundry friends she had in England of different opinions.' Melville left Edinburgh towards the end of Septem- ber, 2 preceded by Randolph, who, after communicating with Elizabeth, was on the point of returning to Scotland 1 So Melyille himself says in his Memoirs ; hut, Melville's credibility is a very open question. 2 The copy of his instructions printed in his Memoirs is dated Sep- tember 28. But Melville was in London on Michaelmas-day, when Lord llobert Dudley was created Earl of Leicester, and was present at the ceremony ; 28 is perhaps a mis- print for 20.