Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/247

 1564.] THE EMBASSY OF DE SILVA. 227 fit marriage for his mistress taken alone ; and he desired to be informed more particularly what the Queen of England was prepared to do in addition. Indefinite promises implied merely that she did not wish the Queen of Scots to make a powerful alliance ; his mis- tress could not consent to make an inferior marriage while the Queen of England was left unfettered ; the Queen of England might herself marry and have child- ren/ said Randolph, ' to offer the Lord Robert only as Earl of Leicester without further advancement. She desires to deal openly, fairly, and kindly, but neither will her Majesty say what she will do more, nor ought she to say, till she knows in some degree how her offer will be embraced/ ' As you/ he said particularly to Maitland, fence to have another, which is that if you think by finesse, policy, or practice, or any other means, to wring anything out of her Majesty's hands, you are but abused and do much deceive yourselves.' As much as this had probably been foreseen on all sides. Maitland wished to extort an independent ad- mission of Mary's claims from which Elizabeth would not afterwards be able to recede ; the English would admit nothing until Mary had consented generally to conditions which would deprive her of the power of being dangerous. But it seems that they were empowered, if Leicester was unacceptable, to give the Queen of Scots the larger choice which Maitland demanded. Cecil had
 * It is not the intention of the Queen of England/
 * have spoken an earnest word, so I desire without of-