Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/306

 286 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [011.43.' For much of all this the Queen was responsible. She it was who more than any other person had nursed the Scottish faction ' at the Court. If the bishops had been too eager to persecute the Catholics, it was she who had compelled Parker to suspend the ablest of the Pro- testant ministers. ' But the sum of the perils was made so apparent as no one of the council could deny them to be both many and very dangerous.' They were agreed every one of them that the Queen must for the present relinquish her zeal for uniformity, and that the prosecu- tions of the clergy must cease till the question could be reconsidered by Parliament ; they determined to require the oath of allegiance of the judges, ' so that they should for conscience' sake maintain the Queen's authority/ to replace the nonjuring bishops in the Tower, to declare forfeited all benefices held by ecclesiastics who were re- siding abroad, and to drive out a number of seditious monks and friars who had fled across the Border from Scotland and were serving as curates in the northern churches. Bedford meanwhile should go down to Ber- wick taking additional troops with him ; the ' powers of the Border ' should be held in readiness to move at an hour's notice ; and a reserve be raised in London to march north in case of war. Lennox and Darnley might then be required to return to England on their allegiance. If they refused they would be declared traitors and their extradition demanded of the Queen of Scots under the treaties. So far the council was unanimous. As to what should be done if the Queen of Scots refused to sur-