Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/364

 344 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [cir. 44* hesitated on the details whatever they might cost. The Earl of Murray was told that he would be received ; he went on to London, and on the night of his arrival the Queen sent for him and arranged, in a private inter- view, the comedy which she was about to enact. 1 The following morning, the 22nd of October, he was admitted to an audience in public, at which de Foix and de Mauvissiere, who had by this time returned from Scotland, were especially invited to be present. De Silva describes what ensued, not as an eye-witness, but from an account which was given to him by the Queen herself. 2 Elizabeth having taken her place with the council and the ambassadors at her side, the Earl of Murray entered modestly dressed in black. Falling on one knee he began to speak in Scotch, when the Queen in- terrupted him with a request that he would speak in French, which she said she could better understand ,. Yo fue avisado que la noche | herself, and the Courts of France antes desta platica el de Murray estuvo con ella y con el secretario Cecil buen rato. donde se debio con- sultar lo que paso el dia siguiente.' De Silva to Philip, November 5. And again, 'La Keyna oyo al de Murray la noche que llego en se- ere to, y oti'O dia hizo aquella de- mostracion delante del Embajador de Francia.' Same to the same, November 10: MS. Simancas. A report of the proceedings in the Rolls House, which was drawn up for the inspection of Mary Stuart i and Spain, states that ' the Queen received Murray openly and none otherwise.' The consciousness that she had received him otherwise ex- plains words which else might have seemed superfluous. 2 The account in Sir James Mel ville's Memoirs is evidently takei from the official narrative, with which in most points it verbally agrees. De Silva's is but little dif- ferent. The one variation of im- portance will be noticed.