Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/365

 1565] THE DARNLEY MARRIAGE. 345 Murray objected that he had been so long out of prac- tice that he could not properly express himself in French ; and Elizabeth, whose object was to produce an effect on de Foix and his companion, accepted his excuse for himself; but she said that although he might not be sufficient master of the idiom to speak it, she knew that he understood it when he heard it spoken ; she would therefore in her own part of the conversa- tion make use of that language. She then went on 'to express her astonishment that, being declared an outlaw as he was by the Queen of Scots, the Earl of Murray should have dared to come unlicensed into her presence. The Queen of Scots had been her good sister, and such she always hoped to find her. There had been differences between them which had made her fear for their friendship ; but the King of France had kindly interposed his good offices be- tween herself, her sister, and her sister's subjects ; and the two ministers who had been his instruments in that good service being at the moment at her Court, she had requested both them and others to attend oil the pre- sent occasion to hear what she was about to say. She wished it to be generally understood that she would do nothing which would give just offence to the Queen of Scots, or which would impair her own honour. The world, she was aware, was in the habit of saying that her realm was the sanctuary for the seditious subjects of her neighbours ; and it was even rumoured that she had instigated or encouraged the insurrection in Scot- land. She would not have done such a thing to be