Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/382

 362 REIGN OF ELIZABE TH [CH. 44. With this answer Yaxlee was dismissed : and so anxious was Philip that Mary Stuart should know his opinion that he enclosed a duplicate of his reply to de Silva, with directions that it should be forwarded imme- diately to Scotland, and with a further credit for money should the Queen of Scots require it. Yet Philip was more anxious for her success and more sincere in his desire to support her than might be gathered froin.Jiis_c_autious language .toJtifiJiajnhassador ; and his real feelings may be gathered from a letter which he wrote after Yaxlee had left Segovia to Cardinal Pacheco his minister at Rome. PHILIP II. TO CARDINAL PACHECO. 1 October 1 6. ' I have received your letter of the 2nd of September, containing the message from his Holiness on the assist- ance to be given to the Queen of Scots. As his Holiness desires to know my opinion, you must tell him first that his anxiety to befriend and support that most excellent and most Christian princess in her present straits is worthy of the zeal which he has ever shown for the good cause, and is what his disposition would have led me to expect. The Queen of Scots has applied to myself as well as to his Holiness ; and possessing as I do special knowledge of the condition of that country, and having carefully considered the situation of affairs there, I have arrived at the following conclusions : 1 MS. Simancas.