Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/58

 38 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [en. 41. and bodies to recover Calais, to maintain Newhaven and any war which might arise thereof ; ' but they were not so ready to contribute to the charge ' of supporting the army of the Protestants/ x The disposition of the people was the same as the disposition of the Queen ; and Eliza- beth, warned on many sides that she could not trust Conde, and only half trusting Coligny, wrote to Sir Thomas Smith that in a doubtful quarrel she could not press her subjects too far. He need not hint to the Admiral that there was ' any slackness ' on her part ; but ' she would be glad if some indirect means could be devised' to compose the religious difficulties though ' toleration was not stablished so universally as the Ad- miral desired' provided England could have ' its right in Calais and the members thereof/ and the money which she had lent Conde partially, if not wholly, re- paid. 2 Both Queen and country were falling back on the ' hollow dealing' which she had regretted so bitterly on the fall of Houen ; and then as ever it w T as found dan- gerous to follow private objects behind an affected zeal for a noble cause. Six thousand Englishmen paid with their lives for this trifling with Coligny, while the coveted Calais was forfeited for ever ; the Huguenots obtained the half- toleration which Elizabeth desired for them ; and they found the value of it on the day of St Bartholomew. But to return to the succession. 1 Elizabeth to Sir T. Smith, January 25 : FORBES, vol. ii. 2 Ibid.