Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/116

 102 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 53. make an end of the matter by using extremity on her part/ l The reasoning on both sides was so evenly balanced that either Cecil's mind wavered, or else his own judg- ment pointed one way and Elizabeth's wishes the other. 2 At last however a further suggestion presented itself. The root of Elizabeth's difficulties had been, first, her unnecessary interference to prevent the Scots from try- ing their Queen for the murder, and, secondly, her want of courage in publishing the results of the investi- gation at Hampton Court. She could no longer do this herself, but the public disgrace would be equally insured, 1 Notes in Cecil's hand, October, 1569 : Cotton. MSS. CALIG. B.M. In a letter said to have been written by Leicester in 1585, there is a statement that in the autumn of 1 569, in consequence of the discovery of Mary Stuart's intrigues, ' the Great Seal of England was sent 'down and thought just and meet upon the sudden for her execution.' The letter is printed by Mr Tytler, History of Scotland, vol. vii. p. 463, and the fact is by him assumed to be true. The records of this year are so com- plete, the changing feelings, the per- plexities, the hesitations of the Go- vernment are so copiously revealed in the loose notes of Cecil, that it is hard to understand hov a resolution of so much magnitude could have been arrived at without some definite trace of it being discoverable. The contingency of the Queen of Scots' execution was obviously contem- plated as not impossible ; but in the absence of other evidence it is more likely either that Leicester, writing sixteen years after, made a mistake in the date, or that an error has crept in through transcribers. The ori- ginal of the letter, I believe, is no longer extant. 2 In following Cecil's papers there is always great difficulty in distinguishing his own opinions from the Queen's. Letters in his hand were often written by him merely as Elizabeth's secretary and against his own judgment. They were fre- quently accompanied by private com- munications from himself, in which he deplored resolutions which he was unable to prevent. In the pre- sent instance there are many papers all in the same hand, all written within a few days of each other, pointing to different conclusions,