Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/119

 1569-] THE RISING OF THE NORTH. 105 much as lie knew of a Catholic conspiracy. But the questions put to him. were insignificant and easily evaded. His house was searched without his know- ledge, but he had concealed or destroyed all his im- portant papers ; and so little suspicion had the Queen of the nature of the person that she had in her hand, that when he was released from arrest, she consulted him about the Spanish quarrel, and ' desired his secret opinion ' as to the best means of accommodating her differences with Philip. 1 Against Norfolk the Queen was still violently angry. Although she had no proof that he had meditated treason, she felt instinctively that she could not trust him. He wrote repeatedly to her, insisting upon his loyalty, and ' taking God to witness he never thought to do anything that might be disagreeable to her good pleasure : ' but fine phrases of this kind had lost their power ; Cecil's plan of rendering him harmless by pro- viding him with another Duchess was seriously con- templated ; and it was intimated to him, that at all events he would not leave the Tower till he had given a promise in writing to think no more of the Queen of Scots. The Duke's friends in the council had abandoned their project sincerely. The Duke himself had no in- tention whatever of abandoning it. The great Catholic party was still entire. The mine which they had dug was still loaded, and the hope of foreign assistance as 1 Leicester and Cecil to Walsingham, October 7, October 19, October ,23 : Domestic 3ISS.