Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/263

 1570.] EXCOMMUNICATION OF ELIZABETH. 249 avowedly in their favour for fear of a rupture with France. She intended to confine her actions behind the plea of her own defence. She was entitled to deal with the existing nominal Gfovernment in Scotland for pur- poses of ordinary justice. She instructed Randolph therefore to require the council to maintain the peace of the Border and the existing treaties with England, and to offer them the assistance of her own forces if their own means were insufficient. She told him to point out to Morton that, l whereas he had asked for help from England against the faction in arms against the King, she was content to give him what he wanted. The form would be different but the result would be the same ; the persons of whom she complained being notorious enemies of the young King, and of the nobility adher- ing to him, Morton would perhaps inquire whether she intended to take full part with them and declare herself a party to the maintenance of the King in his present state. In that case Randolph might tell him that if he would consider, the effect of his desire must needs fol- low. It might not be expressed in words that the army came to maintain the King, yet it would suppress those who were the King's adversaries. There were consider- ations which made it undesirable for the Queen of Eng- land to take upon herself, in words, the office of a judge, and pronounce by a formal act on the lawfulness of the Queen of Scots' dethronement. It was enough for her that Scotland had appointed by Parliament a de facto Government for itself. England would not intermeddle so far as to say that Scotland was right or wrong in