Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/267

 1 5 70. ] EXCOMMUNICA TIO V OF E LIZ ABE TH. 253 ticiaiis could not understand the times. Among men who had lands to forfeit or to gain, who had Court favour to aspire to, or schemes to gratify for national greatness or glory, the cry of the hour was for a ' com- position ; ' and foremost among the advocates of the Queen's restoration was Maitland of Lethington. There had been a moment after Murray's death when a word from Elizabeth would have recalled Maitland to her side and Cecil's ; but that word had not been spoken. He was deep in the English conspiracy ; deep with Norfolk, Lumley, Arundel, Southampton, with all the leaders of the Catholic reaction. He had set his heart on the recall of Mary Stuart. He believed that he could unite Scotland in her favour, and backed as she already was in England, that he could extort at last the fulfil ment of his old proud passionate hope the establish- ment of a Scottish sovereign on the throne of the Ed- wards. Had Elizabeth acknowledged James as her successor, he and all Scotland with him would have been entirely satisfied ; but Elizabeth had refused to hear of it, and as she would not accept the son, she should be compelled to endure the mother. If Pope, Priest, and Mass Book came back in the process, Pope, Priest, and Mass Book would not be a price too dear. How had Maitland become so changed Maitland, who had once worked side by side with Kiiox, and had been Murray's nearest adviser Maitland, the pupil and admirer of Cecil, the chief political instrument of the first revolution which had brought the English to Leith ? It was a question which his old English friends could Lot too often ask him, and which he himself never