Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/272

 2 5 8 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [cu. 54- on another part of the same policy, endeavouring to persuade the Queen to liberate Norfolk and restore to the privy council the party opposed to Cecil, who had fallen into disgrace in the autumn. Anticipating, like Maitland, Elizabeth's fall, he was preparing for the evil day by scheming with La Mothe Feneloii to do some service to her expected successor. In all his projects Cecil was his perpetual obstacle, and to injure Cecil in the estimation of his Sovereign was his constant but unsuccessful effort. To raise a feeling against him among the people, a story was circulated by himself or by one of his agents that Cecil and Bacon had proposed to murder Norfolk in the Tower, and would have done it but for his own interference. 1 He complained to the French ambassador that Cecil was watching for an op- portunity to drive him from the council as he had driven Arundel and Lumley, 2 and that he held the Queen en chanted with jealous fears of the Queen of Scots. Un- able to shake Cecil's credit, Leicester had been more successful in inducing the Queen to recall Lord Arun- del. Times were changed since Fitzalan had been Leicester's rival for Elizabeth's hand, since he had called Anne Robsart's shadow out of the tomb to wave Leicester back from his presumption. Fitzalan's hopes had long been buried, and his passion and his ambition had been turned upon political and spiritual intrigue. 1 Chester to Cecil, March 3. Examination of Robert Spenee, March 7: MSS. Domestic, Rolls House. '* ' Sails cc quo Cecil le guettoit pour le desarQonner, ainsi qu'il avoit desai^'oime les autres principaulx du Conseil.' Depeches de La Mothe Fi'nolon, March 27.