Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/275

 EXCOMMUNICATION OF ELIZABETH. 261 . But the Catholics would not leave her alone or give time to her yielding humour to settle into purpose. They forced La Mothe, against his better judgment, to threaten her with war. The Cardinal of Lorraine's assassination plot was whispered abroad to frighten her. She was herself to die as well as Cecil. The Queen of Scots was supposed to be at work on the same project. The Queen of Scots had found one bravo to kill Murray. It was reported that she was looking for another to kill Elizabeth ; ' she was as willing to have the end of the one as she was of the other/ l Elizabeth might have despised mere rumours, but the outward acts of the Queen's party in Scotland were provoking and defiant. While she was pausing over the orders to Sussex, a great con- vention was held at Linlithgow : Chatelherault presided ; Argyle, Huntly, Sutherland, Athol, the heads of the great families of whom Maitland wrote, were all as- sembled ; and with singular imprudence Lord Fleming introduced among them the English refugees. North- umberland was in confinement at Lochleveri, but of the rest not one was absent. Dacres and Westmoreland ' sat in council ' as representing the wishes of England ; de Yirac was present for France ; and Sir John Gordon was sent to Elizabeth, in the name of them all, to re- quest her to give them back their Queen, and to protest against the violation of Scotch territory by an English army. les tings et les aultres elle puisse passer son regne en paix.' Depe- ches, April 18. Kandolph to Cecil, April 14 MSS. Scotland.