Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/36

 22 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 52. the crown. If her Majesty herself would move him to it, he would rather be committed to the Tower, for he never meant to marry with such a person where he could not be sure of his pillow.' l The Queen * did well allow his vehement disliking of that marriage.' The Duke asserted afterwards that at the time he meant what he said ; 2 and nothing could be gathered from the part which he took at the second conference which would imply that he had permitted his mind to return to the subject. Yet it seems either that his chief objection was the infamy which would attach to the Queen of Scots by the exposure which he then believed inevitable ; or that he had allowed himself to be talked over by Maitland. Of all those who had been parties to the proceedings at Hampton Court, the Earl of Murray had most reason to complain. He had been induced against his will to accuse his mistress, yet she had not been condemned. He believed and his fears were confirmed by a thou- sand private assurances that she would ultimately be restored, and he and his friends, after the part which they had taken, would then be irretrievably ruined. He was told that by producing the letters he had mortally offended the Duke of Norfolk, and that, if he left London the Duke standing discontented, 'he would have his throat cut before he reached Berwick.' ' Being,' as he said, ' at the uttermost point of his wit 1 Summary of matters wherewith the Duke of Norfolk has been charged : Burghley Papers, vol. i. 2 Trial of the Duke of Norfolk State Trials, vol. i.