Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/42

 28 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 52. sacrifice her ministers, lie wished to be able to plead his services with Philip, and obtain the hand of the Queen of Scots in that way, in spite of the desire of the Northern nobles to see her married to Don John. 1 He was deceiving Don Gruerau, and he was deceiving also Leicester and Pembroke ; while the Queen of Scots and the Bishop of Ross were in return deceiving him. While the Duke was persuading himself that in one way or the other he was making sure of her, and while to him she pretended that she had no other desire, the Bishop of Ross was telling Don Guerau, that at the bottom of her heart she intended, if she could, to take a Spanish husband; 2 and the Queen of Scots herself found means to inform Don Guerau, that although her position obliged her to temporize and seem to acquiesce in the proposals which were made to her, yet in religion and in everything else she was in reality at Philip's disposition ; Philip's pleasure should be hers ; and, were she at liberty, she would not marry the Duke of Nor- folk, but would place herself and her son under Philip's protection. 3 1 ' Podria ser que el Duque de Norfolk tuviese intencion despues de haber hecho servicio a su Magd. de ver si scria contento de favorescerle en el casamiento con la Eeyna de Escocia.' Don Guerau to Alva, March 15 : MSS. Simwicas. In the decipher the last words are, ' con la Rcyna de Inglaterra ; ' but the Queen of Scots was the person evi- dently meant. There was never any hint of a marriage between Norfolk and Elizabeth. It was perhaps a mistake of the secretary. 3 ' Diome parte de lo que V* E* tratd con estos caballeros cerca del casamiento de su ama, diciendo que en Espana habia cosa que le con- viniese mucho. Preguntome si tenia yo alguna commission acerca desto.' Don Guerau to Alva : MSS. Si- 3 ' La dicha Reyna dice que si ella estuviese en libertad o se le