Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/438

 4 2 4 RETGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 56 disappointment of more legitimate hopes. The Catholic party could find no other representative. Mary Stuart, as they again and again said, was their only hope, and they were themselves degraded to the level of the cause which they were supporting. Passion and fanaticism were called in to defend what reason could not justify ; the religious reaction was precipitated into the most ex- travagant forms ; and Puritanism on the other side was destroying much that was left of moderate counsels. Had Elizabeth published Mary Stuart's letters after the inquiry at Westminster had she done this, and coupled with it the recognition of James as King of Scotland and her successor half her own troubles would have been avoided, and half the national perils. But she had allowed the opportunity to pass, and she could not recall it. The two Houses were now divided, and were the representatives of two religions and two policies. The Norfolk marriage was likely to be re- vived among the Peers and pressed upon her consent ; the Commons would probably boil over in some fierce stream of anti-Popery, would insist on declaring the Queen of Scots incapable of the succession and recog- nizing one of Lord Hertford's children; while both alike would combine in not undeserved reproaches against herself. It was no wonder that Elizabeth dreaded the meet- ing of another Parliament, but an empty treasury made longer delay impossible. The suspension of commerce had ruined the customs. Ireland absorbed annually almost a fourth of the ordinary revenue ; and Scotland,