Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/489

 THE RIDOLFI CONSPIRACY. 47* the council so heartily, and he had spoken so warmly in private to La Mothe, that it was hard to doubt his sincerity. ' Unless/ wrote La Mothe, ' he is altogether sans foy, he is with us/ Sans fay, unfortunately, might have been the motto on Leicester's shield. While ' the poor Huguenots ' were telling Walsingham in tears that an affront from England would bring back the Guises, and end in a massacre of themselves, Leicester was work- ing privately upon the Queen, who was but too willing to listen to him, feeding her through the ladies of the bed- chamber with stories that Anjou was infected with a loathsome disease, and assisting his Penelope to unravel at night the web which she had woven under Cecil's direction in the day. 1 Anjou was growing impatient. ' Religion would not have been the let.' So anxious was Catherine for the marriage, that she was on the point of openly giving way wholly ; but the Duke be- gan to see that ( he was one of the forsaken ; ' and ' to yield in religion, and after to miss of their purpose, they thought would be a touch in honour/ 2 The best that "Walsingham could now hope to do was to secure bassador in the cause, and yet the same man to persuade the Queen's Majesty that she should persist. Both these things are done, but I dare not affirm by any one.' Burgh - tey to "Walsingham, May n : DIGGES. The allusion is evidently to Leicester. T ' El Conde de Leicester hace demostracion exteriormente de desear el casamiento de la Reyna de Ingla- terra, mas por tercera mano hace lo contrario, habiendo hecho a entender a la Reyna por su hermana y otras mugeres que M. de Anjou estaba llagado de lepra.' MS. endorsed, Por cartas de Londres de Agosto 23 : Simancas. 27 : DIGGES,
 * Walsingham to Leicester, July