Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/92

 REIGN OF ELIZABETH [CH. 52. The vote of council made further procrastination impossible. Elizabeth was going on progress. Before the Court broke up a meeting was held in the Earl of Pembroke's rooms at Greenwich Palace, and Norfolk proposed that the whole party who were present should wait upon her in a body and make known their wishes. 1 In talking to Don Guerau the Duke was ' as a lion ; ' at the prospect of facing his mistress he became ' a hare/ 3 and wished to be backed up by the presence of his friends. But the lords shared his alarms, and neither of them cared to encounter the wrath which would as- suredly burst upon their heads. Leicester said, ' he thought it not well to have it broken to her Majesty by a number, because he knew her Majesty's nature did like better to be dealt withal by one or two ; ' he said that he would speak to her himself if Cecil would support him ; but Cecil had been absent when the vote was car- ried ; he was not at the meeting, and no one knew what part he would take. They separated without a resolu- tion. Norfolk was in the Queen's presence afterwards, and tried, to say something ; but his heart or his stomach failed him ; ' he fell into an ague, and was fain to get him to bed without his dinner.' 3 A few days after, Elizabeth moved to Richmond, on her way to Hamp- shire. The Duke when he recovered from his ague fol- lowed her, and on his way up found Leicester near Kew 1 4 Fearing that the fewer they were the greater should be the bur- den.' Confession of the Duke of Norfolk, November 10, 1571 : MSS. QUEEN OF SCOTS. 2 'Masliebraqueleon.' Address of the English Catholics to Philip II. MSS. Simancas. 3 Confession of the Duke of Norfolk.