Page:The house of Cecil.djvu/54

 38 THE CECILS

lest that country should pass under French domination. In order to avert this danger, Cecil persuaded Elizabeth to send help to the Scottish Protestants, who were hard pressed by the Catholic party, supported by French troops. The result was that the French army, which was besieged in the town of Leith, was compelled to surrender, and Sir William was sent with Dr. Wotton as commissioners to arrange terms of peace. The Treaty of Edinburgh which ensued (July, 1560) was a triumph for Cecil's diplomacy and statesmanship, and finally put an end to the danger of French supremacy in Scotland.

On his return to London Cecil found himself thrown into the background by Lord Robert Dudley, who had become dominant at Court during his absence ; and though he regained his influence soon after, owing to the odium incurred by Dudley after the death of Amy Robsart, his difficulties from this time forward until the death of his rival, in 1588, were enormously increased by the unprincipled opposition of Dudley and his faction.

In 1561 he was appointed Master of the Court of Wards, an important and lucrative post involving a great amount of work, as may be seen by the innumerable letters connected with it which are preserved among the Hatfield MSS. It was a position which provided endless opportunities for irregular emoluments and for tyrannical exactions. Cecil reformed the procedure and executed his office, says Camden, " providently for the benefit

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