Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/206

192 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [en. 53. Under all disadvantages he had held his ground in the Regency for two years ; but he had come to the end of his resources. The Queen's partisans were labouring incessantly to undermine and overthrow him. ' Those who had been concerned in the murder ' were afraid of being punished by him ; ' the Hamiltons and the Earls of Huntly and Argyle being of alliance in blood, would ever be adverse to the King ; ' and he was left almost alone to sustain the malice and danger of all those parties. The noblemen who had stood by him at the beginning ( were wearied with continual charge of as- semblies/ ' They served at their own cost at Langside, afterwards in a journey into Galloway, next in the Par- liament in August, 1568 ; after that in the journey into England, then in the journey to Glasgow to meet the Duke and Lord Herries, then in the months of March and April on the Borders. Again, there had been the long and costly journey into the North against the Earl of Huntly and his partakers ; ' ' then the conven- tion at Perth, and then service again upon the Borders/ All this he and his friends had done without assistance, from their private means. For the future, if Elizabeth meant ' to take profit by Scotland/ she must be prepared to take a share in the expenses. 2ooo/. a year, with a supply of powder and arms, would be sufficient; but that sum at least he was entitled and obliged to ask, and to demand further, that she would openly recog- nize the King's government, and declare to the world that she intended to maintain it. These two requests conceded, he would undertake to govern Scotland in the