Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/342

328 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 54. her from time to time in the course which she was to pursue. Two of his letters were intercepted by Lennox, and at last, though written in cipher, were read )y Cecil's industry at last, though with difficulty, and not till later in the winter, not in time to cut off the nego- tiations in the bud, but in time to prevent the deadly flower from growing to maturity. As representing the spirit in which the Queen of Scots and her friends were about to enter into the con- ference, and the sincerity of those professions with which Mary Stuart had requested, the Pope's permission to illude Elizabeth, the substance of these letters may be given in this place. On the 9th of August, while still at Blair Athol, and after his correspondence with Sussex, Maitland wrote to the Queen of Scots to tell her to allow no- thing to interfere with the completion of the treaty. Help eventually might be looked for from abroad. Elizabeth was false on his life he could swear that she meant no good but Mary Stuart must continue to treat with her as though ' she had confidence in her friendship,' ' and must give her words for words.' 1 To the Bishop of Ross a few days later he October. wrote more in detail. ' We are to yield in everything,' he said, 'and receive humbly at English hands what they please to give us. It breaks my heart to see us at this point that Englishmen may give us law as they will. I understand by your letter that 1 Maitland to the Queen of Scots, August 9 : MS8. MARY QUEEN OP SCOTS, Rolls House. .