Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/294

274 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 59. his ambition. Duke of Ireland he already called him- self Duke of Leinster was the less ambitious title which Philip preferred for him ; and meanwhile he amused the Spaniards with his fool's scandal about Elizabeth and the Court, and with his fool's boasts of the great things which he was himself to do to her. 1 He would bring the Pope upon her neck ; he would give her crown to the good Queen of Scots, and he would make his friends as good Lords as Cecil. He would stay the Queen's ' frisking and dancing,' and teach her what it was to affront a soldier. He would eat his Christmas pie with the Lord Deputy, and pluck the Q-eorge from his neck ; and then, settled in his duke- dom, with his children to come after him, ' he would live merrily, and build him a fair abbey, and have in it four-and-twenty friars, one to pray for him every hour of the day and night, and there be buried.' 2 Another glimpse of Stukely at Madrid comes through two letters from a certain Oliver King to Cecil. The convulsions of the Reformation had covered the conti- 1 'Master Stukely said to the King of Spain's council and to other gentlemen of Spain, that the Queen's Majesty will beat Secretary Cecil about the ears when he discontenteth her, and he will weep like a child. The Spaniards asking him why the Queen's Highness doth not marry, he said she would never marry, for she cannot abide a woman with child, for she saith those women be worse than a sow. He also said he is no subject to her Majesty, but sworn subject to the King of Spain , ' but,' quoth he, ' what hurt I can do her or any of hers I will do it. I will make her vilely afraid. I will make her wish herself again in her mother's belly,' with other words of her Highness and her mother too loathsome to express.' Depositions relating to Mr Stukefy's Doings in Spain, August, 1571 : MSS. J)o- mestic. 2 Ibid.