Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/88

68 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 57. papers and ciphers on board. Information was given to the officers of the port, the ship was searched, the documents were found and sent to London, and as the ciphers were gradually read they revealed the plans for the invasion of Scotland, with a correspondence between the Countess of Northumberland and Douglas of Loch- leven for the release of the Earl. Some few days elapsed however before the key was made out, and meanwhile Randolph and Sir William Drury, who was in commission with him, had been admitted to the Castle to an interview with the Marian leaders. Seton had arrived, and not having heard of the miscarriage of his papers, they were in high confidence and spirits. Chatelherault, Huntly, Seton, Maitland, Hume, Grange, the Bishops of Dunkeld and Galloway, Sir Robert Mel- ville and Ker of Fernihurst, and many others, were as- sembled there. They had collected to consider Alva's plans and how best they could forward them. The Castle was tolerably comfortable. Morton had hoped that the cold winter would have starved the garrison out, but they had destroyed the largest mer- chants' houses in Edinburgh to make fuel of the tim- ber, and so had held the frost at bay. Mons Meg was fired in honour of the coming of the English envoys. The Lords received them standing, all but Maitland, who was too ill to rise from his seat. They found the Duke < the fool he always was ; ' Huntly ' full of malice ; ' Seton ' vain, despiteful, dishonest, unreasonable ; ' ' the two worthy Prelates neither learned nor wise/ Maitland was the one person of