prisoners till the following winter, when they were released on payment of the ruinous fine of 2000l. Throgmorton himself was seized again on some other pretext, and sent again to the Tower. The council, or Paget's party there, remonstrated against the arrest; they yielded, however, perhaps that they might make the firmer stand on more important matters.
Since Elizabeth could not be executed, the Court were the more anxious to carry the Succession Bill. Gardiner's first desire was that Elizabeth should be excluded by name; but Paget said that this was impossible.[1] As little could a measure be passed empowering the Queen to leave the crown by will, for that would be but the same thing under another form. Following up his purpose, notwithstanding, Gardiner brought out in the House of Lords a pedigree, tracing Philip's descent from John of Gaunt; and he introduced a bill to make offences against his person high treason. But at the second reading the important words were introduced, 'during the Queen's lifetime;'[2] the bill was read a third time, and then disappeared; and Paget had been the loudest of its opponents.[3]
Beaten on the succession, the chancellor, in spite of Renard's remonstrances, brought forward next his Re-
- ↑ He whom you wrote of comes to me with a sudden and strange proposal, that, since matters against Madame Elizabeth do not take the turn which was wished, there should be an Act brought into Parliament to disinherit her. I replied that I would give no consent to such a scheme.—Paget to Renard: Tytler, vol. ii. p. 382.
- ↑ Lords' Journals.
- ↑ Renard complains of Paget's conduct bitterly.—Renard to Charles V., May i: Tytler, vol. ii.
