Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/205

1564.] THE EMBASSY OF DR SILVA. 185 the greatest self- admiration. She was giving in Lord Robert the best treasure which she possessed ; and Cecil approved the choice to rid his mistress of a companion whose presence about her person was a disgrace to her But no true_^iend of the Queen of Scots could advise her to accept a husband whom Elizabeth dared not marry for fear of her subjects' resentment. The first two months of the year passed off with verbal fencing ; the Queen of Scots was expecting news from Spain, and Murray and Maitland declined to press upon her the wishes of Elizabeth ; * while Mary herself began to express an anxiety which derives importance from her later history for the return to Scotland of the Earl of Both well. Both well, it will be remembered, had been charged two years before by the Earl of Arran with a design of killing Murray and of carrying off the Queen. He had been imprisoned in Edinburgh Castle, and had escaped, not it was supposed without Mary's connivance. He had attempted to fly to France, but had been driven by foul weather into Berwick, where he was arrested by the English commander. When Randolph informed the Queen of Scots of his capture ' he doubted whether she did give him any thanks for the news ; ' and a few days after she desired that he should be sent back ' to her keeping.' Her ministers ' suspecting that her mind was more favourable to him than was cause/ and fearing that she wished for him only ' to be reserved in store to be employed in any kind of mischief,' had said that they 1 Letters of Randolph to Cecil and Elizabeth, January and February, 1564 : MS. Rolls House.