Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/227

1 564. ] fffE EM BASS Y OF DE SIL VA . 207 which had welcomed Mary Tudor. In quiet English homes there arose a passionate craving to be rid of all these things ; to breathe again the old air of reverence and piety ; and Calvinism and profanity were working hand in hand like twin spirits of evil, making a road for another Mary to reach the English throne. The progress being over, Elizabeth returned .to the weary problems which were thickening round her more and more hopelessly. From France came intelligence that ' a far other marriage was meant for the Queen of Scots than the Lord Robert ; with practices to reduce the realm to the old Pope, and to break the love be- tween England and Scotland.' l The Earl of Lennox had been allowed to cross the Border "at last as a less evil than the detaining him by violence ; but Cecil wrote from Cambridge to Maitland, ' making no obscure demonstration of foul weather/ Parliament was ex- pected to meet again in October, and with Parliament, would come the succession question, the Queen's marriage question, and their thousand collateral vexa- tions. Either in real uncertainty, or that she might have something with which to pacify her subjects, Elizabeth was again making advances towards the eternal Archduke. His old father Ferdinand, who had refused to be trifled with a second time, was dead. Ferdinand had left the world and its troubles on the 25th of July ; but before his death, in a conversation with the Duke of Wurtemburg, he had shown himself 1 Sir T. Smith to Cecil (cipher), Sept. I, 1564: French MSS. Rolls House.