Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/274

260 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 54- trouble Scotland. The fugitive Earls should remain there till France or Spain or both would send them assistance ; they would then come back over the Bor- ders, and England would rise to receive them. 1 These were the men whom Leicester had brought back to Elizabeth's side, and their first effort was to impress upon her the necessity of taking the advice of Maitland, and of abandoning the hope of extricating herself by force from the combinations which were threatening her. France and Spain, they told her, did not mean to endure any longer the insolence of the pirates and the English sympathizers with the Protest- ant insurgents. She must set her house in order, make up her differences with the Queen of Scots, and pardon the Northern Earls, or she was lost. 2 Elizabeth listened with outward acquiescence. If she acted with Cecil, she talked, except at great and trying moments, in the language of his opponents. She apo- logized to Arundel for her severity towards him. She spoke of releasing Norfolk. She said she would think again before Sussex should cross the Borders. * The Queen/ wrote La Mothe, ' agrees at heart with the nobles, she is well disposed towards the Catholics, and many times has refused to listen to the sinister advice of their enemies ; if she could she would live at peace with all parties in her realm/ 3 1 Depecb.es de La Mothe Fene- lon, March 27. 2 Ibid. 3 ' Ceste princesse n'a le coeur ny llntention, esloignee de celle de sa noblesse, ny n'est mal affeetionnee a sea subjectz Cath cliques, pour les- quelz elle resiste assez souvent aulx conseilz que leurs adversaires luy donnent contre eulx, affin que avec