Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/379

THE RIDOLFI CONSPIRACY. 365 after scene followed of violence and passion. The ex- treme Protestants suspected Anjou for his antecedents. The English traditionary prejudices were set on fire. 1 At length Elizabeth summoned all her ministers into her presence, and said with tears in her eyes, that they and only they were to blame for the breaking off her marriage with the Archduke Charles. It was they who had caused her to offend the King of Spain. It was they who had made the troubles in Scotland, and but for her own prudence they would have involved her equally in a quarrel with France. Now at this supreme crisis of her life, she implored them not to fail her. A marriage with the Duke of Anjou would open a road out of all her perplexities, and those who set themselves against it, she said, were bad subjects and enemies of the realm. 2 With the discussions at the council the world was of course taken into the secret, and the agitation in France was as violent as in England. The Cardinal of Lorraine revived the scandals about Elizabeth's intimacy 1 La Mothe, February 6. 2 'Entendantles diverses opinions que ceulx de son conseil avoient la dessus, elle les avoit assemblee pour leur dire, lalarme a 1'oeil, que si nul mal venoit a elle, a sa couronne et a ses subjectz pour n' avoir espouse 1'Archiduc Charles, il debvoit estre impute a eulx et non a elle ; qui aussi estoient cause que le Roy d'Es- paigne avoit este offence, et que le Royaulme d'Escoce estoit en armes contre le sien, et qu'il n' avoit tenu aussi a eulx que le Roy n'eust este beaucoup provoque davantaige par leurs deportements en faveur de ceulx de la Rocbelle, si elle ne les eust empeschez ; dont les prioit tres toutz de luy ayder maintenant a rabiller toutz les maulx par ung seul moyen, qui estoit de bien conduire ce party de Monsieur, et qu'elle tiendroit pour mauvais subject et ennemy de ce royaulme et tres deloyal a son service qui aulcimement le luy traverseroit. La Mothe, February 6, 1571.