654 
ENG1 
cident; for the duke having fent a Aim of money to lord 
Herries, one of Mary’s partifans in Scotland, omitted 
trading the feryant with the contents of his meffage ; and 
he finding, by the weight of the bag, that it contained a 
larger Aim than the duke mentioned to him, began to 
miftruft fome plot, and brought the money, with the 
duke’s letter, to the 1 'ecretary of date. By the artifices 
of Burleigh, the duke’s fervants were brought to make 
a full dilcovery of their mafter’s guilt ; and the bilhop 
of Rofs, finding the plot difcovered, to fave his own life, 
confirmed their teftimony. The duke was re-committed 
to the Tower, and ordered to prepare for his trial. A 
jury of twenty-five peers found him guilty, and the queen, 
tour months after, figned the warrant for his execution. 
The earl of Northumberland being delivered up by the 
regent, underwent a fimilar trial, and was alfo brought 
to the fcaffold for rebellion. All thefe ineffectual drug¬ 
gies in favour of the unfortunate queen of Scots, only 
lerved to rivet her chains, and harden the obdurate and 
fufpicious heart of Elizabeth. 
While thefe cruel and vindictive meafures were pur- 
Aiing in England, the Hugonots, orChridian reformers, 
in France, had been greatly perfecuted by the catholic 
party ot the houfe of Guife, and were obliged to folicit 
the aid and protection of the Englifii. With a view to 
iecure the confidence of Elizabeth, being then in pofief- 
fion of the greated part of Normandy, they offered to put 
Havre de G race into the queen’s hands ; a proffer which 
fhe hefitated not to accept. She wifely reflected, that, 
as Havre commanded the mouth of the Seine,it might 
in (ome meafure compenfate the lofs of Calais ; and, by 
this acquilition, die could (till have a check upon the 
French on the continent. Accordingly,- three thoufand 
Englifh troops took poffeffion of Havre and Dieppe, un¬ 
der the command of the earl of Warwick ; but the latter 
place was fo little capable of being defended, that it was 
immediately abandoned ; and Havre itfelf, being foon af¬ 
ter clofely inveded, was obliged to capitulate. But the 
French could not have accomplilhed this, had not a 
dreadful peflilence reduced the gallant Englifii band to a 
handful. The capitulation had hardly been figned,'be¬ 
fore lord Clinton appeared at the mouth of the harbour 
with a fleet and three thoufand foldiers. They were too 
late ; and, to add to this difaftrous campaign, the difeafe 
which had thinned the garrifon, accompanied the poor 
remains of the army to London, where, in 1563, it fvvept 
away near thirty thoufand fouls; while the perfecuting 
fpirit of the bloody-minded French proceeded to the maf- 
facre of St. Bartholomew’s Day ; for which fee vol. 
ii. p. 764. 
The death of Charles IX. of France, which followed 
in 1574, eafed the mind of Elizabeth from half its anxie¬ 
ty. Henry III. who then fucceeded to the throne, both 
hated and dreaded the houfe of Guife, and confequently 
depreffed the intereft of the unfortunate Mary of Scot¬ 
land. That kingdom enjoyed at this period a kind of 
tranquillity under the government of Morton, whofe en¬ 
tire dependence on the Englifh queen, at the fame time 
that it confirmed his power, prevented his gratifying his 
natural and vvicked propenfities to the extent of his 
wifhes. 
Ireland had been ftrangely convulfed ; but the care of 
Walter Devereux earl of Effex had reftored at leaft the 
appearance of fubmiffion among the revolted chiefs. The 
whole annual revenue of Ireland was then barely fix thou¬ 
fand pounds. To this Elizabeth moll unwillingly added 
twenty thoufand more. One thoufand foldiers, or in 
great need, two thoufand, compofed the whole military 
power. A force perfectly incapable of fubduing a nu¬ 
merous and warlike race ; but rather ferving to provoke 
the natives, and to excite thofe frequent infurreCtions 
which_kept up and inflamed the animofity between the 
two nations-. That Elizabeth fiiould never have exerted 
the ffrength of England to end thefe troubles, appears fo 
tirange to a learned prelate, bilhop'Hurd, that he thinks 
.AND, 
“ the weak meafure muff have proceeded from the dic¬ 
tates of a crooked policy.” 
Although Elizabeth privately fupported the proteffant 
intereff in France, and fupplied the Hugonots with large 
fums to levy German troops, fhe neverthelefs fent, in 
157 5 » t0 congratulate the new French monarch, the enemy 
of the Guiles, and to invert him witli the order of the 
garter. Her embaffy was received with great refpeCt. 
Elizabeth had at this epoch, indeed, attained to that 
higli importance in the political balance of the conti¬ 
nent, which her father had miffed through his own in. 
temperate levity; her brother, through his youth and 
inexperience ; and her fiffer, through violence and bi¬ 
gotry. 
In 1576, the Hollanders, diffreffed beyond meafure by 
the power of Spain, which they had long and gallantly 
refifted, entreated Elizabeth, as heirefs of Philippa, queen 
of our Edward HI. to accept their fovereignty, and un¬ 
dertake their protection. Tempting as was this offer, 
the Englifii queen declined it; fhe interpofed, however, 
her good offices with Philip, although in vain ; and after¬ 
wards advanced twenty thoufand pounds to the difireffed 
revolters. But the appearance of Don John of Auftria 
in the Netherlands, as governor, in 1577, greatly difcon- 
certed Elizabeth. She dreaded that prince; (lie knew 
that it was his avowed with to wed Mary of Scotland, 
and to affert her pretenfions to the crown of England. She 
therefore determined to fupport the revolters with vi¬ 
gour ; fhe advanced to them one hundred thoufand pounds 
by way of loan ; and confented by treaty to fupply them 
with five thoufand foot, and one thoufand horfe. At the 
fame time (lie wrote-to the king of Spain a moff artful 
apology for her conduCt, profeffing that file had only un¬ 
dertaken the protection of the Netherlanders, to prevent 
their throwing themfelves into the hands of France; and 
offering to withdraw her aid, if Don John and the Spanifh 
troops fhould be recalled. Philip imitated the d;ep po¬ 
licy of Elizabeth ; and, while he profeffed a continu.atioa 
of amity, attempted to excite the Irifh to revolt. But 
the wife precautions of the Englifh queen had guarded 
againft his machinations. 
In 157S, Elizabeth received an embaffy from France,, 
propofing a treaty of marriage between her and the duke 
of Anjou, late Alenyon. This embaffy was kindly re¬ 
ceived ; but the eyes of Europe were not yet opened to 
a fpecies of political coquetry, which ever aflifted that 
princefs in her negociations. Even the fubtle Catharine 
de Medicis was deceived, and thought her youngeft fon 
already king of England; at the fame time that Philip 
of Spain was fo far led to AifpeCt the defigns of his bro¬ 
ther Don John of Aufiria towards an union with Eliza¬ 
beth, tiiat he put to death privately one of that prince’s 
fecretaries, whom he thought the confidant of a matri¬ 
monial treaty between him and that moff infcrutable of 
fovereigns. 
The negociations for the queen’s marriage were quick- 
ened in 1579, by the arrival of Simier, an artful agent 
fent by Catharine de Medicis; who gained fuch an afcen- 
dant over the counfels of Elizabeth, that even tier favou¬ 
rite Leicefter was alarmed, and intimated to the credu¬ 
lous, his apprehenfion of philtres, fpells, See. while Si¬ 
mier, irritated at the charge, informed the queen of Lei. 
cefter’s private marriage with the widow of Effex, a dif- 
covery which would have conducted the imprudent fa¬ 
vourite to the Tower, had not lord Suffex interpofed, 
and reprefented to Elizabeth the extreme illegality of 
punifiiing any man for a legal aCt like matrimony. The 
fatal end of Morton, regent of Scotland, a man devoted 
to her commands, as he held his authority folely under 
her protection, being now tried, conviCted, and executed, 
for treafon againft the young king James VI. made Eliza¬ 
beth fpend the clofe of 1580 in fome degree of anxiety. 
It was now time alfo that the wire-drawn farce of the 
French marriage fhould come to a conclufion. The 
duke of An'ou had every reafon to fancy hinifelf fure of 
3. Jus- 
