Guzman de Silva to King Philip II.
She was still of the same mind about it as she had been from the first, and would not, on any account, allow the Queen to go to France; and as for sending her back to Scotland alone after she had placed herself under her protection, that would be a great dishonour for her (Elizabeth) and her country. Seeing also the pretensions she had to the English crown, it would be dangerous, she said, to allow her to be free in this country, as she might take opportunities of satisfying people about past events and gain them over. She (Elizabeth) had therefore, as she had already told me, determined to bring her to some place in the interior of England, both that she might be safer from her enemies, and also in order that, if she attempted to escape clandestinely to Scotland, her flight should be made longer and more difficult ; as between Carlisle and Scotland there was only one small river, which could easily be crossed. I asked her why, then, she did not bring her away at once? to which she replied that the Queen would not leave Carlisle, and had sent to tell her (Elizabeth) that she would only do so under compulsion, by which she understood a direct and peremptory order from her. She (Elizabeth) said she did not want to affront her by treating the matter in this way, and she was sorry for her to remain where she was, for the reasons she had said ; which reasons, as I understand from Fleming, are the very ones which make the queen of Scotland unwilling to leave, although she says it is because she wishes to be near where she may know quickly what is passing in her country, and keep in close touch with her friends.
London, 3 July 1568.
Calendar of Spanish Letters and State Papers Relating to English Affairs , II.47-8.
GIOVANNI CORRER, Venetian Ambassador in France, to the SIGNORY
It was also said in Paris that the Earl of Leicester ranked amongst the bitterest of Queen Mary's enemies; and that when told of her demand for leave to go to France, Queen Elizabeth exclaimed, “My prudence would weigh but lightly were I to permit the departure of her who lays claim to be mistress of this realm, and who of yore assumed its arms and title.”
Paris, 20th July 1568.
Also at Virtual Grub Street:
- Catherine Gray Elopes and Honeymoons in The Tower. June 15, 2023. “The Queen went one morning to Eltham to hunt, when Lady Jane and Lady Catherine,...”
- Seeking Out the Elusive Tudor Masque. June 4, 2023. “...for new making of divers garments & altering & translating of sundry other garments for the furnishing of a mask...”
The Stanley Family Papers on the Earl of Derby's Mysterious Death. April 8, 2023. “Strange events, of course, occurred at Lathom, according to statements later given under oath.”
Queen Elizabeth I’s Heart and the French Ambassador. March 21, 2023. "The reason to delay his first audience under this pretext would soon be known."
A Brief Introduction to the Tudor Inn. February 5, 2023. "A London inn was homey enough, it would seem."
Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
- Check out the Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.
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