History of the United Netherlands, 1586 part 1 | Page 9

by his
duty to himself and his oath as her councillor, to declare that the course
she was holding to Lord Leicester was most dangerous to her own
honour, interest and safety. If she intended to continue in this line of

conduct, he begged to resign his office of Lord Treasurer; wishing;
before God and man, to wash his bands of the shame and peril which he
saw could not be avoided. The Queen, astonished at the audacity of
Burghley's attitude and language, hardly knew whether to chide him for
his presumption or to listen to his arguments. She did both. She taxed
him with insolence in daring to address her so roundly, and then
finding he was speaking even in 'amaritudine animae' and out of a clear
conscience, she became calm again, and intimated a disposition to
qualify her anger against the absent Earl.
Next day, to their sorrow, the two councillors found that the Queen had
again changed her mind--"as one that had been by some adverse
counsel seduced." She expressed the opinion that affairs would do well
enough in the Netherlands, even though Leicester were displaced. A
conference followed between Walsingham, Hatton, and Burghley, and
then the three went again to her Majesty. They assured her that if she
did not take immediate steps to satisfy the States and the people of the
Provinces, she would lose those countries and her own honour at the
same time; and that then they would prove a source of danger to her
instead of protection and glory. At this she was greatly troubled, and
agreed to do anything they might advise consistently with her honour.
It was then agreed that Leicester should be continued in the government
which he had accepted until the matter should be further considered,
and letters to that effect were at once written. Then came messenger
from Sir Thomas Heneage, bringing despatchesfrom that envoy, and a
second and most secret one from the Earl himself. Burghley took the
precious letter which the favourite had addressed to his royal mistress,
and had occasion to observe its magical effect. Walsingham and the
Lord Treasurer had been right in so earnestly remonstrating with him
on his previous silence.
"She read your letter," said Burghley, "and, in very truth, I found her
princely heart touched with favourable interpretation of your actions;
affirming them to be only offensive to her, in that she was not made
privy to them; not now misliking that you had the authority."
Such, at fifty-three, was Elizabeth Tudor. A gentle whisper of idolatry
from the lips of the man she loved, and she was wax in his hands.
Where now were the vehement protestations of horror that her public
declaration of principles and motives had been set at nought? Where

now were her vociferous denunciations of the States, her shrill
invectives against Leicester, her big oaths, and all the 'hysterica passio,'
which had sent poor Lord Burghley to bed with the gout, and inspired
the soul of Walsingham with dismal forebodings? Her anger had
dissolved into a shower of tenderness, and if her parsimony still
remained it was because that could only vanish when she too should
cease to be.
And thus, for a moment, the grave diplomatic difference between the
crown of England and their high mightinesses the United States--upon
the solution of which the fate of Christendom was hanging--seemed to
shrink to the dimensions of a lovers' quarrel. Was it not strange that the
letter had been so long delayed?
Davison had exhausted argument in defence of the acceptance by the
Earl of the authority conferred by the States and had gained nothing by
his eloquence, save abuse from the Queen, and acrimonious censure
from the Earl. He had deeply offended both by pleading the cause of
the erring favourite, when the favourite should have spoken for himself.
"Poor Mr. Davison," said Walsingham, "doth take it very grievously
that your Lordship should conceive so hardly of him as you do. I find
the conceit of your Lordship's disfavour hath greatly dejected him. But
at such time as he arrived her Majesty was so incensed, as all the
arguments and orators in the world could not have wrought any
satisfaction."
But now a little billet-doux had done what all the orators in the world
could not do. The arguments remained the same, but the Queen no
longer "misliked that Leicester should have the authority." It was
natural that the Lord Treasurer should express his satisfaction at this
auspicious result.
"I did commend her princely nature," he said, "in allowing your good
intention, and excusing you of any spot of evil meaning; and I thought
good to hasten her resolution, which you must now take to come from a
favourable good mistress. You must strive with your nature