236 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 65. the people wore loyal to their Sovereign ; she had de- served their love by governing wisely and justly ; and ' if the Queen of Scots had held the same course, neither England nor Scotland would have been troubled by her.' It pleased her to say that she would resign her title to the crown of Scotland to her son ; but it was a question if she had any title to resign ; and for the crown of England, unless her son altered his conduct, she said ' she would take order to cut off all hope by ordinary course of justice, that he might have hereafter to attain to the crown.' The imprisonment of which the Queen of Scots complained had risen from her own misbehaviour ; by assuming the arms and title of Eng- land ' she had given just cause to the Queen to make profit of her repair thither ; ' she had received more honourable treatment than many princes would have yielded to pretenders to their crown, and in return she had been ungrateful and treacherous ; she had been used better than she deserved, and if she continued her past practices, the Queen would take some other course, such as her own safety and the Queen of Scots' in- gratitude might require. 1 Among the least agreeable features in Elizabeth's character was the rapidity with which she could alter her language to the same person with a slight alteration of circumstances. Mary Stuart's conduct was not changed by the repulse of Captain Errington, but the 1 Instructions to Mr Beale, November, 1581 : MSS. MAKY QUEEN OF SCOTS.
