174 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. |CH. 43. a clear conscience that they had no authority to accept less than the two hundred thousand; yet sooner than let the chance of peace escape they were to be allowed at the last extremity to take whatever Catherine de Medici would give. The French Court was at Troyes when Somers ar- rived. Smith and Throgmorton, who had been employed hitherto as rivals each informed of but half the truth, and intrusted with information which had been concealed from the other were united at last in a common hu- miliation. With the first despatch in his hand Sir Thomas Smith repaired to the Queen-mother, and de- scended his scale so far as he then knew that his powers extended. Catherine replied shortly that the recovery of Havre had cost France two millions of gold ; on the sum to be paid to Elizabeth ' she had not bargained and huckstered and altered her terms as the English had done ; she had fixed in her own mind at first what she would give ; and she would give that or nothing/ She intended to leave Troyes the following morning. If not accepted in the mean time the offer would be with- drawn. "With this answer Smith returned to his brother am- bassador. They were looking blankly in each other's faces when Somers produced his second letter. The seal was broken. They found themselves permitted to con- sent ; and they sent a message to Bourdin, Catherine's secretary, begging him to come to them. Their tempers Were not improved by the position in which Elizabeth had placed them ; and while waiting for Bourdiii's ar-
