346 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 43. desire to be guided by her ; she was afraid of driving Elizabeth by over-precipitancy to accept the advances of France. In the interval therefore she continued to assure Randolph that she would be guided by ' her sister's ' wishes. ' How to be sure that it is her real mind and not words only/ Randolph wrote on the ist of March, ' is harder than I will take upon me , but so far as words go, to me and others she seems fully determined. I never at any time had better hopes of her than now.' 1 Yet the smooth words took no shape in action. She pressed Randolph every day to know Elizabeth's resolu- tion, but the conditions on both sides remained as they were left at Berwick. Elizabeth said to Mary Stuart,
- Marry as I wish and then you shall see what I will
do for you.' Mary said, ' Recognize me first as your successor and I will then be all that you desire.' Each distrusted the other ; but Elizabeth had the most pro- ducible reason for declining to be credulous. However affectionate the Queen of Scots' language might be, the Treaty of Edinburgh remained unratified. The more Mary pressed for recognition therefore, the more Elizabeth determined to withhold what if once conceded could not afterwards be recalled, till by some decisive action her suspicion should have been removed. With the suspense other dangerous symp- toms began to show themselves. Soon after Darnley's Randolph to Cecil, March I : Scotch AfSS. Rolls Souse.
