I 5 66.] THE MURDER OF DARNLE Y. 425 ' I do understand this to be the state of his [Sack- ville's] despatch/ wrote Sir N. Throgmorton to Lei- cester. 1 'Her Majesty will tolerate the public contract for the exercise of the Archduke's Roman religion, so as he will promise secretly to her Majesty to alter the said religion hereafter. She doth farther say that if the Archduke will come to England she promiseth to marry him unless there be some apparent impediment. She maketh the greatest difficulty to accord unto him some large provision to entertain him at her and the realm's cost as he demandeth.' So far had her purpose advanced even to a haggling over the terms of maintenance ; yet at the last moment the thought of losing Leicester for ever became unbear- able. He was absent from the Court, and Elizabeth determined to see him once more before the fatal step was taken. 'After this was written/ Throgmorton concluded, 'I did understand her Majesty had deferred the signing of Sackville's despatch until your Lordship's coming/ Cecil at the same time wrote to inform Leicester of the Queen's resolution ; and either the Earl believed that it was his policy to appear to consent, or else, if he may be credited with any interval of patriotism, he was ready for the moment to forget his own ambition in the inter- est of England. 2 1 February, 1566, endorsed, in Leicester's hand 'A very consider- able letter.' PEPYSIAN MSS. Mag- dalen College, Cambridge. 2 ' I heartily thank you, Mr Se- cretary, for your gentle and friendly letter, wherein I perceive how far her Majesty hath resolved touching the matter she dealt in on my com- ing away. I pray God her Highness
