This  subject  was  very  little  agreeable  to  the  queen,  who,
considering  the  inconveniences  likely  to  arise  from  de-
claring in  favour  either  of  the  queen  of  Scots  or  the  house
of  Suffolk,  determined  to  keep  both  parties  in  awe  by
maintaining  an  ambiguous  conduct.  She  gave,  therefore,
an  evasive  answer  to  the  commons,  whom  she  told,  that
she  had  fixed  no  absolute  resolution  against  marriage ;  that
the  difficulties  attending  the  question  of  the  succession
were  so  great,  that,  for  the  sake  of  her  people,  she  would
be  contented  to  remain  some  time  longer  in  this  vale  of
misery ;  and  that  she  could  not  die  with  satisfaction,  till
she  had  laid  some  solid  foundation  for  their  future  security.'

In  the  mean  time,  the  duke  of  Guise  had  been  assassi-
nated before  Orleans,  and  Conde  and  Montmorency  had
come  to  an  agreement,  that  a  toleration  should  be  granted
anew  to  the  protestants.  The  interests  of  England  were
disregarded  in  the  treaty ;  and  Havre,  which  had  been
some  time  in  possession  of  the  English,  was  obliged  to  ca-
pitulate to  the  arms  of  France.  Elizabeth,  whose  usual
vigour  and  foresight  do  not  appear  in  this  transaction,  was
now  glad  to  compound  matters,  by  agreeing  that  the  hos-
tages which  the  French  had  previously  given  for  the  resti-
tution of  Calais,  should  be  restored  on  the  payment  of  two
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  crowns,  and  that  both  sides
should  retain  all  their  claims  and  pretensions.
