ting the conversation upon so
important a topic and in a confidential communication to the Spanish
Governor of the Netherlands. The most charitable construction of
Elizabeth's words seems to be that they were a clumsy attempt to
propitiate the duke "with a dilatory answer," as Sir Thomas Smith somewhat
euphemistically expresses it, and that she had no intention of making good
her engagements. But it was a sad blunder on her part, and likely to be
ruinous to her friends, the French Protestants. Alva was not slow in
concluding that Elizabeth's offer was of greater value as documentary
proof of her untrustworthy character, than as a means of recovering
Flushing. "There is no positive proof," remarks the historian to whom we
are indebted for an acquaintance with the letter of Guaras, "that Alva
communicated Elizabeth's offers to the queen mother and the King of
France, but he was more foolish than he gave the world reason to believe
him to be if he let such a weapon lie idle in his writing-desk."[924] And
so that inconstant, unprincipled Italian woman, on whose fickle purpose
the fate of thousands was more completely dependent than even her
contemporaries as yet knew, at last reached the definite persuasion that
Elizabeth was preparing to play her false, at the very moment when Coligny
was hurrying her son into war with Spain. Even if France should prove
victorious, Catharine's own influence would be thrown into perpetual
eclipse by that of the admiral and his associates. This result the queen
mother resolved promptly to forestall, and for that purpose fell back upon
a scheme which had probably been long floating dimly in her mind.

* * * * *

[Sidenote: Memoires de Michel de la Huguerye.]

The _Memoires inedits de Michel de la Huguerye_, of which the
first volume was recently published (Paris, 1877), under the
auspices of the National Historical Society, present some
interesting points, and deserve a special reference. At first
sight, the disclosures, with which the author tells us he was
favored, would seem to establish the bad faith of the court in
entering upon the peace of St. Germain, and the long
premeditation of the succeeding massacre. A closer examination
of the facts, assuming La Huguerye's thorough veracity, shows
that this is a mistake. La Huguerye may, indeed, have been
informed by companions on the way to Italy, who s