land and the other fugitives, as they had promised, had allowed
them to escape into Flanders, she permitted the king's party to give
Lenox the title of regent,[*] and she sent Randolph, as her resident, to
maintain a correspondence with him. But notwithstanding this step, taken
in favor of Mary's enemies, she never laid aside her ambiguous conduct,
nor quitted the appearance of amity to that princess. Being importuned
by the bishop of Ross and her other agents, as well as by foreign
ambassadors, she twice procured a suspension of arms between the
Scottish factions, and by that means stopped the hands of the regent,
who was likely to obtain advantages over the opposite party.[**] By
these seeming contrarieties she kept alive the factions in Scotland,
increased their mutual animosity, and rendered the whole country a scene
of devastation and of misery.[***] She had no intention to conquer the
kingdom, and consequently no interest or design to instigate the parties
against each other; but this consequence was an accidental effect of her
cautious politics, by which she was engaged, as far as possible, to
keep on good terms with the queen of Scots, and never to violate the
appearances of friendship with her, at least those of neutrality.[****]
[16]

* Spotswood, p. 241.

** Spotswood, p. 243.

*** Crawford, p. 136.

**** See note P, at the end of the volume.

The better to amuse Mary with the prospect of an accommodation, Cecil
and Sir Walter Mildmay were sent to her with proposals from Elizabeth.
The terms were somewhat rigorous, such as a captive queen might expect
from a jealous rival; and they thereby bore the greater appearance of
sincerity on the part of the English court. It was required that the
queen of Scots, besides renouncing all title to the crown of England
during the lifetime of Elizabeth, should make a perpetual league,
offensive and defensive, between the kingdoms; that she should marry no
Englishman without Elizabeth's consent, nor any other person without the
consent of the states of Scotland; that compensation should be made for
the late ravages committed in England; that justice should be executed
on the murderers of King Henry; that the young prince should be sent
into England, to be educated there; and that six hostages, all of them
noblemen, should be delivered to the queen of England, with the Castle
of Hume, and some other fortress, for the security of performance.[*]
Such