* Camden in Kennet, p. 370. Burnet, vol. ii. p. 375.

The queen too, on her sister's death, had written to Sir Edward Carne,
the English ambassador at Rome, to notify her accession to the pope; but
the precipitate nature of Paul broke through all the cautious measures
concerted by this young princess. He told Carne, that England was a fief
of the holy see; and it was great temerity in Elizabeth to have assumed,
without his participation, the title and authority of queen: that being
illegitimate, she could not possibly inherit that kingdom; nor could
he annul the sentence, pronounced by Clement VII. and Paul III., with
regard to Henry's marriage: that were he to proceed with rigor, he
should punish this criminal invasion of his rights, by rejecting all her
applications but being willing to treat her with paternal indulgence,
he would still keep the door of grace open to her, and that if she would
renounce all pretensions to the crown, and submit entirely to his will,
she should experience the utmost lenity compatible with the dignity of
the apostolic see.[*] When this answer was reported to Elizabeth,
she was astonished at the character of that aged pontiff; and having
recalled her ambassador, she continued with more determined resolution
to pursue those measures which already she had secretly embraced.

The queen, not to alarm the partisans of the Catholic religion, had
retained eleven of her sister's counsellors; but in order to balance
their authority, she added eight more, who were known to be inclined
to the Protestant communion: the marquis of Northampton, the earl of
Bedford, Sir Thomas Parry, Sir Edward Rogers, Sir Ambrose Cave, Sir
Francis Knolles, Sir Nicholas Bacon, whom she created lord keeper, and
Sir William Cecil, secretary of state.[**]

* Father Paul, lib. v.

** Strype's Ann. vol. i. p. 5.

With these counsellors, particularly Cecil, she frequently deliberated
concerning the expediency of restoring the Protestant religion, and
the means of executing that great enterprise. Cecil told her, that the
greater part of the nation had, ever since her father's reign, inclined
to the reformation, and though her sister had constrained them to
profess the ancient faith, the cruelties exercised by her ministers
had still more alienated their affections from it: that happily the
interests of the sovereign here concurred with the inclinations of the
people; nor was her title to the crown compatible wi