mained in her apartments waiting--waiting--in passionate
restlessness. With stomach swollen, and features shrunk and haggard,
she would sit upon the floor, with her knees drawn up to her face, in
an agony of doubt; and in mockery of her wretchedness, letters were
again strewed about the place by an invisible agency, telling her that
she was loathed by her people. She imagined they would rise again in
her defence. But if they rose again, it would be to drive her and her
husband from the country.[474]

[Footnote 474: "Ladicte dame plusieurs fois de le
jour demeure longtemps assise a terre, les genoulx
aussy haultz que la teste.

"Se trouva hier fort malade et plus que de
coustume, et pour la soulager, fust trouve a mesme
heure en sa court plusieurs lettres semees contre
son honneur," etc.--Noailles, vol. iv. p. 342.]

After the mysterious quickening on the legate's salutation, she could
not doubt that her hopes had been at one time well founded; but for
some fault, some error in herself, God had delayed the fulfilment of
his promise. And what could that crime be? The accursed thing was
still in the realm. She had been raised up, like the judges in Israel,
for the extermination of God's enemies; and she had smitten but a few
here and there, when, like the evil spirits, their name was
legion.[475] She had before sent orders round among the magistrates,
to have their eyes upon them. On the 24th of May, when her distraction
was at its height, she wrote a circular to quicken the over-languid
zeal of the bishops.

[Footnote 475: "The Queen said she could not be
safely and happily delivered, nor could anything
succeed prosperously with her, unless all the
heretics in prison were burnt _ad
unum_."--Burnet.]

{p.212} "Right Reverend Father in God," it ran, "We greet you well;
and where of late we addressed our letters unto the justices of the
peace, within every of the counties within this our realm, whereby,
amongst other good instructions given therein for the good order of
the country about, they are willed to have special regard to such
disordered persons as, forgetting their duty to Almighty God and us,
do lean to any erroneous and heretical opinions; whom, if they cannot
by good admonition and f