t fall; the emperor had now resigned. Philip, with
an embarrassed treasury, with his eye on the English crown, and with
trouble threatening him from the Turks, was anxious to escape from the
exhausting conflict; and at the beginning of February a truce for five
years was concluded at Vaucelles, by which Henry was left in
undisturbed possession of all his conquests.

Terms so advantageous to the court of France could not be rejected;
but past experience forbade, nevertheless, any very sanguine hope that
the truce would last out its term. Unquestionably, in the opinion of
the French king, it would be broken without scruple could Philip
obtain the active help of England; and Henry would not, therefore,
relinquish his correspondence with the conspirators. He instructed
Noailles only to keep them quiet for the present till Philip's
intentions should be revealed more clearly.[560]

[Footnote 560: The Constable to Noailles, Feb. 7:
_Ambassades_, vol. v.]

The "young heads," of whom Horsey had spoken to Daniel, were not,
however, men whom it was easy to keep quiet. Noailles replied, that
they were so anxious to make an effort for liberty, and felt so
certain of success, that he found great difficulty in restraining
them; if the King of France would give them some slight assistance at
the outset,[561] they undertook to do the rest themselves.

[Footnote 561: De leur pretur un peu d'espaule.]

Dudley, therefore, remained in France, whither he was followed by
Ashton and Horsey, and Henry admitted them to a midnight audience. He
said that, for the moment, he could not act with them openly; but he
would throw no difficulty in their way; if they were as strong as they
professed to be (and they said that members of the privy council were
{p.266} in the confederacy), he would have them go forward with
their project; and if he found Philip occupied, as he expected that he
would be with the Turks in Hungary, he would assist them with men,
money, and other things. Meanwhile, he gave Dudley 1500 crowns,
distributed considerable sums among his companions, and advised them
to go, as Carew had done before, to the coast of Normandy, and keep up
their communications with their friends.

The interview and the promises of Henry were betrayed to Wotton, and
by him reported in cypher to Mary;[562] but the fear or treachery of
one of the party had already placed the government in possess