Note 209 — Chapter VII · 1570-1578

How soon division was introduced is seen by the action of Catharine, who saw only a few weeks after St. Bartholomew the mistake she had made in allowing the Catholic party to go too far, and once more began to court the Huguenots and Elizabeth, and also by the suspicion evinced by La Mothe, the French ambassador in London, of Guaras’ renewed favour at Elizabeth’s Court. Writing on the 9th November, he says that Alba is making all sorts of tempting offers to Elizabeth through Guaras to draw her away from French friendship and send an ambassador to Philip. “Guaras is intriguing for this with such good presents that I am told that he has given more than 10,000 crowns to one personage alone, who has some authority here. He has done so much that the Lords of the Council have been busy for several days trying to come to some arrangement with the King of Spain, and Guaras is often at Court.”—Correspondance Diplomatique, vol. v.