“You do me wrong, Lord Pembroke,” replied Renard; “and I appeal to the lord chancellor, whether, in negotiating this treaty, I have made any demands on the part of my sovereign calculated to detract from the power or authority of yours.”
“On the contrary,” replied Gardiner, “your excellency has conceded more than we had any right to expect.”
“And more than my brother-ambassadors deemed fitting,” rejoined Renard. “But I do not repent what I have done, well! knowing how anxious the Emperor Charles the Fifth is to unite his son to so wise, so excellent, and so religious a princess as the queen of this realm, and that no sacrifice could be too great to insure him her hand.”
“I am bound to add that your excellency has advanced nothing but the truth,” acquiesced Gardiner; “and though, at first, as is well known to Lord Pembroke and others of the council, I was as averse to the match as he or they could be, I am now its warmest advocate. But I will not prolong the discussion. Her highness’s word is passed to the prince, the contract signed, the treaty concluded. Your remonstrances, therefore, are too late. And if you will suffer me to point out to you the only course that can with propriety be pursued, I would urge you to offer her majesty your loyal congratulations on her choice, to prepare to receive her consort in the manner she has directed, and to watch over the interests of your country so carefully, that the evils you dread may never arise.”
“If my solemn assurance will satisfy the Earl of Pembroke and the other honourable persons here present,” remarked Renard, “I will declare, in the prince my master’s name, that he has not the remotest intention of interfering with the government of this country, of engaging it in any war, or of placing his followers in any office or post of authority.”
“Whatever may be the prince’s intentions,” rejoined Gardiner, “he is precluded by the treaty from acting upon them. At the same time, it is but right to add, that these terms were not wrung from his ambassador, but voluntarily proposed by him.”
“They will never be adhered to,” cried Sir Thomas Wyat, stepping forward, and facing Renard, whom he regarded with a look of defiance.
“Do you dare to question my word, sir?” exclaimed Renard.
“I do,” replied Wyat, sternly. “And let no Englishman put faith in one of your nation, or he will repent his folly. I am a loyal subject of the queen, and would shed my heart’s blood in her defence. But I am also a lover of my country, and will never surrender her to the domination of Spain!”
“Sir Thomas Wyat,” rejoined Gardiner, “you are well known as one of the queen’s bravest soldiers; and it is well you are so, or your temerity would place you in peril.”
“I care not what the consequences are to myself, my lord,” replied Wyat, “if the queen will listen to my warning. It is useless to proceed further with this match. The nation will never suffer it to take place; nor will the prince be allowed to set foot upon our shores.”
“These are bold words, Sir Thomas,” observed Gardiner, suspiciously. “Whence do you draw your conclusions?”
“From sure premises, my lord,” answered Wyat. “The very loyalty entertained by her subjects towards the queen makes them resolute not to permit her to sacrifice herself. They have not forgotten the harsh treatment experienced by Philip’s first wife, Maria of Portugal. Hear me, my lord chancellor, and report what I say to her highness. If this match is persisted in, a general insurrection will follow.”
“This is a mere pretext for some rebellious design, Sir Thomas,” replied Gardiner, sternly. “Sedition ever masks itself under the garb of loyalty. Take heed, sir. Your actions shall be strictly watched, and if aught occurs to confirm my suspicions, I shall deem it my duty to recommend her majesty to place you in arrest.”
“Wyat’s rashness will destroy us,” whispered De Noailles to Courtenay.
“Before we separate, my lords,” observed Renard, “I think it right to make known to you that the emperor, deeming it inconsistent with the dignity of so mighty a queen as your sovereign to wed beneath her own rank, is about to resign the crown of Naples and the dukedom of Milan to his son, prior to the auspicious event.”