On the 12th of July, 1571, Philip wrote to the Duke of Alva, giving an
account of his interview with Roberto Ridolfi. The envoy, after relating
the sufferings of the Queen of Scotland, had laid before him a plan for
her liberation. If the Spanish monarch were willing to assist the Duke
of Norfolk and his friends, it would be easy to put upon Mary's head the
crown of England. She was then to intermarry with Norfolk. The kingdom
of England was again to acknowledge the authority of Rome, and the
Catholic religion to be everywhere restored. The most favorable
moment for the execution of the plan would be in August or September.
As Queen Elizabeth would at that season quit London for the country,
an opportunity would be easily found for seizing and murdering her.
Pius V., to whom Ridolfi had opened the whole matter, highly approved the
scheme, and warmly urged Philip's cooperation. Poor and ruined as he was
himself; the Pope protested that he was ready to sell his chalices, and
even his own vestments, to provide funds for the cause. Philip had
replied that few words were necessary to persuade him. His desire to
see the enterprize succeed was extreme, notwithstanding the difficulties
by which it was surrounded. He would reflect earnestly upon the subject,
in the hope that God, whose cause it was, would enlighten and assist him.
Thus much he had stated to Ridolfi, but he had informed his council
afterwards that he was determined to carry out the scheme by certain
means of which the Duke would soon be informed. The end proposed was to
kill or to capture Elizabeth, to set at liberty the Queen of Scotland,
and to put upon her head the crown of England. In this enterprize he
instructed the Duke of Alva secretly to assist, without however resorting
to open hostilities in his own name or in that of his sovereign. He
desired to be informed how many Spaniards the Duke could put at the
disposition of the conspirators. They had asked for six thousand
arquebusiers for England, two thousand for Scotland, two thousand for