d itself. The defeat of the Earls had done little to check
the hopes of the Roman court. Its intrigues were busier than ever. At
the close of the rising Norfolk was released from the Tower, but he was
no sooner free than he renewed his correspondence with the Scottish
Queen. Mary consented to wed him, and the Duke, who still professed
himself a Protestant, trusted to carry the bulk of the English nobles
with him in pressing a marriage which seemed to take Mary out of the
hands of French and Catholic intriguers, to make her an Englishwoman,
and to settle the vexed question of the succession to the throne. But it
was only to secure this general adhesion that Norfolk delayed to declare
himself a Catholic. He sought the Pope's approval of his plans, and
appealed to Philip for the intervention of a Spanish army. At the head
of this appeal stood the name of Mary; while Norfolk's name was followed
by those of many lords of "the old blood," as the prouder peers styled
themselves. The significance of the request was heightened by gatherings
of Catholic refugees at Antwerp in the heart of Philip's dominions in
the Low Countries round the fugitive leaders of the Northern Revolt. The
intervention of the Pope was brought to quicken Philip's slow designs.
Ridolfi, as the agent of the conspirators, appeared at Rome and laid
before Pius their plans for the marriage of Norfolk and Mary, the union
of both realms under the Duke and the Scottish Queen, and the seizure of
Elizabeth and her counsellors at one of the royal country houses. Pius
backed the project with his warm approval, and Ridolfi hurried to secure
the needful aid from Philip of Spain.

[Sidenote: Norfolk's death.]

Enough of these conspiracies was discovered to rouse a fresh ardour in
the menaced Protestants. While Ridolfi was negotiating at Rome and
Madrid, the Parliament met to pass an act of attainder against the
Northern Earls, and to declare the introduction of Papal Bulls into the
country an act of high treason. It was made treason to call the Queen
heretic or schismatic, or to deny her right to the throne. The rising
indignation against Mary, as "the daughter of Debate, who discord fell
doth sow," was shown in a statute, which declared any person who laid
claim to the Crown during the Queen's lifetime incapable of ever
succeeding to it. The disaffection of the Catholics was met by imposing
on all magistrates and public officers the obligation of subscribing to
the Ar