Series 1 > Papal negotiations with Mary Queen of Scots during her reign in Scotland, 1561-1567

INTRODUCTION
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see that he would have thought that country impracticable
for Laureo. Alava, Spanish ambassador at Paris, reported
on the Savoyard’s authority that Mary ‘desired to leave the
country,’ because it was ‘ passing through a most dangerous
crisis’ (p. 477). If Moretta thought that, he would never
have advised Laureo to go there.
The former alternative may also be true. Subsequent
information from Scotland may have made Moretta change
his mind, and he may even have done so during his interview
with Laureo. Was Laureo the man needed under the circum¬
stances ? He had been sent under the impression that Mary
would be ‘ really mistress in her kingdom,’ and that his business
would be ‘the restoration of the holy Catholic faith in its
integrity,’ and that he would ‘ bring credit to the Apostolic
See’ (pp. 370-371). When, however, it appeared that Mary—
not altogether without her own fault—was ‘ exposed to the
risk of being the slave and prey of the heretics,’ and was
‘ constrained, not only to leave them in the enjoyment of a
large part of the ecclesiastical benefices, but also to grant
them such little revenues as the kingdom possesses ’ (p. 365);
when it was found that ‘ very great danger would attend the
mission—danger not only to the lives of the envoys, but also
of further conspiracies against the queen ’ (p. 499), when the
envoys would have to ‘ go as it were to martyrdom ’ (p. 501)—
then the previous understanding was at an end. Difficulties
had been expected, but not such dangers as these.1 ‘There
seemed to be no prospect of the Pope’s mission or his aids
leading to a good result at present’ (p. 506). Manare’s
plan of sending ‘grave, prudent, God-fearing men, men of
the country rather than strangers’ to give the queen good
advice (p. 499) was after all the right one. A Roman official
of high rank, a bishop of an important Italian see, with a big
1 In his brief of June 6, 1566 (p. 263), the Pope recognised the dangers which
Mary had been through, not those amid which she lived.