Series 3 > Mary Queen of Scots and the Babington plot

INTRODUCTION
Ixiii
Yet there was another source of annoyance, which,
though petty in itself, was galling to Poulet, whom Eliza¬
beth had bound to the greatest economy. The ‘ honest
man,’ finding that his services were wellnigh indispensable
to both sides, began to assume grotesque airs of superiority,
and settle the times for meetings to fit in with his
arrangements, making others hurry or wait simply to suit
his real or even perhaps pretended convenience. Finally
and hardest of all, as Mr. Froude well puts it, ‘ like a true
English scoundrel, he used the possession of a State secret
to exact a higher price for his beer,’ 1 and this in peremptory
tones, to which the hard-hearted Puritan was forced,
however reluctantly, to agree.
But in spite of these drawbacks ‘ the honest man,’ as
has been said, did his part of the knavery without really
failing. He gave the packets to Gifford, who reconveyed
them secretly to Poulet, and they were either read then
and there, if Phelippes was on the spot; or if he was not
there, they were sent up to London by express riders, and
were deciphered there by Phelippes. Meanwhile Gifford
was riding leisurely to town, where he found the packet
resealed and ready for him to carry to the French ambas¬
sador, who in due time conveyed it abroad to Morgan,
to whom it was always addressed.
The letters to Mary came in exactly the reverse order.
Morgan sent them to Chateauneuf, whose secretary gave
them to Gifford. Gifford took them to Phelippes, and
while the latter was deciphering them in London and
making the packet up again, the former rode quietly and
leisurely on. An express conveyed the re-made-up packet
to Poulet, who gave it to Gifford, who gave it to the
‘ honest man.’ The ‘ honest man ’ showed it once more
to Poulet, and, when Poulet had returned it to him again,
1 Quoted by Morris, p. 191 ; see also pp. 192, 195, 196, 210, 211.