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Walsingham' Sir Francis
than she
actually did from Elizabeth’s more Fabian tactics. War, declared before England had gained the naval experience and wealth of the next fifteen years, and before Spain had been weakened by the struggle in the Netherlands and the depredations of the sea-rovers, would have been a desperate expedient; and the ideas that any action on Elizabeth’s part could have made France Huguenot, or prevented the disruption of the Netherlands, may be dismissed as the idle dreams of Protestant enthusiasts.
Walsingham, however, was an accomplished diplomatist, and he reserved these truculent opinions for the ears of his~ own government, incurring frequent rebukes from Elizabeth. In his professional capacity, his attitude was correct enough; and, indeed, his anxiety for the French alliance and for the marriage between Elizabeth and Anjou led him to suggest concessions to Anjou’s Catholic susceptibilities which came strangely from so staunch a Puritan. Elizabeth did not mean to marry, and although a defensive alliance was concluded between England and France in April 1572, the French government perceived that public opinion in France would not tolerate an open breach with Spain in Protestant interests. Coligny’s success in captivating the mind of Charles IX. infuriated Catherine de Médicis, and the prospect of France being dragged at the heels of the Huguenots infuriated the Catholics. The result was Catherine’s attempt on Coligny’s life and then the massacre of St Bartholomew, which placed Walsingham’s person in jeopardy and ruined for the time all hopes of the realization of his policy of active French and English co-operation. -
He was recalled in April 1573, but the queen recognized that the failure had been due to no fault of his, and eight months later he was admitted to the privy council and made joint secretary of state with Sir Thomas Smith. He held this office jointly or solely until his death; in ‘577 when Smith died, Dr Thomas Wilson was associated with Walsingham; after Wilson’s death in 1581 Walsingham was sole secretary until July 1586, when Davison began his brief and ill-fated seven months’ tenure of the office. After Davison’s disgrace in February 1587 Walsingham remained sole secretary, though Wolley assisted him as Latin secretary from 1588 to 1590. He was also returned to parliament at a by-election in 1576 as knight of the shire for Surrey in succession to Charles Howard, who had become Lord Howard of Effingham, and he was re-elected for Surrey ~ti 1584, 1586 and 1588. He was knighted on December 1, 1577, and made chancellor of the order of the Garter on April 22, 1578.
As secretary, Walsingham could pursue no independent policy; he was rather in the position of permanent under-secretary of the combined home and foreign departments, and he had to work under the direction of the council, and particularly of Burghley arid the queen. lie continued to urge the necessity of more vigorous intervention on behalf of the Protestants abroad, though now his clients were the Dutch rather than the Huguenots. In June 1578 he was [next page]