Leicester  and  his  gang  have  also  been  urging  the  Queen  to
behead  the  earl  of  Kildare,  who  is  a  prisoner  in  Dublin  Castle,  on
the  ground  that  he  was  imprisoned  before  and  nothing  was  proved
against  him,  and  if  he  is  restored  to  liberty  now,  for  the  second
time,  he  will  certainly  seek  revenge,  greatly  to  the  injury  of
England.  When  the  countess  of  Lincoln,  the  wife  of  the  Admiral,
heard  of  this  she  petitioned  the  Queen  to  have  her  brother's  cause
tried,  and  if  he  be  found  guilty  of  acting  against  the  Queen  that
he  may  be  punished,  and  if  otherwise,  released.  The  Queen  has
conceded  this.  This  Queen's  partizans  (in  Scotland)  have  sent  a
special  envoy  to  inform  her  that  it  would  be  well  for  her  to  press
forward  the  marriage  of  the  king  of  Scotland  with  the  daughter


320  SPANISH  STATE  PAPERS.
1582.
of  the  king  of  Denmark,  which  had  been  discussed  previously.
When  Walsingham  took  the  message  to  her  he  urged  the  matter
warmly,  pointing  out  to  her  how  important  it  was  that  the  King
should  marry  a  person  of  their  own  religion.  The  Queen  asked
him  why  he  was  worrying  her  so  about  mariying  the  boy  '  before
he  was  out  of  the  shell,'  and  said  that  there  would  be  time
for  that  afterwards.
