and Catharine grasped the nettle firmly. Marshals Montmorenci and De Cossé, the leaders of the “politicians,” were imprisoned, and armies were sent to crush the various Huguenot risings in the South--an easy task now that all the leaders were under lock and key. Elizabeth did not forget young La Mole in his trouble, and Dr. Dale besought his life as a favour to his Queen. But Catharine refused coldly, and referred to the Duke of Norfolk’s execution as a similar case. Elizabeth afterwards made a grievance of it against Catharine, who, she said, had promised Dale to spare La Mole’s life. The King certainly had promised Alençon to do so. The Duke was beside himself with sorrow and rage. He alternately stormed and implored, cast himself at his mother’s feet in an agony of tears; and at last the King promised him the life of his friend. But suddenly, and without notice, La Mole and Coconas were beheaded on the 30th of April. Then Alençon fell seriously ill of excitement and fear for his own life. Elizabeth evidently was also apprehensive, both as to the fate of her youthful suitor and the immediate future of the Protestant cause. She therefore sent, early in May, Thomas Leighton, Governor of Guernsey, to France, ostensibly to reassure the King with regard to an anticipated Huguenot descent upon Normandy from that island, but really to advise Catharine “to avoid violent counsels, and especially in the division of the two brothers,” and to beg Charles IX., in Elizabeth’s name, not to be hard upon Alençon. The King was dying by this time, and could not receive Leighton for several days. On the 15th of May, although too ill to stand, he saw the envoy, and in reply to his message affected to be surprised at the rumours that he and his brother were bad friends. They were on the best of terms, he said; and when Leighton asked whether he might see the Duke, he replied: “Oui Jesus!” as one would say, why of course you can. But Alençon well knew the falseness behind it all, and was afraid to say anything; so Leighton got no confirmation from him. He afterwards saw the Queen-mother, who was somewhat indignant at Elizabeth’s meddling in her family quarrels, and retorted, sarcastically, that as “she was so careful of Alençon, it was an undoubted argument and good augury of some good effect to follow of the former matters that had been moved.”[90] The result of Leighton’s remonstrances, however, was that Alençon and Navarre were “allowed to go abroad for supper for countenance sake.”