most of his political information. Their earliest communications,
however, referred to the Elizabethan part of the History, especially
to the career and influence of William Cecil, Lord Burghley. A
preliminary letter shows the thoroughness of Froude's methods. The
date is the 5th of March, 1862.

"DEAR LADY SALISBURY,--If Lord Salisbury has not repented of his
kind promise to me, I shall in a few weeks be in a condition to
avail myself of it, and I write to ask you whether about the
beginning of next month I may be permitted to examine the papers at
Hatfield. I am unwilling to trouble Lord Salisbury more than
necessary. I have therefore examined every other collection within
my reach first, that I might know clearly what I wanted. Obliged as
I am to confine myself for the present to the first ten years of
Elizabeth's reign, there will not be much which I shall have to
examine there, the great bulk of Lord Burleigh's papers for that
time being in the Record Office--but if I can be allowed a few days'
work, I believe I can turn them to good account. With my very best
thanks for your own and Salisbury's goodness in this matter, I
remain, faithfully yours,

"J. A. FROUDE."

A few days later he writes: "I have seen Stewart and looked through
the catalogue. There appear to be about eight volumes which I wish
to examine. The volumes which I marked as containing matter at
present important to me are Vols. 2 and 3 on the war with France and
Scotland from 1559 to 1563, Vols. 138, 152, 153, 154, 155 on the
disputes relating to the succession to the English Crown, and the
respective claims of the Queen of Scots, Lady Catherine Grey, Lord