Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/20

6 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. |CH. 52. cause which her rival dared to avow. Her ' determined Papistry' endeared her to the Catholics, and recom- mended her as an instrument to the foreign enemies of the Queen ; while anxiety for an ascertained succession, the prospect of a union of the two Crowns, and natural pity for her misfortunes, made friends for her among all parties in England. ' The fame of her murdering her husband would by time vanish away, or by defence would be so handled as it should be no great block in her way to achieve her purposes/ On the other side, Elizabeth was without child, without husband, without ally, and almost without friends. Her subjects had, by long peace, been rendered unapt for war, and the disaf- fected among them ' had grown bold by her soft and re- miss government/ ' The service of God/ 'and' the sincere profession of Christianity, were much decayed ; ' ' and in place of it, partly Papistry, partly Paganism and irre- ligion ha^. crept in ; ' ' baptists, deriders of religion, epicureans, and atheists were everywhere ; ' and 'such de- cay of obedience in civil policy, as compared with the fear- fulness and reverence in time past, would astonish any wise and considerate person/ ' The Realm was so feeble, that it was fearful to think what would follow if the enemies were at hand to assail/ ' The case seemed so desperate as almost to take away all courage to seek a remedy/ 1 It is both instructive and singular to find Cecil, the firmest and bravest advocate of the Reformation, 1 Memorial on the State of the Healm, March 10, 1569: Buryhky Papers, vol. i.