Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/180

160 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 58. professed an ardent desire for the restoration ' of the ancient amity between the Crown of England and the House of Burgundy/ l The Prince's cause after the breaking up of his army appeared to be irretrievably lost. No sane poli- tician could believe that a few towns, a few marshy islands, and a population to be counted by thousands, could resist successfully the first military Power in the world. It might be noble to rush forward in defence of liberty. If a struggle for life and death became in- evitable, England might have to stake her fortunes on the chance, and sink or swim with the revolted Pro- vinces ; but Elizabeth and her Ministers might well doubt whether they ought to venture needlessly so tre- mendous a risk in a quarrel which was but half their own. It might be that, looking to the broad interests of the Reformation, England was better fulfilling her duty by maintaining her own freedom, than by under- taking to fight the battles of every country with whose cause she sympathized. Could England and France have understood and trusted each other in the past summer, then indeed the face of Europe might have been changed ; but the cha- racters of the Sovereigns of the two countries, and the dispositions of their subjects, were alike unfavourable. Each Government had with too much justice suspected the sincerity of the other. France had seen Elizabeth . 1 to Sir William Fitzwil- liam, November 12, 1572 : M8S. Ireland, I have not discovered Alva's original letter, but it is fully described by Fitzwilliam 3 corre- spondent.