Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/236

2lt> CHAPTER LIX. STATE OF IRELAND. TO preserve some kind of clearness in a narrative where the threads are so many and so confused, I have set apart the history of Ireland for separate treatment, although the condition of that country af- fected materially the action of Elizabeth's Govern- ment, and prevented the Queen from assuming the bolder position which circumstances so many times ap- peared to thrust upon her. What the Low Countries were to Spain Ireland was to England, a dependent province occupied by a population alien in blood, in creed, and in temperament ; the vulnerable point where foreign princes were sure of welcome who offered tc, assist the people in shaking off their oppressors. Both in London and Madrid there was a tacit understanding that if Elizabeth became the protectress of the revolted Provinces, Philip would send an army to Waterford or Kinsale, and the feeling of English statesmen was represented by a memorandum of Cecil's that ' it was folly to lose a kingdom in possession ' for the grandest