Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/479

1578.] THE ALEN^ON MARRIAGE. 459 but indeed the abundance of grief will not suffer my hand to stay/ l 1 The more favours offered/ said Doctor Wilson, ' the greater is our negligence, and the less mind have we to take the benefit of occasion prescribed and laid open before us. Except God have ordained by His eternal will a necessity a fatal destiny not to be avoided things could not go as they do. Fatiim regit mimdmn, or rather will beareth sway instead of reason/ 2 To return to the relations with the Netherlands. The bonds could not be had. No persuasion, no re- proach, no picture of the dishonour which she was bringing upon herself, could move the determination of the Queen. She stood at bay, fenced in by obstinacy, like a sullen dog. Duke Casimir had come with his Reiters, as she had proposed and desired. When the English army was kept at home, it was with a distinct undertaking that she was subsidizing Casimir in their place : and young Philip Sidney, beginning now to have a taste for martial glory, was going over to take service with him as a volunteer. He came to Audley End while the Scots were still there, to take leave of his mistress. 'Amongst other cold comforts, she bade August. him tell Casimir that she marvelled and was offended with him that he did give out that his coming was by her means ; and that she misliked such speeches, 1 Burghley to Walsingham, July 29, 1578: MSS. Holland. 2 Wilson to Walsingham, July 29 : MSS. l^id.