Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/347

 1573- ] THE SPANISH TREATY. 327 denied its validity ; and Elizabeth was entitled to believe that she was still regarded by her brother sovereigns as one of themselves. Mary Stuart remained her heir-pre- sumptive ; the Catholics, both at home and abroad, were allowed to look forward to her accession ; and the Queen, judged rightly, that after so disastrous a failure, both they and Philip would prefer to wait for a peaceful alteration by the order of inheritance, rather than risk the chances of a fresh insurrection or an internecine war. For the foreign Protestants she considered that she did enough by maintaining her own position. While she remained upon the throne, England was an asylum for the persecuted of all nations, a neutral territory from which they could maintain the struggle with their oppressors. If she refused to help them herself they found allies among her subjects. English congregations contributed money. English volunteers flocked to the standard of Conde and Orange. English privateers threatened Spanish commerce, and threw supplies into Rochelle. The mere existence of a powerful kingdom out of communion with Rome was a continual obstruc- tion to an ultramontane policy. In. refusing to permit the succession to be settled positively either for Mary Stuart or against her, Elizabeth was accused of neglect- ing the interests of the nation, and caring only for her own quiet. Sometimes in mockery, she would tell the council that she would come back after her death and see the Queen of Scots making their heads fly. She advised Hatton to buv no land and build no houses.