Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/350

 330 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 60 The Prince was evidently desperate : the danger to England of the annexation of the Provinces to France was only one degree less than of their recon quest by Alva ; and to prevent the States from taking any wild step, which could not be retraced, she sent Orange money for his immediate necessities, and an attempt was made among the more moderate of the European powers to compel Philip to grant the Provinces reasonable terms. After a communication between "Walsingham and Maxi- milian, deputies met informally at Speyr in the autumn of 1573 from England, Switzerland, and the German States, to draw up the conditions of a league a league which was to be neither Catholic nor Protestant, but composed of men of all creeds, who would combine to resist oppression. The contracting parties were to disclaim all intention of meddling with religion. They quarrelled with no faith. Doctrines and forms of wor- ship were left indifferent. The object of the confedera- tion was to enforce justice, order, liberty of conscience, and the common rights of humanity. 1 The project never passed beyond an outline. Dogma- tism was more sacred than humanity. Lutherans and Calvinists could not act together, far less could Pro- testants and Catholics. But it breathes the very spirit of Elizabeth. And that such a thing should have been tried at all shows that even in the sixteenth century 1 Confederacion entre los Reyes, Duques, Principes, Villa libres, Res- publicas y Senorias de Alemannia, Inglaterra, Escocia, Suy9os y Flan- des, assi de una como de otra Reli- gion, pare oponerse a la tyrannia de algtmos enemigos de picdad y virttid. Heclia en Espira, a xv. de Octubre, 1573. TEULET, vol. v.