Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/413

 IS77-] THE SPANISH TREATY. 393 Complain to whom you will,' said the Archbishop. 'Be off with you! Go!' ' Be off yourself/ retorted the Englishman, moving however to the door ; the graceful interchange of inso- lence continuing till the ambassador was out of hearing, and the Archbishop following and railing at him from the head of the stairs. 1 . Philip was greatly distressed, but his desire to gratify Elizabeth overcame his awe of the Inquisitor- General. He apologized to Smith. He entreated, he argued, and at last insisted, that the Holy Office should make concessions. The prisoners at Seville were released and their property restored. The promises made to Cobham were confirmed in writing, and Englishmen were en- abled thenceforward to trade without molestation at the Spanish ports. They were required only to obey the laws when on shore and to abstain no easy matter to them from insulting Catholic superstitions. 2 Elizabeth 1 Sir John Smith's Narrative, May 19, 1577: MSS. Spain. 2 Quiroga, when not exasperated, could discuss these questions in an unexpectedly practical temper. An English merchant had married a young Spanish lady at Seville. He had called himself a Catholic, and the marriage had been celebrated with the rites of the Catholic Church. In England however he was a con- formist, and on his attempting to take her with him, she hesitated, and appealed to the Holy Office. She was pregnant. The husband pleaded that marriage was sacred, and that to separate his wife from him would be an affront to the English Church. Quiroga answered with singular moderation. 'The lady,' he said, ' had ascertained that in England the use of images was forbidden, and that she would be obliged to attend ser- mons. Being a religious woman she had applied to the Church for direc- tion, and her director considered that in going she would commit mortal sin. If she herself wished to go, it would be another matter. The In- quisition could not sanction it, but