Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/440

 420 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 60. not intend to make difficulties. The Archduke, it ap- peared, was willing to accept the government whether Philip approved or not, and the House of Austria would then be divided against itself. The Archduke was a Papist, but ' soft and amenable/ and the States would unite more cordially under a Catholic Prince than under himself. 1 Elizabeth appeared to be satisfied. Havre was sent back with a favourable answer to the request for money : not money only was promised, but an army as well, and Leicester expected to be in the field against Don John before many weeks were over.' 2 A league was to be formed between England and the States on the basis of the old treaties with the House of Burgundy. On one side only the Queen's theories continued to exert a pernicious influence over her. Havre was a Catholic like Schwegenhem, and through him she repeated her old advice, that there should be no change in religion, no liberty of conscience, no separate chapels or con- venticles to divide the union. For war with Spain she was prepared, and she had already taken one momentous step past recall, which was likely to precipitate it. The strength of Philip lay in the gold of the new world. Francis Brake had learnt, in 1572, how defenceless were the convoys at Panama. Oxenham, a Devonshire rover, had crossed 1 Davison to Walsingham, Octo- ber 27, inclosing a letter from the Prince : MSS. Flanders. 2 'Before Candlemas, or shortly after, you shall see my Lord of Lei- cester well accompanied in the Low Countries.' Ed. Horsey to Davison, December 18, 1577.