Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/484

 46 4 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 61. go on, and "Walsingham returned to Antwerp, to find letters informing him that the hot fit of his mistress's ague had gone off. No Leicester was coming and no army. She had persuaded herself, for reasons presently to be explained, that ' she could direct the course of the States ' without spending money ; and she had relapsed positively and decisively into her previous humour, amidst a chorus of lamentation from the council. ' Fatal destiny/ exclaimed Doctor Wilson; 'no persuasion will prevail ; if neither the States are our friends, and we do not secure Monsieur, we are to lean to our known enemies the Spaniards the lamb to be committed to the wolf/ l ' Neither counsel nor forecast can prevail/ said Sir T. Heneage, ' if w r e prosper it must be as our custom is, by miracle. Our old humours do not grow weak by age, but increase by nourishment, and he is not a courtier six days but can learn how to make himself acceptable/ ' A lamentable resolution in the end/ echoed the per- sonally disappointed Leicester, ' to her and her poor realm/ 2 One concession only was wrung from her. The Cologne bankers, heavy discount as they had exacted him,' he said, ' I might easily dis- cern a great conflict in himself, be- tween honour and necessity. Surely, I never saw a gentleman for person- age, speech, wit, and entertainment comparable to him. If pride do not overthrow him, he is like to prove a great personage.' "Walsingham to Burghley, August 27: MSS. Hol- land. 1 Wilson to "Walsingham, August 29 : MSS. Ibid. 2 Heneage and Leicester to Wal- singham, August 29 ; MSS. Ibid.