Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/281

 1582.] THE JESUITS IN SCOTLAND. 265 August. nox was likely to be killed or expelled, the King to remain a heretic, and the ground which Lennox had re- covered to be altogether lost. The Queen of Scots might perhaps be right, and the present might be the most favourable moment which Philip was likely to find. He altered his tone, and sent word to Lennox that as soon as certain present difficulties with France were got over and adjusted, his master would take their cause in hand, and they might rely on his helping them. 1 It is possible that Philip might have been persuaded also but for a too complete success of the Spanish army at Terceira. So long as the Duke of Alencon was not publicly supported by his brother, the King of Spain had made up his mind to endure his presence in the Low Countries. He regarded him as in the service of the States to be encountered in the field like any other enemy, but not as necessarily implicating the French Government. The ships which had gone to the Azores were similarly considered as privateers, but their occupation of those islands was more mischievous than Alengon's bad generalship in the Low Countries ; and when Elizabeth had backed out, and it was clear that France was not going to war, strong means were taken to extirpate them. Don Antonio, having extricated 1 ' Yo he hecho como lo apuuta la Reyna de Escocia, dandoles es- pcran<jas de socorro para entretener la platica y alentar el negocio ; y csto debaxo de poner a los ojos las ocasiones que en Francia a contem- placion desta Reyna buscaban para ocupar a V. Mag<i por termino que se diesen a entender que cuando cesasen estas aseguradamente V. Mag d les asistiria.' Don Bernar- dino al Rey, 14 Agosto, 1582 : MSS. Simancas.