Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/367

 1583.] EXPULSION OF MENDOZA. 351 utterly fatal to Elizabeth's diplomacy. Alencon had only been borne with for her sake ; and one universal cry rose over the whole province that they would sub- mit to Spain rather than allow him to remain any longer among them. With her card castle all in ruins about her, she first fell on the wretched Duke himself. Orange made haste to tell her that the Duke had many times threatened to be revenged upon her for jilting him ; 1 and that be his other objects what they might, it was quite certain that he meant no good to England. She spoke ' abominations ' of him. She said ' he was a false villain like his mother ; ' that ' he kept faith neither with God nor man/ and she flew out at every one who had advised her to marry him. 2 The first im- pression was that Alencon must have been in secret alliance with Parma. Mendoza hinted that it might be part of a plan between Alencon and Orange for a par- tition of the Low Countries. Walsingham, not pro- fessing to understand Alencon's motive, and offering no conjecture ' what might have happened if so desperate an enterprise had succeeded/ yet conceived that he saw but too clearly what was likely now to follow. 'He feared, with too much reason, that France and Spain 1 ' Siempre habia entendido de Alenqon en platicas que con el habia tenido el de Orange el tener gran rencor contra la Reyna, y deseo de satisfacer la injuria que le habia hecho, rehusandole por marido.' Mendoza al Rey, 1626, 1583: MSS. Sitnaneas. 2 ' Entiendo que esta desabridi- sima con la nueva, y que dice abomi- naciones de Ale^on, y de cuantos le persuadian su casamiento por ser un tirano y sin ninguna fee como su madre por no guardarla a Dios ny a las gentes.' Ibid.