Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/568

 552 KE1GN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 67. be no more than an equivalent for the conquest of Portugal. 1 j-g- The ambassador left her in a rage. A January. CO uncil was held immediately after, in which war was all but decided on. England was the only difficulty. Philip Sidney's mission in the summer had hung fire, but Lord Derby was now coming over, bring- ing the Garter to the King ; some definite resolution on Elizabeth's part was expected, and the Deputies, when they had landed, were desired to remain for the present at Boulogne. 2 The question, which was originally a simple one, had been by this time made profoundly complicated. There were two conditions under which the Provinces might become French : either they might simply merge in the French Empire, or they might retain their self-govern- ment under the French Crown. France naturally desired the first, and was disinclined to the adventure otherwise. Elizabeth had tempted the States to insist upon the second, and if either the States were not resolute, or if the French Government made complete annexation an absolute condition of this inter- ference, she had found friends in Holland who had engaged secretly to put Brill and Flushing in English hands. Stafford was instructed to acquiesce in any terms on which France would be induced to go to war ; but there were ulterior designs in the acquiescence which in any one but Elizabeth would have been called 1 Stafford to "Walsingham, Jan- uary 212: MSS. France. 2 Stafford to "Walsingham, Jan- uary 14 24 : MSS. Ibid.