Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 11.djvu/569

 THE BOND OF ASSOCIATION. 553 treacherous. Although/ she said, ' it might be greatly misliked to have the King of France absolute Lord of those countries, yet rather than he should now reject them, and give courage to the Spaniard, it were better he should accept the offer, and enter war with the King of Spain. He must have a long time before he can achieve such an enterprise, during which many oppor- tunities may fall out to stop his greatness ; and nothing shall more retard him than the holding the great towns of Holland and Zealand out of his hands, as it is likely they shall be so kept.' * The spy system was too well organized throughout Europe for these manoeuvres to be kept secret, and they were as well understood at Paris as at Westminster. The Deputies were sent for after six weeks' delay. They were trammelled by instructions from -home, the sense of which they too well comprehended. When Stafford called on them they made a ' cold excuse/ some of them bursting out with hard truths at her Majesty's tricks and thwarts. 2 They were kindly received by the King; but when they produced their proposals they were able only to offer to be his subjects in the sense in which they had been the subjects of Charles V. No ' garrisons ' were to be admitted save ' those of their own country.' The increased greatness into which France was to be tempted was thus ' a greatness in the air.' The French council entertained the Deputies at a banquet, to discover, ' when they were merry/ if there 1 Instructions to Sir Edward Stafford, January 1222: MSS. France. 2 Stafford to "Walsingham, February 12 22 : MSS. Ibid.