Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/44

 24 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [011.41. quisition answered immediately with a distinct negative. Although the Catholics were not required to com- municate with heretics, yet hy their presence at their services they would assume and affect to believe with them. Their object in wishing to be present could only be to pass for heretics, to escape the penalties of dis- obedience ; and God had said, ' Whosoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will I be ashamed/ Catholics, and especially Catholics of rank, could not appear in Protestant assemblies without causing scandal to the weaker brethren. In giving this answer Pope Pius desired to force the Catholics to declare themselves, and precipitate the col- lision which Philip's timidity had prevented. On the other point he was more lenient. He em- powered de Quadra, as a person not amenable to the English Government, to accept himself the abjuration of heretics willing to forsake their errors, and to empower others at his discretion to do the same whenever and wherever he might think good. 1 Before the order of Pius had reached England, the impatience of the Catholics had run over in the abortive conspiracy of the Poles. In itself most trivial, it served as a convenient instrument in the hands of Cecil to ir- ritate the Protestants. The enterprise in Fra-nce ap- pealed to the loyalty of the people, who flattered them^ selves with hopes of Calais, and the elections for the Parliament, which was to meet at the spring of the new 1 Pius IV. to dc Quadra : MS. Sintfincas.