Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 7.djvu/80

 60 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [011.41. iards were serving in the French army, while more were preparing to join them ; and it seemed as if his chief anxiety was to stimulate the war. The King of Spain had deeply resented the treat- ment of his ambassador. The Bishop of Aquila, he told Elizabeth, had been placed in England to preserve the alliance between his subjects and hers ; and in what he had done had but obeyed the orders which he had re- ceived with his appointment. 1 Gresham reported from Flanders, as the belief on the Bourse, that ' there would be much ado with the summer for religion, when King Philip would disturb all he could to maintain Papistry ; ' and Gresham/s own uniform advice to Elizabeth was to buy saltpetre, cast cannon, and build ships. 2 More important and far more alarming was the like- lihood of a peace in France in which England, as the phrase went, ' was to be left out at the cart's tail/ To the extent to which Elizabeth had been seeking objects of her own behind her affectation of a desire to help the Huguenots, the Huguenot leaders felt themselves en- titled to desert her could they obtain the toleration which was of moment to themselves. Elizabeth had been ready to sacrifice them could she recover Calais by it. The Prince of Conde must have felt his conscience easy in repaying her in her own coin. On the ;th of March Sir Thomas Smith believed that he had obtained what Elizabeth wanted ; and that he 1 Philip II. to Elizabeth, April 2, 1563 : Spanish MSS. Rolls House. Gresham to Cecil, March 21 : I'lanilti-s MSS.