Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/234

 220 REJGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 54. the Catholics rebel, the Catholic element in France was ready with its offers of help to secure the profits of the anticipated revolution; and thus Philip, through fear for his Netherlands, was forced back upon his sister-in- law's side, was obliged to stand between her and the Pope, and to perplex the whole Catholic world by an irresolution not less marked and far more mischievous than the vacillation of Elizabeth herself. Again and again he had tried to extricate himself from his dilem- ma, but the strange eddy was always too strong for him. Had there been no France the English Catholics would have found an instant ally in Spain, and Mary Stuart would have found a champion. Had Mary Stuart been unconnected with France the difficulty would have been greater but still not insurmountable. And again, had there been no Spain, the French would never have submitted to be driven out of Scotland, or would have found an easy means to revenge themselves in the in- testine divisions of England. But as with the calms in the Northern latitudes, which are caused by the con- flict and counterpoise of opposed atmospheric currents, the mutual jealousies of the two Powers left Elizabeth more free to settle her own difficulties than if the ' ditch ' which divided England from the Continent had been the Atlantic itself. She had the advantage of the neighbourhood without its evil, for her disaffected sub- jects, instead of trusting to their own energies, built their hopes on assistance from abroad which never came. She had robbed Philip of his money, imprisoned his ambassador, destroyed his commerce, assisted his