Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 9.djvu/51

 1 569. ] ENGLISH PAR TIES. 37 hand to his own distracted Netherlands, x>r by holding both sides of the narrow seas cut him off from access to them. Catherine de Medici might not have sat down patiently under the prohibition, though if she had flown in the face of it, Philip probably would have followed it up by war ; but in England itself there was no internal party on which she could calculate to assist an invasion. The Catholics and the friends of Spain were those who represented the- traditions of the Plantagenets ; and Norfolk, while insisting to Elizabeth on the necessity of coming to terms with Philip, again professed his will- ingness to consent to the war with France. 1 Amidst these uncertainties Cecil had to feel his dan- gerous way. Whether aware or ignorant of the con- spiracy against him, he must have known that he was playing for his own life as well as for all for which he valued life. Elizabeth still allowed herself to be guided by him, and he in turn was guided chiefly by his horror of the tyranny of Alva. 'The Queen/ wrote Don Guerau on the 28th of February, 'although an able woman, is in matters of importance confused and vacil- lating; she has a natural inclination for heresy, and Cecil being its greatest champion, she dare not vary as yet in any point from his advice ; ' 2 ' Cecil's single 1 ' El Duque de Norfolk ha co- menzado de hablar a la Reyna des- pues dc la presa de estas Ureas, di- ciendole que se cargaba la guerra de un Principe tan grande como el Key Catolico, y juntamente instaba el rompimiento contra el Rey de Fran- cia.' Don Gnerau to Alva, April id : MSS. Simancas. 2 ' Y como es naturairaente afi- cionada a esta heregia, y Sicel es tan gran ministro della, no osa aun