And for the better effecting hereof, hee hath oftentimes sent his messengers (you woulde rather say his fireflingers) into England, & of latest yeeres two speciall persons, of all the rest most eger and furious, Gyrald Despes, and Bernardine Mendoza, who ceased not to sound and perswade the mindes of all those whome they coulde growe in acquaintance with, and were men giuen ouer to al mischiefes and diabolical practises: promising them, and bestowing vpon them extraordinarie rewards, of purpose to stirre them vp to moue domestical conspiracies against her Maiestie.
And how much they preuailed in their attempts, it is not materiall in this place particularly to discusse, for so this worke would growe large. The 3. principall conspiracies, the one of the Earles of Northumberland and Westmerland, and of their partizans, the second of the Duke of Norfolke, the third of the two Pagets brethren, as also of the two Throckmortons and of their confederats, whereof some were condemned and executed, for their intended ouerthrow of the Queenes Maiestie, and of the state of the Commonwealth, and the rest that are fled, and wander vp and downe in vncertaine places, and are to this day mainteined at the charge and by the purse of the Spanish King, are in this matter very sufficient witnesses.
But the Patrons and complotters of these rebellious, being subtile and cautelous in their actions, howsoeuer apparant the factes of their seditious ministers seeme to bee, yet peraduenture the Spaniard himself wil denie them to be his precepts, and directions. Did he then chastise those his ministers being returned into Spaine, as transgressers of his pleasures? Did hee detaine from them all rewards and preferments, as hauing ill deserued them? hath he blamed the auctours of such facts, and excused himself to the Queene? I would to God it were so.
But goe to, let these witnesses passe. May hee be taken for a man of a good spirit, & of no poysoned minde against her Maiestie? Let then Guilielmus Cataneus, the Popes Secretarie that now is be produced: let his worke of the life of Pius Quintus sometime bishop of Rome be read. The saide Cataneus in that booke of his reporteth, that Philip the king of Spaine complained bitterly and with great griefe The conspiracie of the King of Spaine against the kingdoms of England and Ireland 1570. to the Cardinall of Alexandria, sent vnto him into Spaine in the yeere 1572. because the conspired practise, as wel against England as Ireland, not long before entred vpon by his authoritie and aduise, had not that successe that he looked for.
Ships and forces twise sent into Ireland by the King of Spaine. Adde hereunto the ships and forces sent twise out of Spaine into Ireland vnder the pretext of the Popes name. As for the late treatie of peace with the Duke of Parma in Flanders, entred into vpon the mediation, and request of the good prince the King of Denmarke, how smoothe & how slie a tuche was that? for her Maiestie, being wholy bent to that treatie, with a sincere minde and vnfayned desire, beholde as then at her doores, that huge & mightie Fleete of Spaine, beholde a sort of Armies brought out of Italie, and Germanie into Flanders, labouring and prouiding for nothing els but the desolation of the kingdome of England, and the destruction of the Queene: for the Conspiratours had as it were with their fingers, appointed euery one of vs to the slaughter: they had distributed our houses and lands, and a newe Prince, a forrener was already ordeyned & created to enioy the kingdome.
If the Spaniards seeme to obiect against these so grieuous, so deadly, and so strange deuises, the succours which her Maiestie hath yeelded to the lowe Countreys, let them consider well, and they shall finde, that most of these practises haue in time preceded the transporting of any ayde to them: let them denie (if they can) that they sollicited many English Subiects to rebell, before her Maiestie, so much as thought, of the relieuing of her auncient confederats, by her honest and iust meanes.
She appealeth to the King himselfe, and to his Vice Royes in Flanders, how often, and what messengers she sent before that into Spaine and Flanders, for breeding a concord and agreement betwixt the King, and the Nether-landers, not with hard, but with honourable and equall conditions: against which aduisoes and requests, when the King began to be obdurate, and the ancient contracts of amitie betwixt the Nether-landers, and the Kings of England could not suffer them to be depriued of their lawes and libertie, and be exposed as a pray to Strangers, she at the last receiued them, being too much oppressed into her protection, onely of a desire to releeue the poore afflicted people, and not to offer the smallest iniurie to the King.
For if she had bene disposed to regard her owne cōmoditie, she might haue taken another course, but she did not so: seeking rather as yet, earnestly, and diligently with any conditions, if not too vnreasonable, and such as may stand with her honor, and the profite of the state of Christianitie, howe a cōmodious and secure pacification may be made betwixt the King, and the States of the lowe Countreys.
In vaine, and contrary to reason, hath she maintayned with great charge, that honorable Ambassage to the Duke of Parma the last yeere: in vaine was she aduertised of the monstrous Nauie of Spaine, and the miraculous swarmes of forces with Parma in Flanders, destinated & prepared for her ruine, and the spoile of her kingdome: she remained stil without all intention or disposition to send any further forces into Flanders, and was after a B.i. sort negligent, both of defending herselfe, and of extending the limits of her gouernement beyonde the Seas, with purpose to liue in quietnesse without feare, and in peace without ambitious desire of rule.