THE CHARACTER AND CONDUCT OF JAMES I. 123 



been pleased to make respecting the preservation of the Palatinate. 

 I most humbly entreat you to do the same for us here, and to send 

 us sufficient succour to defend ourselves against our enemies ; other- 

 wise, I do not know what will become of us. I therefore again en- 

 treat your majesty to have compassion on us, and not to abandon the 

 king at this hour, when he is in such great need. As to myself, I 

 am resolved not to leave him, for if he should perish, I will perish 

 also with him ; but whatever may happen, never, never, shall I be 

 other than, 



Sire, 



Your majestys most humble and most 



obedient daughter and servant, 



ELIZABETH* 

 Breslaw, 

 23 



— November, 

 13 



To the King. 



But this touching appeal to parental affection which might reason- 

 ably have been expected to excite a burning impatience on the part of 

 James to redress his daughter's wrongs, produced in him no other 

 feeling than that of extreme dissatisfaction. Now, though no person 

 could have looked for one so destitute of personal courage as this 

 monarch was to play the part of Gustavus Vasa — to stand forth as 

 the defender of the Protestant religion in Germany, or for his pacific 

 policy to dare to make his nogociations and hostilities proceed to- 

 gether ; it was not extravagant to think, that his king-craft might at 

 last have saved his ministers from being baffled in their several mis- 

 sions, and contemned by foreign powers. That wise and spirited di- 

 plomatist, Sir Henry Wotton, after having in vain pressed James to 

 pursue more energetic measures in support of the elector, not choos- 

 ing to be converted into an instrument for degrading the national ho- 

 nour, desired to be recalled from his embassy to the court of Vienna.-j- 

 Who then can be surprised that the disappointed elector should thus 



* Ibidem, voL iii, p. 1 ] 2, 1 13. 



■f See Rellqu\<e Wottoniaiue, p. 24. " His sending ambassadors" emphati- 

 cally observes Weldon, " were no less chargeable than dishonourable, and 

 unprofitable to him and his whole kingdomc; lor he was ever abused in all 

 negotiations, yet he had rather spend 100,000/i. on embassies to keep and 

 preserve peace with dishonour, than 10,000//. on an army that would have 

 fixed peace with honour." — Character of Kintj James, p. H. 



