258 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



&quot; threateneth Italy. For ourselves, he hath pro- 

 &quot; ceeded from dissimulation to neglect; and from 

 &quot; neglect to contumely. He hath assailed our con- 

 &quot; federates ; he denieth our tribute : in a word, he 

 &quot; seeks war : so did not his father, but sought peace 

 &quot; at our hands ; and so perhaps will he, when good 

 &quot; counsel or time shall make him see as much as his 

 &quot; father did. 



&quot; Mean while, let us make his ambition our ad- 

 &quot; vantage ; and let us not stand upon a few crowns 

 &quot; of tribute or acknowledgement, but, by the favour 

 &quot; of Almighty God, try our right for the crown of 

 t( France itself; remembering that there hath been 

 &quot; a French king prisoner in England, and a King of 

 fi England crowned in France. Our confederates are 

 &quot; not diminished. Burgundy is in a mightier hand 

 &quot; than ever, and never more provoked. Britain can- 

 &quot; not help us, but it may hurt them. New acquests 

 &quot; are more burden than strength. The malcontents 

 &quot; of his own kingdom have not been base, popular, 

 &quot; nor titulary impostors, but of an higher nature. 

 &quot; The King of Spain, doubt ye not, will join with us, 

 &quot; not knowing where the French king s ambition will 

 &quot; stay. Our holy father the pope likes no Tramon- 

 &quot; tanes in Italy. But howsoever it be, this matter 

 &quot; of confederates is rather to be thought on than 

 &quot; reckoned on. For God forbid but England should 

 &quot; be able to get reason of France without a second. 



&quot; At the battles of Cressy, Poictiers, Agincourt, 

 tf we were of ourselves. France hath much people, 

 &quot; and few soldiers. They have no stable bands of 

 &quot; foot. Some good horse they have ; but those are 



