260 HISTORY OF KING HENRY VII. 



France was now entire and at unity with itself, and 

 never so mighty many years before. He saw by the 

 taste that he had of his forces sent into Britain, that 

 the French knew well enough how to make war 

 with the English, by not putting things to the 

 hazard of a battle, but wearing them by long sieges 

 of towns, and strong fortified encarnpings. James 

 the Third of Scotland, his true friend and confede 

 rate, gone ; and James the Fourth, that had suc 

 ceeded, wholly at the devotion of France, and ill 

 affected towards him. As for the conjunctions of 

 Ferdinando of Spain and Maximilian, he could make 

 no foundation upon them. For the one had power, 

 and not will ; and the other had will, and not power. 

 Besides that, Ferdinando had but newly taken breath 

 from the war with the Moors ; and raerchanded at 

 this time with France for the restoring of the coun 

 ties of Russignon and Perpignan, oppignorated to 

 the French. Neither was he out of fear of the dis 

 contents and ill blood within the realm ; which having 

 used always to repress and appease in person, he 

 was loth they should find him at a distance beyond 

 sea, and engaged in war. Finding therefore the in 

 conveniences and difficulties in the prosecution of a 

 war, he cast with himself how to compass two things. 

 The one, how by the declaration and indication of a 

 war to make his profit. The other, how to come off 

 from the war with saving of his honour. For profit, 

 it was to be made iwo ways ; upon his subjects for 

 the war, and upon his enemies for the peace ; like a 

 good merchant, that maketh his gain both upon the 

 commodities exported, and imported back again. 



