CONCERNING A WAR WITH SPAIN. 233 



was then reputed to have the wisest council of 

 Europe, and not a council that will come at the 

 whistle of a favourite. 



Another point of experience you would not speak 

 of, if it were not that there is a wonderful erroneous 

 observation, which walketh about, contrary to all 

 the true account of time ; and it is, that the Spaniard 

 where he once gets in, will seldom or never be got 

 out again ; and they give it an ill-favoured simile 

 which you will not name, but nothing is less true : 

 they got footing at Brest, and some other parts in 

 Britain, and quitted it : they had Calais, Ardes, 

 Amiens, and were part beaten out, and part they 

 readred : they had Vercelles in Savoy, and fairly left 

 it : they had the other day the Valtoline, and now 

 have put it in deposit. What they will do at Ormus 

 we shall see. So that, to speak truly of latter times, 

 they have rather poached and offered at a number 

 of enterprises, than maintained any constantly. And 

 for Germany, in more ancient time, their great em 

 peror Charles, after he had Germany almost in his 

 fist, was forced in the end to go from Isburgh, as it 

 were in a mask by torch-light, and to quit every foot 

 of his new acquests in Germany, which you hope 

 likewise will be the hereditary issue of this late pur 

 chase of the Palatinate. And thus much for ex 

 perience. 



For reason : it hath many branches ; you will but 

 extract a few first. It is a nation thin sown of men, 

 partly by reason of the sterility of their soil ; and 

 partly because their natives are exhaust by so many 



