254 OF A WAR WITH SPAIN. 



things seem to come apace to their former estate ; 

 nay, with far greater disadvantage to us ; for now 

 that they have almost continued, and, as it were, 

 arched their dominions from Milan, by the Valtoline, 

 and Palatinate, to the Low Countries, we see how 

 they thirst and pant after the utter ruin of those 

 states ; having in contempt almost the German nation, 

 and doubting little opposition except it come from 

 England : whereby either we must suffer the Dutch 

 to be ruined, to our own manifest prejudice ; or put 

 it upon the hazard I spake of before, that Spain will 

 cast at the fairest. Neither is the point of internal 

 danger, which groweth upon us, to be forgotten ; 

 this, that the party of the papists in England are 

 become more knotted, both in dependence towards 

 Spain and amongst themselves, than they have been. 

 Wherein again comes to be remembered the case of 

 88 : for then also it appeared by divers secret letters, 

 that the design of Spain was, for some years, before 

 the invasion attempted, to prepare a party in this 

 kingdom to adhere to the foreigner at his coming. 

 And they bragged, that they doubted not to abuse 

 and lay asleep the queen and council of England, as 

 to have any fear of the party of papists here ; for 

 that, they knew, they said, the state would but cast 

 the eye and look about to see whether there were 

 any eminent head of that party, under whom it 

 might unite itself; and finding none worth the 

 thinking on, the state would rest secure and take no 

 apprehension : whereas they meant, they said, to 

 take a course to deal with the people, and par- 



