OBSERVATIONS ON A LIBEL. 415 



one being upon the same continent that we are, and 

 breeding a soldier of puissance and courage, not 

 much differing from the English: the other a king 

 dom very opulent, and thereby able to sustain wars, 

 though at very great charge ; and having a brave 

 nobility ; and being a near neighbour. And yet of 

 this conjunction there never came any offence of 

 moment : but Scotland was ever rather used by 

 France as a diversion of an English invasion upon 

 France, than as a commodity of a French invasion 

 upon England. I confess also, that since the unions 

 of the kingdom of Spain, and during the time the 

 kingdom of France was in his entire, a conjunction 

 of those two potent kingdoms against us might have 

 been of some terror to us. But now it is evident, 

 that the state of France is such as both those con 

 junctions are become impossible : it resteth that 

 either Spain with Scotland should offend us, or 

 Spain alone. For Scotland, thanks be to God, the 

 amity and intelligence is so sound and secret between 

 the two crowns, being strengthened by consent in 

 religion, nearness of blood, and continual good offices 

 reciprocally on either side, as the Spaniard himself, 

 in his own plot, thinketh it easier to alter and over 

 throw the present state of Scotland than to remove 

 and divide it from the amity of England. So as it 

 must be Spain alone that we should fear, which 

 should seem, by reason of its spacious dominions, to 

 be a great overmatch. The conceit whereof maketh 

 me call to mind the resemblance of an ancient 

 writer in physic ; who, labouring to persuade that 



