162 A DISCOURSE IN PRAISE 



honourable and continual aid and relief she hath 

 gotten to the distressed and desolate people of the 

 Low Countries; a people recommended unto her by 

 ancient confederacy and daily intercourse, by their 

 cause so innocent, and their fortune so lamentable. 

 And yet notwithstanding, to keep the conformity of 

 her own proceeding never stained with the least note 

 of ambition or malice, she refused the sovereignty of 

 divers of those goodly provinces offered unto her 

 with great instance, to have been accepted with great 

 contentment both of her own people and others, and 

 justly to be derived either in respect of the hostility 

 of Spain, or in respect of the conditions, liberties and 

 privileges of those subjects, and without charge, 

 danger, and offence to the king of Spain and his 

 partisans. She hath taken upon her their defence 

 and protection without any further avail or profit 

 unto herself, than the honour and merit of her benig 

 nity to the people that hath been pursued by their 

 natural king only upon passion and wrath, in such 

 sort that he doth consume his means upon revenge. 

 And, having to verify that which I said, that her 

 merits have extended to her greatest enemies ; let 

 it be remembered what hath passed in that matter 

 between the king of Spain and her : how in the be 

 ginning of the troubles there, she gave and imparted 

 to him faithful and friendly advice touching the course 

 that was to be taken for quieting and appeasing of 

 them. Then she interposed herself to most just and 

 reasonable capitulations, wherein always should have 

 been preserved unto him as ample interest, juris- 



