COMING OF ENGLISH AND DUTCH 207 



whom we formerly held beneath our feet, now look upon 



us as an afflicted nation, and of small account ; which 



is a horrible fact, and an easily recognisable effect of divine 



indignation." .Let the Spanish King, before too late, The 



act in the spirit of his most Christian predecessors, who command of 



declared that, when other means failed, they themselves 



would go forth. " Thus should Your Majesty set the 



eyes of your heart upon preaching the gospel in the South, 



as Christ is now recounting to you, with the Crown of 



the universal Empire of the Globe in his hand." " To 



you, the Apostle says, ' Do the work of an evangelist ! ' 



Do this work, and then your Majesty will be able to say 



at the Day of account, ' Bonum certamen certavi ' ; 



overcoming the greater power of Lucifer, giving liberty 



from his tyrannical and abominable servitude to so great 



a number of souls in the Southern hemisphere. So gain 



the reward of that unspeakably glorious crown ! " 



The memorial of Dr. Arias is the last word of Spanish 

 chivalry seeking to conquer for Christ " the universal 

 empire of the Globe." It failed to move the mind of 

 Spain. With visibly failing resources, she already possessed 

 an Empire on which the sun never set, to exploit, to settle, 

 to defend against heretic " basilisks and dragons." Sen- 

 sible men were saying that Spain's hands were already 

 over-full ; using, complains Arias, " plausible but super- 

 ficial arguments of expediency," " reasons of State ad- 

 vanced in opposition to the imperative command of the 

 Apostle, ' Do the work of an evangelist.' ' But Don 

 Quixote, said the Spaniard, became sane and died. Don Quixote 



The madness of Spain, which had achieved the impossible, becomes 



' sane, and 



departed. The government became wise and weak ; dies, 

 the government of " an afflicted nation." Spain was 

 able to hold what she had conquered. But the continent 

 of the South was to be the land of the heretic. 



English interest in the East was of early date. Before English seek 

 the voyage of Columbus, Bristol merchants had sent p^s 

 ships Westward in search of an island of " Brasil," which the Spice 

 was thought to be a stepping-stone to Cathay. Then 



