218 ENGLAND. 



England. Elizabeth was no more than 25 years of age at the time of 

 her inauguration ; but her sufferings under her bigoted sister, joined 

 to the superiority of lier genius, had taught her caution and policy ; 

 and she soon surmounted all difficulties. 



In matters of religion she succeeded with surprising facility ; for, 

 in her first parliament in 1559, the laws establishing popery were re- 

 pealed, her supremacy was restored, and an act of uniformity passed 

 soon after. And it is observed, that of 9400 beneficed clergymen in 

 England, only about 120 refused to comply with the reformation. 

 With regard to her title, she took advantage of the divided state of 

 Scotland, and formed a party there, by which Mary, now become the 

 widow of Francis II, of France was obliged to renounce, or rather to 

 suspend, her claim. Elizabeth, not contented with this, sent troops 

 and money, which supported the Scottish malecontents, till Mary's 

 unhappy marriage with lord Darnley, and then with Both well, the sup- 

 posed murderer of the former, and her other misconduct and misfor- 

 tunes, drove her to take refuge in Elizabeth's dominions, where she 

 had often been promised a safe and honourable asylum. It is well 

 known how unfaithful Elizabeth was to this profession of friendship, 

 and that she detained the unhappy prisoner eighteen years in England, 

 then brought her to a mock trial, pretending that Mary aimed at the 

 crown, and, without sufficient proof of her guilt, cut off her head ; an 

 action which greatly tarnished the glories of her reign. 



The same Philip who had been the husband of her late sister, upon 

 Elizabeth's accession to the throne, offered to marry her : but she dex- 

 terously avoided his addresses ; and, by a train of skilful negotiations 

 between her court and that of France, kept the balance of Europe so 

 undetermined, that she had leisure to unite her people at home, and 

 to establish an excellent internal policy in her dominions. She sup- 

 ported the protestants of France against their persecuting princes 

 and the papists, and gave the dukes of Anjou and Alencon, brothers 

 of the French king, the strongest assurances that one or other of them 

 should be her husband ; by which she kept that court, who dreaded 

 Spain, at the same time in so good humour with her government, 

 that it showed no resentment when she beheaded queen Mary. 



When Philip was no longer to be imposed upon by the arts of Eliza- 

 beth, which had amused and baffled him in every quarter, he employed 

 the immense sums he drew from Peru and Mexico in equipping the 

 most formidable armament that perhaps ever had been put to sea, and 

 a numerous army of veterans, under the prince of Parma, the best gene- 

 ral of that age, and procured a papal bull for absolving Elizabeth's 

 subjects from their allegiance. The great size of the Spanish ships 

 proved disadvantageous to them on the seas where they fought. The 

 lord admiral Howard, and the brave sea-officers under him, engaged, 

 beat, and chased the Spanish fleet for several days ; and the waves 

 and tempests finished the destruction which the English arms had 

 begun, so that few of the Spanish ships recovered their ports. 



Elizabeth had for some time supported the revolt of the Hollanders 

 from Philip, and had sent them her favourite, the earl of Leicester, 

 who acted as her viceroy and general in the Low Countries. Though 

 Leicester behaved ill, yet her measures were so wise, that the Dutch 

 established their independency ; and then she sent forth her fleets 

 under Drake, Raleigh, the earl of Cumberland, and other gallant naval 

 officers, into the East and West Indies, whence they brought prodi- 

 gious treasures, taken from the Spaniards, into England. 



