e for their own defence, until such
time as he should be in quiet with his own subjects, and promised to
recommend them to the Queen of England.

"On the 6th of June, 1585, the States-General resolved to transfer the
sovereignty to the Queen of England, on lawful and reasonable
conditions, or to treat with her to take them under her protection, or
to obtain more aid and assistance from her.

"On the 9th of July, 1585, they had an audience of the Queen at
Greenwich, and offered to her the sovereignty, &c.

"The Queen declined to accept the sovereignty or undertake the
perpetual protection of the United Provinces, but on the 10th of
August, 1585, she entered into a formal treaty with them to afford
aid, &c.

"On the 16th of October, 1587, the States made a declaration to their
Governor Leicester on the subject of some differences between them, in
which they say, 'And as by divers acts, and particularly by a certain
letter, which he wrote on the 10th of July to his secretary Junius,
(as is said) the authority of these States is drawn into doubt; they
think it proper to make a more ample declaration, containing a
deduction of the rights of the States, which they are bound by oath to
maintain. _For in case they had not been well founded in the
sovereignty of the Provinces, they could not have deposed the King of
Spain, nor have defended themselves against his power. Nor would they
have been able to treat with their Majesties of France and England_,
nor to have transferred the government to your Excellency,' &c. &c.

"On the 3d of September, 1587, the Earl of Leicester by order of the
Queen intimated to them the propriety of negotiating for peace, for it
seems the King of Denmark had privately sounded the King of Spain on
that subject.

"The States answered, 'That they had never given any such commission
to the King of Denmark, nor ever thought of it; but on the contrary,
they had observed to the Earl of Leicester, in the year 1586, on his
leaving Holland, and on his speaking to them about making peace, that
there was _nothing so dangerous and injurious in their condition as to
speak or treat of peace_, and that it was one of the _old finesses of
Spain_; that neither a long war, the damages suffered, nor force, nor
the unexpected deaths of their chiefs had been able to hinder their
doing their duty, nor make them recede one step from that foundation
of constancy on which they were fixed; but that seeing the honorable