olicy
of Spain. Till now, in spite of endless provocations, Philip had clung
to the English alliance. Fear of Elizabeth's union with France, dread of
her help to the Netherlands, had steeled him to bear patiently her
defiance of his counsels, her neglect of his threats, her seizure of his
treasure, her persecution of the Catholic party which looked to him as
its head. But patience had only been met by fresh attacks. The attempt
of Don John had spurred Elizabeth to ally herself to France. She was
expected every hour to marry the Duke of Anjou. She had given friendship
and aid to the revolted provinces. Above all her freebooters were
carrying war into the far Pacific, and challenging the right of Spain to
the New World of the West. Philip drifted whether he would or no into a
position of hostility. He had not forbidden the projects of Don John; he
at last promised aid to the projects of Rome. In 1579 the Papacy planned
the greatest and most comprehensive of its attacks upon Elizabeth. If
the Catholic powers still hesitated and delayed, Rome was resolute to
try its own strength in the West. The spiritual reconciliation of
England was not enough. However successful the efforts of the seminary
priests might prove they would leave Elizabeth on the throne, and the
reign of Elizabeth was a defeat to the Papacy. In issuing its Bull of
Deposition Rome had staked all on the ruin of the Queen, and even if
England became Catholic Gregory could not suffer his spiritual subjects
to obey a ruler whom his sentence had declared an unlawful possessor of
the throne. And now that the temper of Spain promised more vigorous
action Rome could pave the way for a landing of Philip's troops by
stirring up a threefold danger for Elizabeth. While fresh and more
vigorous missionaries egged on the English Catholics to revolt, the
Pope hastened to bring about a Catholic revolution in Scotland and a
Catholic insurrection in Ireland.

[Sidenote: Ireland.]

In Ireland Sidney's victory had been followed by ten years of peace. Had
the land been left to itself there would have been nothing more than the
common feuds and disturbances of the time. The policy of driving its
people to despair by seizing their lands for English settlements had
been abandoned since Mary's day. The religious question had hardly any
practical existence. On the Queen's accession indeed the ecclesiastical
policy of the Protestants had been revived in name; Rome was again
renounced;