ain had already gained all she wanted from the
marriage-negotiations. They had held James from action; they had now
made action even less possible by supplying a fresh ground of quarrel
with the House of Commons. Had the match been likely to secure the
conversion of England, or even a thorough toleration for Catholics, it
might have been possible to consent to the union of a Spanish princess
with a heretic. But neither result seemed probable: and the Spanish
Court saw no gain in such a union as would compensate it for the loss of
the Palatinate or the half-million which James counted on as the dowry
of the bride.

[Sidenote: End of the Spanish marriage.]

But the more Spain hung back the hotter grew the impatience of
Buckingham and James. At last the young favourite proposed to force the
Spaniard's hand by the appearance of Prince Charles himself at Madrid.
To the wooer in person Buckingham believed Spain would not dare to
refuse either Infanta or Palatinate. James was too shrewd to believe in
such a delusion, but in spite of his opposition the Prince quitted
England in disguise in 1623, and at the beginning of March he appeared
with Buckingham at Madrid to claim his promised bride. It was in vain
that the Spanish Court rose in its demands; for every new demand was met
by fresh concessions on the part of England. The abrogation of the penal
laws against the worship of Catholics in private houses, a Catholic
education for the Prince's children, a Catholic household for the
Infanta, the erection of a Catholic church for her at Court, to which
access should be free for all comers, were stipulations no sooner asked
than they were granted. "We are building a chapel to the devil," said
James when the last condition was laid before him; but he swore to the
treaty and forced his councillors to swear to it. The marriage, however,
was no nearer than before. The one thing which would have made it
possible was a conversion of Charles to Catholicism; and though the
Prince listened silently to arguments on the subject he gave no sign of
becoming a Catholic. The aim of the Spanish ministers was to break off
the match without a quarrel. They could only throw themselves on a
policy of delay, and with this view the court theologians decided that
the Infanta must in any case stay in Spain for a year after its
conclusion till the conditions were fully carried out. Against such a
condition Charles remonstrated in vain. And meanwhile the in