which was well known, in a French translation, to
Englishmen at the beginning of the 16th century, and was denounced by
Vives at Oxford. It was actually translated into English as early as
1530[34]. There was on the whole, therefore, quite an appreciable
quantity of Spanish artistic literature circulating in England before
_Euphues_ saw the light.

[30] Underhill, p. 339.

[31] _id._, p. 268 note. Mr Underhill writes: "The attempt to connect
the style of Sidney with that of Montemayor has failed."

[32] Underhill, p. 48, but see Martin Hume, ch. IX.

[33] Some doubt has been thrown upon Mendoza's authorship. See
Fitzmaurice-Kelly, p. 158, and Martin Hume, p. 133.

[34] Martin Hume, p. 126.

This literary invasion will seem perfectly natural if we bear in mind
the political conditions of the day. Under Mary, England had been all
but a Spanish dependency, and, though in the next reign, she threw off
the yoke, the antagonism which existed probably acted as an even greater
literary stimulus than the former alliance. Throughout the whole of
Elizabeth's rule, the English were continually coming into contact with
the Spaniards, either in trade, in ecclesiastical matters, in politics,
or in actual warfare; and again the magnificence of the great Spanish
empire, and the glamour which surrounded its connexion with the new
world, were very attractive to the Englishmen of Elizabeth's day,
especially as they were desirous of emulating the achievements of Spain.
And lastly it may be noticed that English and Spanish conditions of
intellectual life, if we shut our eyes to the religious differences,
were very similar at this time. Both countries had replaced a shattered
feudal system by an absolute and united monarchy. Both countries owed an
immense debt to Italy, and, in both, the Italian influence took a
similar form, modified on the one hand by humanism, and on the other by
feelings of patriotism, if not of imperialism. Spain and England took
the Renaissance fever more coldly, and at the same time more seriously,
than did Italy. And in both the new movement eventually assumed the
character of intellectual asceticism moulded by the sombre hand of
religious fanaticism; for Spain was the cradle of the Counter-Reformation,
England of Puritanism.

Leaving the general issue, let us now try to establish a partial
connexion between our author, or at least his surroundings, and Spanish
influences. And here I think a sug