o prepare and fit out as many large ships as could
possibly be built. He had agents in all parts of Europe, and by their
means had kept himself thoroughly well acquainted with all that was
going forward. The plots for the destruction of the life of the Queen
of England were soon made known to him, and by his means communicated to
Sir William Cecil. As long as King Philip hoped to gain the hand of
Queen Elizabeth, and thereby to recover an influence in England, he
pretended amity to the English. It was also Cecil's policy to remain at
peace, that he might be better prepared for war, when that inevitable
time should arrive.

The great object of the Pope of Rome, and of all whom he could
influence, was to destroy England, because it was evident by this time
that England had become, in most part, a Protestant country, and would
never, while she remained free and independent, again yield to the Papal
power. Queen Mary by her burnings in Smithfield, and King Philip and
his father by the wholesale murders of their subjects in the
Netherlands--the latter thereby driving thousands of Protestants into
England--had done more to destroy the power of Romanism in that land
than all the cardinals and bishops and the most talented preachers could
ever repair.

My patron, in writing to the Government at home, had to be very careful
in the expressions he used, lest his letters might be seen, and those he
employed brought into trouble. This shipment of warlike stores was
contrary to the laws of the Netherlands, consequently, when we were
shipping gunpowder, we always used the words _velvet_ and _silks_:
_damasks_ and _satins_ were employed to signify very different articles.
The authorities evidently suspected what was going forward, and gave
orders to the custom-house officers to search all ships loading for
England. However, as these custom-house officers were ill-paid by their
Government, there was no great difficulty in inducing them to close
their eyes during their searches, and to declare that certain casks on
board the vessels, however suspicious might have been their appearance,
contained the pieces of velvet mentioned in the bill of lading.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

A FIGHT WITH ROBBERS.

Sir Thomas Gresham had been absent for some time, and his return to
Antwerp was daily expected. I was busily at work at my desk, when I
heard the sound of horses' hoofs coming along the street. I looked out,
and saw a party of travel