the resolution of throwing themselves entirely upon her
protection. It was urged that Elizabeth,--as descended from Philippa
wife of Edward III., a daughter of that count of Hainalt and Holland
from one of whose co-heiresses the king of Spain derived the Flemish
part of his dominions,--might claim somewhat of a hereditary title to
their allegiance, and a solemn deputation was appointed to offer to her
the sovereignty of the provinces on condition of defending them from the
Spaniards.

There was much in the proposal to flatter the pride and tempt the
ambition of a prince; much also to gratify that desire of retaliation
which the encouragement given by Philip to the Northern rebellion and to
certain movements in Ireland, as well as to all the machinations of the
queen of Scots, may reasonably be supposed to have excited in the bosom
of Elizabeth. Zeal for the protestant cause, had she ever entertained it
separately from considerations of personal interest and safety, might
have proved a further inducement with her to accept the patronage of
these afflicted provinces:--but not all the motives which could be urged
were of force to divert her from her settled plan of policy; and after a
short interval of anxious hesitation, she resolved to dismiss the envoys
with an absolute refusal. The speech which she addressed to them on this
occasion was highly characteristic, and in one point extremely
remarkable.

She reprobated, doubtless with great sincerity, the principle, that
there were cases in which subjects might be justified in throwing off
allegiance to their lawful prince; and protested that, for herself,
nothing could ever tempt her to usurp upon the dominions either of her
good brother of Spain or any other prince. Finally, she took upon her to
advert to the religious scruples which had produced the revolt of the
Hollanders, in a tone of levity which it is difficult to understand her
motive for assuming: since it could not fail, from her lips especially,
to give extreme scandal to the deputies and to all other serious men.
She said, that it was unreasonable in the Dutch to have stirred up so
great a commotion merely on account of the celebration of mass; and that
so contumacious a resistance to their king could never redound to their
honor, since they were not compelled to believe in the divinity of the
mass, but only to be spectators of its performance,--as at a public
spectacle. "What!" said she, "if I were to begin t