st posterity. I need not tant brethren the this work and to y politicians, on such waste of time and labour. nation I shall, therefore, . s connected with the pro n the continent when his 'wife moned to her awful account. s in view in connecting himself y, his own aggrandisement, and the ) at the interests of the Romish see, of nilip was the chief support. For the Queen ored little; and for the English people still less. ` find, therefore, that he slighted the Queen, and created the people with contempt. The marriage was popular with the public, who saw nothing in 3 aracter of the prince to lead them to expect any ; but evil from such an alliance. This feeling of ke to the king became stronger every year, and was at last evinced towards the whole Spanish nation. Under the year 1557 Strype remarks, "The government by this time became very uneasy, not only in respect of the bloodshed for religion, and the rigorous inquisitions made everywhere, but for the domineering of the Spaniards, which was intolerable. English were very much disregarded, and the Spaniards ruled all: the Queen, half Spanish by birth, The > EIGHTY EIGHT, deliverances, which, at various periods, have been accomplished for our Church and nation. To be forgetful of the dangers from which our ancestors were rescued would argue a forgetfulness of that gracious and glorious Being, to whom we are indebted for our present privileges. In order therefore to stir up our countrymen to an expression of gratitude to God for his past mercies, I purpose, in this volume, to give a detail of the circumstances connected with the Spanish Invasion in the year ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND The happy consequences of that glorious deliverance are still experienced by the inhabitants of this country for had King Philip succeeded in his designs, England might still have been the vassal of (the see of Rome, and her people sunk in the same ignorance and superstition which now brood over unhappy Spain. To be forgetful of past deliverances is a sin of the deepest magnitude-a sin for which the Israelites were continually reproached. We are told by a certain class of politicians, that we are to forget such events as the Spanish Invasion and the Gunpowder Plot; and that to allude to such by-gone scenes, either in writing or in speaking, is unwise and ungenerous. Such reasoners argue without any reference to the Bible, or to the superintending providence of God. As Protestants, however, we avow our firm belief in both; and, therefore, we are bound by our principles to call the gracious acts of Jehovah to remembrance, and to show forth our gratitude by perpetuating them to the latest posterity. I need not add more to justify to my Protestant brethren the course which I have adopted in this work and to attempt to reason with worldly politicians, on such subjects, would be a needless waste of time and labour. Without any further explanation I shall, therefore, proceed to detail the events connected with the projected Invasion in 1588. King Philip was on the continent when his wife Queen Mary was summoned to her awful account. He had two objects in view in connecting himself with Mary, namely, his own aggrandisement, and the ) advancement of the interests of the Romish see, of which Philip was the chief support. For the Queen he cared little; and for the English people still less. We find, therefore, that he slighted the Queen, and treated the people with contempt. The marriage was most unpopular with the public, who saw nothing in the character of the prince to lead them to expect any thing but evil from such an alliance. This feeling of dislike to the king became stronger every year, and was at last evinced towards the whole Spanish nation. Under the year 1557 Strype remarks, "The government by this time became very uneasy, not only in respect of the bloodshed for religion, and the rigorous inquisitions made everywhere, but for the domineering of the Spaniards, which was intolerable. English were very much disregarded, and the Spaniards ruled all: the Queen, half Spanish by birth, The and still more so by marriage, showing them all favour. That nation also had carried themselves here very disobligingly to the English, and would say, that they would rather dwell among Moors and Turks than with Englishmen *." Philip was very haughty (in in his manner towards the English people: nor were his courtiers distinguished by greater urbanity. The Spanish alliance, therefore, was unpopular. Besides, there was a dread of the introduction of those practices which had already become common in Spain by means of the inquisition. Whether it was or was not contemplated to establish the inquisition in this country, it is by no means easy to determine: but that the English people had an apprehension that such would be the case, is certain. Sir Thomas Smith, in an Oration," the object of which was to prove that it was more desirable that Queen Elizabeth should marry an English nobleman than a foreign prince, asks, “And do you not think, that if King Philip had been long here, he would not have brought some piece from Spain? If nothing else, at least the inquisition, as they call it, as he did to Naples; whereby, what insurrections and troubles arose there, it is easy to learn by the French historiest." Such incidental notices furnish the strongest evidence of the views of the people at this period, and of their expectations on the subject. Spain, was the country in * STRYPE'S Memorials, vol. iii., part ii., p. 66. which the horrible inquisition most flourished: and as Philip evinced the most ardent desire to promote what he was pleased to consider the cause of religion, there can be little doubt that he would, if circumstances had been favourable, have made the attempt to introduce that odious tribunal into this country. One of the exiles remarks, "Had not our godly, wise, learned, and merciful Queen Elizabeth stood in the gap to restore the everlasting word of God unto us, we had been bondslaves unto the proud, vicious Spaniard *.") Philip was most unwilling to lose his influence in England: and to secure it he contemplated a marriage with Elizabeth. It is indeed said that the preserva-> tion of the life of Elizabeth, during the reign of Mary, was owing to Philip, who, perceiving the delicate statė of his wife's health, deemed a marriage with her younger sister a possible event at a subsequent period. At all events, it is certain that Philip was anxious to secure his influence in England by a marriage with Elizabeth, who, however, was too wise to be caught in such a trap. It is worthy of observation, that Philip's desire to form a matrimonial alliance with the) Queen was graciously overruled for good. As long as he could indulge the hope of prevailing on Elizabeth to become his wife, he abstained from making any attempt to deprive her of her crown: and when his > hopes on this subject had expired, he was occupied with other matters, which did not permit him to turn * STRYPE'S Memorials, vol. iii., part ii., p. 164. |