CHAP. 1562 State of Europe. CHA P. XL. State of Europe.Civil wars of France.Havre de FTER the commencement of the religious wars in A France, which rendered that flourishing kingdom, during the course of near forty years, a scene of horror and devaftation, the great rival powers in Europe were Spain and England; and it was not long before an animofity, first political, then perfonal, broke out between the fovereigns of these countries. PHILIP the second of Spain, though he reached not any enlarged views of policy, was endowed with great industry and fagacity, a remarkable caution in his enterprizes, an unusual forefight in all his measures; and as he was ever cool and feemingly unmoved by paffion, and poffeffed neither talents nor inclination for war, both his fubjects and his neighbours had reafon to expect justice, happiness and tranquility, from his administration. But prejudices had on him as pernicious effects as ever pasfion had on any other monarch; and the spirit of bigotry and tyranny, by which he was actuated, with the fraudulent maxims which governed his counfels, excited the moft violent agitation among his own people, engaged him in acts of the most enormous cruelty, and threw all Europe into combustion. AFTER Philip had concluded peace at Cateau-Cambrefis, and had remained some time in the Netherlands, in order to fettle the affairs of that country, he embarked for Spain; and as the gravity of that nation, with their respectful obedience to their prince, had appeared more agreeable to his humour, than the homely familiar manners, and the pertinacious liberty of the Flemings, it was expected, that he would for the future refide altogether at Madrid, and would govern all his extenfive dominions by XL. by Spanish minifters and Spanish counfels. Having met CHA P. with a violent tempeft on his voyage, he no fooner arrived in harbour, than he fell on his knees; and after giving thanks for his deliverance, he vowed, that his life, which 1562. was thus providentially faved, fhould thenceforth be entirely devoted to the extirpation of herefyG. His fubfequent conduct correfponded to these profeffions. Finding that the new doctrines had penetrated into Spain, he let loofe the rage of perfecution against all who profeffed them, or were fufpected of adhering to them; and by his violence he gave new edge, even to the ufual cruelty of priefts and inquifitors. He threw into prifon Conftantine Ponce, who had been confeffor to his father, the emperor Charles; who had attended him during his retreat; and in whofe arms that great monarch had terminated his life: And after this ecclefiaftic died in confinement, he still ordered him to be tried and condemned for herefy, and his statue to be committed to the flames. He even deliberated, whether he should not exercife like feverity against the memory of his father, who was fufpected, during his latter years, to have indulged a propensity towards the Lutheran principles: In his unrelenting zeal for orthodoxy, he spared neither age, fex, nor condition: He was prefent, with an inflexible countenance, at the most barbarous executions: He iffued rigorous orders for the profecution of heretics, in Spain, Italy, the Indies, and the Low Countries: And having founded his determined tyranny on maxims of civil policy, as well as on principles of religion, he made it apparent to all his fubjects, that there was no method, except the most entire compliance, or moft obftinate refiftance, to escape or elude the feverity of his vengeance. DURING that extreme animofity, which prevailed between the adherents of the oppofite religions, the civil magiftrate, who found it difficult, if not impoffible, for the fame laws to govern fuch enraged adversaries, was naturally led, by fpecious rules of prudence, in embracing one party, to declare war against the other, and to exterminate, by fire and fword, those bigots, who, from abhorrence of his religion, had proceeded to an oppofition of his power, and to a hatred of his person. If any prince poffeffed fuch enlarged views as to foresee, G Thuanus, lib, xxiii. cap. 14. that XL. 1562. CHA P. that a mutual toleration would in time abate the fury of religious prejudices, he yet met with difficulties in reducing this principle to practice; and might deem the malady too violent to await a remedy, which, though certain, must neceffarily be flow in its operation. But Philip, though a profound hypocrite, and extremely governed by felf-intereft, feems also to have been himself actuated by an imperious bigotry; and as he employed great reflection in all his conduct, he could easily palliate the gratification of his natural temper under the colour of wisdom, and find in this fyftem no lefs advantage to his foreign than his domestic politics. By placing himself at the head of the catholic party, he converted the zealots of the antient faith into partizans of Spanish greatness; and by employing the powerful allurement of religion, he feduced every where the fubjects from that allegiance, which they owed their native fovereign. THE Course of events, guiding and concurring with choice, had placed Elizabeth in a fituation diametrically oppofite; and had raised her to be the glory, the bulwark, and the support of the numerous, though still perfecuted proteftants, throughout all Europe. More moderate in her temper than Philip, fhe found, with pleasure, that the principles of her fect required not such extreme severity in her domestic government, as was exercised by that monarch; and having no object but selfprefervation, the united her interefts in all foreign negociations with those who were every where struggling under oppreffion, and guarding themselves against ruin and extermination. The more virtuous fovereign was thus happily thrown into the more favourable cause; and fortune, in this inftance, concurred with policy and nature. DURING the life-time of Henry the fecond of France, and of his fucceffor, the force of these principles was fomewhat restrained, though not altogether overcome, by the motives of a fuperior intereft; and the dread of uniting England with the French monarchy, engaged Philip to maintain a good correspondence with Elizabeth. Yet even during this period he rejected the garter which fhe fent him; he refufed to ratify the antient league between the house of Burgundy and England"; he furnish ed H Digges's compleat ambaffador, p. 369. Haynes, p. 585. Strype, vol. iv. No. 246. XL. 1562. ed fhips to transport French forces into Scotland; he en- CHA P. deavoured to intercept the earl of Arran, who was haftening to join the malcontents in that country; and the queen's wifeft minifters still regarded his friendship as hollow and precarious. But no fooner did the death of Francis the fecond put an end to Philip's apprehen< fions with regard to Mary's fucceffion, than his animofity against Elizabeth began more openly to appear; and the interefts of Spain and England were found oppofite in every negociation and tranfaction. THE two great monarchies of the continent, France and Spain, being poffeffed of nearly equal force, were naturally antagonists; and England, from its power and fituation, was intitled to fupport its own dignity, as well as tranquility, by holding the balance between them. Whatever incident, therefore, tended too much to deprefs one of these rival powers, as it left the other without controul, might be deemed contrary to the interests of England: Yet fo much were these great maxims of policy over-ruled, during that age by the difputes of theology, that Philip found an advantage in fupporting the established government and religion of France; and Elizabeth in protecting faction and innovation. THE queen-regent of France, when reinftated in au- Civil wars thority by the death of her fon, Francis, had formed a of France. plan of administration more fubtle than judicious; and balancing the Catholics with the Hugonots, the duke of Guife with the prince of Condé, fhe endeavoured to render herself neceffary to both, and to establish her own dominion on their constrained obedience ". But the equal counterpoife of power, which, among foreign nations, is the fource of tranquility, proves always the ground of quarrel between domestic factions; and if the animofity of religion concur with the frequent occafions, which present themselves, of mutual injury, it is impoffible, during any time, to preferve a firm concord in fo delicate a fituation. The conftable, Montmorency, moved by zeal for the antient faith,. joined himself to the duke of Guife: The king of Navarre, from his inconftant temper, and his jealoufy of the fuperior genius of his K Davila, XL. 1562. CHA P. his brother, embraced the fame party: And Catherine, finding herfelf depreffed by this combination, had recourfe to Condé and the hugonots, who gladly embraced the opportunity of fortifying themselves by her countenance and protection. An edict had been published, granting a toleration to the proteftants; but the interested violence of the duke of Guife, covered with the pretence of religious zeal, broke through this agreement; and the two parties, after the fallacious tranquility of a moment, renewed their mutual infults and injuries. Condé, Coligni, Andelot, affembled their friends, and flew to arms: Guife and Montmorency got poffeffion of the king's perfon, and constrained the queen-regent to embrace their party: Fourteen armies were levied and put in motion in different parts of France M: Each province, each city, each family, was agitated with inteftine rage and animofity. The father was divided against the son; brother against brother; and women themselves, facrificing their humanity as well as their timidity to the religious fury, diftinguished themselves by acts of ferocity and valour N. Wherever the hugonots prevailed, the images were broken, the altars pillaged, the churches demolished, the monasteries confumed with fire: Where fuccefs attended the catholics, they burned the bibles, re-baptized the infants, constrained married perfons to pafs a-new through the ceremony: And plunder, defo. lation, and bloodshed attended equally the triumph of both parties. The parliament of Paris itself, the feat of law and juftice, instead of employing its authority to compofe these fatal quarrels, published an edict, by which it put the fword into the hands of the enraged multitude, and empowered the catholics every where to massacre the hugonots; and it was during this period, when men began somewhat to be enlightened, and in this nation renowned for polished manners, that the theological rage, which had long been boiling in men's veins, feems to have attained its laft ftage of virulence and ferocity. PHILIP, jealous of the progrefs which the hugonots. made in France, and dreading that the contagion would spread into the Low-Country provinces, had formed a fecret L Davila, lib. iii. M Father Paul, lib. vii. N Ibid. |