1619 1 DOHNA IN FNGLAND. 285 him that he had now decided upon sending assistance to the Emperor; and, on February 1 he sent word to Matthias that he was ready to make over to him a large sum of money, adding that, if that were not sufficient, troops should follow.2 To make sure that James should not break through the net in which he had entangled himself, it was decided that Gondomar should return to England to complete the work which had been so successfully begun.3 January. Dohna's embassy to For the moment, the alliance of James was equally courted by all parties. Whilst Cottington was waiting at Madrid for the answer of the Spanish Government, Baron Christopher Dohna arrived in England on a special England. mission from the Elector Palatine. Ostensibly he came to ask James to renew the defensive treaty with the Union, which was shortly about to expire. But his main object was to sound the King of England, in order to discover whether he was likely to give his aid to the wild schemes which had been suggested by the Duke of Savoy. To the renewal of the treaty with the Union, James made no objection whatever." But when Dohna began to hint, in cautious terms, at the possibility that upon the death of Matthias the Bohemians would proceed to elect his master in the place of Ferdinand, James cut him short at once. In the case of a legal election, he said, he would do his best to support his son-in-law. But he would not hear of any aggression upon the rights of others. "There are some of the Princes of Germany," he said, "who wish for war, in order that they may aggrandise themselves. Your master is young, and I am old. Let him follow my example." He then proceeded to quote from Virgil the lines in which the aged Latinus is represented as warning Turnus that his impetuous valour Jan. 24, 1619, Brussels MSS. Feb. 3, 1 Philip III. to Archduke Albert, 2 Khevenhüller, ix. 333. 3 Consulta of the Council of State, Feb. MSS. 2518, 2515. • Voigt in Raumer's Historisches Taschenbuch, 1853, 127. 5 The new treaty was signed Jan. 17, and ratified May 6, 1619. Rymer, xvii. 160. needed to be balanced by his own sober judgment.1 He subsequently sent a message to Dohna, requesting him not to forget that, if the Princes of the Union made an attack upon their neighbours, they must expect no assistance from him. He would give no help to those who were exciting the subjects of other sovereigns to revolt. Yet, within the limits of defensive warfare, he would do his best to maintain their independence. He had, unfortunately, no money to send them at present; but he would ask the Dutch to give enough to support two thousand men for a few months.2 Character of James's If James could not give a very satisfactory reason for the advice which he offered, at least the advice was good in itself. It is true that the technical illegality of the Revolution at Prague was a very insufficient ground for advice. deserting the Bohemians, but the feeling which that illegality had called forth was an important element in the decision to be taken. Frederick and those who surrounded him had contrived to inspire their neighbours with a belief that they had nothing to contribute to the solution of a most complicated political problem except violence and intrigue; and unless they could change their nature, there was little that England could do to help them. 1618. At the very time at which Dohna was transmitting this unwelcome intelligence to his master, James was giving signs that his words were not uttered as a mere subterfuge for The Spanish the sake of avoiding war at any cost. For some time armaments. he had been receiving information from Cottington, that great naval preparations were being made in every port in the Spanish Empire. From Dunkirk to Barcelona the arsenals and dockyards were ringing with the equipment of a powerful fleet. It was said that the ships were to rendezvous in April "O præstans animi juvenis, quantum ipse feroci Prospicere, atque omnes volventem expendere casus.”—Æn. xii. 19. The words in italics were substituted by James or Dohna for consulere and metuentem. 2 Naunton to Carleton, Jan. 21. The King to the Elector Palatine, July 4, 1619, Letters and Documents, 32, 152. 1618 WARLIKE PREPARATIONS. 287 on the coast of Sardinia, where they were to take on board a force of no less than forty thousand soldiers. Cottington was told that the armament was intended for an attack upon Algiers; and, if official documents are to be trusted, such was in reality the intention of the Spanish Government. A blow struck against the pirates at once, would obviate the necessity of admitting the hated co-operation of an English fleet in the Mediterranean.1 Alarm of the Such an explanation, however, would hardly be satisfactory to those who had most to fear from any fresh development of the power of Spain. The Venetians believed that Venetians. the attack was in reality directed against themselves. During the whole of the past year they had been living in constant dread of Spain. The Spanish Viceroy of Naples had been carrying on hostilities against them on his own account; and a terrible conspiracy, which had been foiled by a timely discovery, was universally attributed to the instigations of the Spanish ambassador, Bedmar. It was reported to the Council of Ten, that as Gondomar was leaving England he had concluded a conversation with Sir Henry Mainwaring, the Lieutenant of Dover Castle, with the significant words :-"It will not be long before Spanish is spoken at Venice.” 2 These words may have been mere bravado; but the Republic was alarmed, and its ambassador was directed to ask James for assistance. The real object of the Spanish fleet, it was believed at Venice, was to seize the city itself, or some point upon the Venetian coast which might be made the basis of operations against Bohemia. 1619. January. James was at once aroused. That Spain should assist the Emperor against his revolted subjects was well Naval preparations in enough ; but an attack upon Venice would be a gross England. violation of public law. A courier was at once despatched to Cottington, directing him to interrogate Philip as to 'Cottington to Naunton, Dec. 3; Cottington to Lake, Dec. 4, 1618, S. P. Spain. There is a bundle of papers at Simancas, relating to "the secret expedition," as it is called. * Information given to the Council of Ten, Communicazioni del Cons., di. x. Nov. 30, 1618, Venice MSS. Dec. 10 his intentions. Nor were James's remonstrances confined to words. On the pretext of reviving his own preparations against the pirates, he ordered Buckingham, who had just been raised to the direction of the Admiralty, to get ready six ships of the royal navy for immediate service. Fourteen more were to be equipped by the merchants, and orders were given to the City companies to pay the 40,000l. which had been assessed upon them. A few days later it was determined that the old tax of ship-money should once more be levied at the other ports; and the magistrates were accordingly directed to make up the sum of 8,550l. amongst them.2 At the same time the lordslieutenants of the counties were directed to see that the trained bands were in a good state of discipline, and that the beacons on the coast were ready for use.3 February. The next step was to ask for the co-operation of The Dutch the Dutch. James's plan was that the two fleets should pass the Straits of Gibraltar together, and asked to co-operate. The Council to Sir T. Smith, Jan. 17, 1619, Council Register. Lorkin to Puckering, Feb. 9; Feb. (?), 1619, Harl. MSS. 7002, fol. 442, 430. Carleton to Naunton, Jan. 25, 30. Naunton to Carleton, Jan. 27, Feb. 4, 1619, S. P. Holland. The Dutch Commissioners to the StatesGeneral, Jan. 23, 30, 1619, Add. MSS. 17,677 I., fol. 380–386. Donato to Salvetti's News-Letter, Jan. Feb. 2, 9, the Doge, Feb. 4, 11, 14, 21, 1619, Venice MSS. Jan. 28, 1619. See p. 70. Feb. 7 21, 31, 2 The Council to the Mayors and Bailiffs of the Port Towns, Feb. 7, 1619, Council Register. The sums assessed are interesting, as showing the relative importance of the towns. London, it must be remembered, paid 3 The Council to the Lords-Lieutenants, &c. Feb. 11, 1619, Council Register. 1619 PROPOSED ATTACK ON ALGIERS. 289 should offer their combined assistance to the Spanish admiral in his projected attack upon Algiers. They would thus be in a position to oppose him with superior force, if it proved that the hostilities against the pirates were only a cover for an attack upon Venice, or even, as was whispered in England, for an attack upon Ireland.1 By taking timely precautions against danger, James, for once, found his policy crowned with success. Before the Suspension of the Spanish preparations. The King of to Rome for a dispensation. Dutch had time to express their objections to the plan, news arrived that the Spanish preparations had been suspended, and that all danger was at an end.2 It is indeed possible that James's singular display of energy may have had some connexion with his displeasure at the want of interest shown in Spain on the subject of the marriage treaty. For some weeks he had been complaining that, though he had long ago stated his terms, Philip had taken no pains to discover whether the Pope was likely to be satisfied. On January 31 a courier arrived from Madrid with the news that a Spain sends person had already been despatched to Rome to ask for the dispensation.3 Taking it for granted that the Spaniards wished to do all that friendship might suggest, James now selected an ambassador for the important mission to Bohemia. His choice first fell upon Wotton, but the appointment was almost immediately cancelled in favour of Doncaster. The selection of the man who, as Lord Hay, had unwillingly broken off the French treaty, and whose sympathies as a Scotchman were all on the side of France, was nevertheless spoken of as highly satisfactory by the agents of the Spanish Government. The explanation probably is that Doncaster, who was apt to echo the sentiments of those with whom he lived, had for the time taken his cue from James and Buckingham. February. Doncaster appointed to the Bohemian embassy. 14, 1 The Dutch Commissioners to the States-General, Feb. 4 Add. MSS. 17,677 I. fol. 389. 2 Proposition of the Dutch Commissioners, March 5, S. P. Holland. Donato to the Doge, Feb. 11, 18, Venice MSS. 21, 28, |