1624 Bickerings Spain and CONFLICTS AT SEA. 245 Coloma had indeed a thankless task in remaining in England. Every day some new cause of offence was brought before his notice. At sea, so at least it was believed between in England, Spaniards were already engaged in plundering English vessels. In Spain an embargo had been laid upon the goods of English merchants, and their ships were being confiscated, on the charge of having Dutch goods on board. Nearer home the Dunkirk privateers were making prize of English vessels engaged in trade with Holland; and, pushing up towards the mouth of the Thames in search of their enemies, had committed hostilities as high as Queenborough. Nor was it only from private and unauthorised attacks that danger was apprehended. A large fleet was fitting out in Spain, the destination of which was carefully concealed.1 Part of this fleet, however, was placed by accident in the kirk ships in hands of the English Government. A squadron setting out from Dunkirk, to join the rendezvous in Spain, was chased by the Dutch, and four of its galleons took refuge in the Downs. Although James refused to treat them as enemies, he refused to accede to Coloma's request that he would grant them the usual privileges of neutrality, and allow them to sail with the advantage of two tides.2 For three months the weary crews waited for deliverthem escape. ance till the equinoctial gales at last set them free. Putting to sea in the height of the tempest, three of the ships succeeded in regaining Dunkirk. The fourth was attacked by a Dutch vessel, and blew up, together with its assailant.3 The Dun the Downs. Oct. 2. Three of Short, therefore, of an actual declaration of war with Spain, Buckingham had succeeded in carrying James with him in the fulfilment of the programme laid down in the Subsidy Act. The Spain. Conway to Carleton, June 12, S. P. Holland. Salvetti's NewsLetters, June II, 18 21, 28° 1 Conway to Aston, June 27; Aston to Conway, July 1, S. P. Spain. 2 Many of Coloma's letters on the subject are in the State Papers (Spain), and there are frequent notices of it in the Domestic series, and amongst Salvetti's News-Letters. June. The pro. gramme of the House carried out. levy of troops for to the Dutch and the equipment of the fleet had received prompt attention. The repair of the forts and the sending of reinforcements to Ireland waited only till money came in. Even the King's hesitation to declare war against Spain was at this time ascribed of Commons by one who had good opportunities of knowing the truth, not so much to any hankering after his old alliance with Philip, as to his high estimate of the risks of such a war if it were entered upon without allies. "The King," wrote Nethersole a fortnight after the prorogation, "is resolved not to break with Spain, nor to give them any occasion to break with him, until he be secure that France will join very close with him, and other Catholic Princes and States which have the same interest against the greatness of Spain ;, as being of opinion that all the Protestants in Europe would be too weak a party to oppose it, and that if they should join against Spain without the drawing of other Catholic princes into the action, it would be understood to be a war of religion, which would leave no Catholic prince neuter, but cause them all to join with Spain." 1 No one who has seriously studied the course which history took during the next quarter of a century will be inclined to doubt the wisdom of James's hesitation. The power Policy of James. to which he was opposed was too firmly rooted in the ideas of men to be overthrown by such means as seemed sufficient to the House of Commons. Protestantism could only defend itself by ceasing to be aggressive, and by appealing to the political sympathies of Catholic States. The policy of James was in the main the policy which, in after years, crowned Richelieu with glory. Yet to the one man it brought nothing but defeat and shame, to the other it was to bring success and honour. Where James knew but how to dream, Richelieu knew how to act. Of the various parts of the enterprise upon which James had embarked, the negotiation with the Protestant powers presented the least inherent difficulty. In the beginning of June, Sir Nethersole to Carleton, S. P. Dom. clxvii. 28. 1624 Embassies ACTIVE DIPLOMACY. 247 James Spens was despatched to the King of Sweden, and Sir Robert Anstruther to the King of Denmark and the North German Princes. If, when Parliament met in the to Denmark winter, assurances could be given that a strong Proand Sweden, testant force was ready to take the field, the House of Commons might perhaps be induced to reconsider its determination against sharing in the German war; and, should this prove not to be the case, James would be clearly absolved from any engagement to carry on further a war which, with insufficient means, could end in nothing but disaster. France. Far more difficult was the task of treating with the Catholic opponents of Spain. In nothing is diplomatic skill so necessary as in a negotiation between Governments whose The negotia. tion with general interests coincide, whilst each has particular objects in view. James was anxious to recover the Palatinate. France was anxious to recover the Valtelline. The danger was great lest the French Government should use England for its purposes, and then kick away the ladder by which it had risen. Yet the offer of French aid was too tempting to be rejected. The wisest policy was doubtless that which was laid down not many months afterwards by Gustavus Adolphus. The great Swedish King held that the Views of attack upon the House of Austria should be made by a Protestant alliance. Those who had a common cause would be able without difficulty to stand shoulder to shoulder in the fight. There was no reason, however, that advantage should not be taken of the divisions amongst the Catholic States. Let France, Venice, and Savoy be invited to join, if they would, against Spain and the Emperor. But let not the union be too close. Rather let France and her Catholic allies be invited to fight in Italy or the south of Germany, whilst England and her Protestant allies were fighting in the north of Germany.2 If such a plan as this had been adopted, it is possible that the French alliance might have ended less disastrously than it Instructions to Spens, June 6, S. P. Sweden. Instructions to Anstruther, undated, S. P. Denmark, 2 Oxenstjerna to Camerarius, Aug. 24, Moser, Patriotisches Archiv, Mission of did. The military situation would have corresponded with the political situation. Account would have been taken of the prominent fact that the King of France and the ProWake. testant sovereigns were only half agreed. The friction certain to ensue upon such co operation would have been diminished to a minimum. Unhappily the three men who directed the course of affairs in England were notoriously inclined to close their eyes to unpleasant facts. Already Mansfeld had been despatched to France with proposals for a joint military undertaking. Then followed Sir Isaac Wake, on his way to Italy to stir up Venice and Savoy. On May 17 Carlisle set out for Paris to tie the knot between the two kingdoms by the flowery bonds of a matrimonial alliance. James, Charles, and Buckingham agreed in looking for the closest possible unity of action between France and England. May 17. Carlisle sent to France. CHAPTER XLIX. THE FRENCH MARRIAGE TREATY. JAMES HAY, Earl of Carlisle, has been chiefly known in modern times as a spendthrift and a lover of the pleasures of the table; yet he was in many respects well qualified to conduct May. Carlisle as a the delicate negotiation with which he was entrusted. negotiator. Compared with the courtly and volatile Kensington, with whom he was ordered to act, he may well rank as a statesman. His tried courtesy, and his special friendliness towards France, made him an acceptable person in the Court to which he was accredited, whilst he had a strong regard for his master's dignity, and a sympathy for the Protestant feeling in England, which would prevent him from becoming, as his colleague had become, a mere echo of the sentiments to which it might please the Queen Mother and her ladies to give utterance. When he arrived he was received with open demonstrations of satisfaction from all, with happy glances from the bright eyes of the Princess, and with friendly words from the King.1 June. Herbert's doubts. Herbert, however, who was still in Paris, doubted whether all this meant much." "They do not spare," he wrote to James, "to profess openly that they have no disposition to come to a manifest rupture with Spain. Notwithstanding which, they have promised thus much already, that, in all that can be done by other means than coming to an entire breach they will not fail to give your Sacred Majesty contentment." 2 1 Carlisle and Kensington to Conway, May 27, S. P. France. 2 Herbert to the King, June 2, S. P. France. |