1623 OPINION OF WILLIAMS. 45 considerable alleviation of the condition of the English Catholics. That he had been led step by step to offer more than this is certain; but it is no less certain that he had never intended to bargain for the opening of a public church, and still less to enter into any discussion about the abolition of the penal laws, a question which, as he well knew, it was useless to moot in the presence of the House of Commons, and which he would himself have been indisposed to consider, regarding, as he did, the retention of the power of putting those laws in force as a safeguard against possible disloyalty. James and "Do you think," said James to Williams, "that this knighterrant pilgrimage will be lucky to win the Spanish lady and to Conversa- convey her shortly into England?" "Sir," replied tion between the Lord Keeper, "if my Lord Marquis will give Williams. honour to the Count Duke Olivares; or if Olivares will show honourable civility to my Lord Marquis, remembering he is a favourite of England, the wooing may be prosperous; but if my Lord Marquis should forget where he is, and not stoop to Olivares; or if Olivares, forgetting what guest he hath received with the Prince, bear himself haughtily and like a Castilian grandee to my Lord Marquis, the provocation may be dangerous to cross your Majesty's good intentions."1 The observation, shrewd as, like most of Williams's recorded sayings, it undoubtedly was, was only superficial. Buckingham's temper, however exasperating to those who had to deal with him, was very far from being the cause of the ultimate failure of the negotiation. What the Spaniards wanted was to accomplish by intrigue what Philip II. had failed to accomplish by force, namely, to make England once more a Roman Catholic coun. try. Gondomar and Olivares might differ as to the means to be used, but there was no difference as to the end. And yet, with the evidence of this before his eyes, Charles could see nothing but the lovely vision of his hoped-for bride. For months he lingered at Madrid, sacrificing his country to his love-making promises, into the full meaning of which he did not care to inquire, and satisfying himself with the prospect of being able to explain them away, if at any time they should 1 Hacket, 115. prove inconvenient. By this course, he only succeeded in confirming the Spanish ministers in their belief that he was of so malleable a nature that, with careful manipulation, he might be led to promise anything; whilst at the same time he failed to impress them with the slightest confidence in the probability of his ever keeping his promises without compulsion.1 May 11. Charles announces his intention to leave. If it had been in his power, Buckingham would have broken off the treaty at once.2 It was enough for him that the additional articles were a personal insult to himself, and to the Prince who had taken the trouble to come to Madrid on the understanding that the old ones were to form the basis of the treaty. But great as his influence was with Charles, it was not enough to tear him away from the neighbourhood of the Infanta. The answer given by the Prince to the last resolution of the Spanish Government was indeed sufficiently decisive in appearance. He was quite willing, he said, that a courier should be despatched to Rome, in order to induce the Pope to give way. He was also willing to communicate with his father, but he considered that he was himself the only fit person to carry the communication. He, therefore, requested permission to return at once to England. The next day Buckingham sent a message to Olivares, informing him that the Prince intended to leave Madrid immediately. It soon appeared that all this meant nothing. The messenger was delayed for some hours, and before he met with Olivares, Gondomar had made the discovery that Charles only needed a little pressure to induce him to remain. May 12. Buckingham's message to Olivares. Charles The pressure which Charles required was extremely slight. A few friendly words from the King, begging him to stop, at least till the Junta of Theologians had delivered its promises to report, was sufficient to make him alter his determination. Nor was it only from the irresolution of the Prince that the Spaniards derived encouragement. Buckingham stop. ? Corner to the Doge, May 2, Venice MSS. Desp. Spagna. 1623 CHARLES'S CONCESSIONS. 47 was the least reticent of men, and he allowed Francisco de Jesus to discover, in the course of conversation, two important facts—the one that he was chiefly moved by pique in his dislike of the additional articles; the second, that the Prince was not likely to make any difficulty in surrendering all other objections, if he could only escape from an obligation to procure the repeal of the penal laws. Even on this last point the Spanish ministers had no reason to expect to find him obstinate, as within the last few days Buckingham had offered to engage that the King would see that the laws were repealed, though he had added that it would require some time before he could obtain the assent of Parliament to the change. "Will he do it," said the Nuncio, "within a year?" Question of the repeal of Buckingham answered that it was impossible to fix a time, as the longer the appeal to Parliament was delayed, the more chance there would be of obtaining the consent of the Houses.2 the penal laws, and of the maining in The extreme readiness of Charles and Buckingham to make concessions was probably caused by the care which Olivares had taken to allow the news of the proposed retenInfanta re- tion of the Infanta to reach their ears. He himself, Spain. he declared, was quite satisfied that the King of England's bare engagement was enough to enable his own sovereign to take the required oath, but the Nuncio was of a different opinion. It is probable that the course which had been adopted by Olivares in the Council had been suggested by De Massimi. At all events, he now came forward to defend it. The marriage, he said, might take place, but it must be a mere ceremony. The Prince must go back at once to England, to obtain from his father the execution of the 1 Francisco de Jesus, 73. 2 Corner to the Doge, May 27 Venice MSS. Desp. Spagna. • In the letter just quoted, it is said impersonally “si respondi.' But the despatch of May attributes the idea to De Massimi. "Perche la negativa di dar subito la Infanta al Principe era persuasa del Nuncio," etc. It had been suggested to the Nuncio by the Congregation of Cardinals. Francisco de Jesus, 60. promises made. As might have been expected, both Charles and Buckingham were enraged at the very notion of delay, and the Nuncio, fearing that if he said anything more on the subject, the Prince would really return to England, consented, in appearance at least, to give way. Charles gives way on every point. Yet the threat, though abandoned for the present, had done its work. Rather than go home without the Infanta, Charles was ready to agree to anything. His wife, he now said, might have the care of her children till they were twelve: the oath of allegiance should be altered so as to please the Pope. The Infanta's church should be open to the public. He and his father would bind themselves to the immediate suspension of the penal laws, and the King would engage to persuade Parliament to repeal them in three years. Pedrosa's sermon. With these concessions Philip professed himself satisfied. If James confirmed his son's engagements, he would himself be ready to take the oath, and would allow his sister to accompany the Prince to England. But just as Cottington was about to start with the news, a fresh obstacle arose. A certain Father Pedrosa, a great opponent of the match, had been appointed to preach in the royal chapel. He did not throw away his opportunity. Turning to the King, he warned him to decide from the interests of religion rather than from considerations of state policy. Jehu, who had slaughtered Ahab and the priests of Baal, had met with disasters because, however good in itself the action was, he had not served God with his whole heart. In the present case, it could not even be said that the action was good. To marry the Infanta to a heretic was doubtful, and to take an larity of the oath that this heretic would keep his word was more marriage. doubtful still. Philip, whose conscience was always sensitive to considerations of this kind, was the more ready to take alarm as he knew that the marriage was generally unpopular amongst his subjects, now that it was known that Charles had not come to be converted. People were every day talking about the prophecy of Daniel, who had predicted ruin to fall upon the King of the South that is to say upon the Unpopu 1623 THE POPE WRITES TO CHARLES. 49 King of Spain of the House of Austria-Rex Austri, as it stood in the Vulgate-for giving his daughter in marriage to the King of the North. Under these circumstances, Philip hesitated and drew back, waiting to see what relief the Junta of Theologians would bring. the Pope presented to Even this rebuff could not cure Charles of his incorrigible habit of holding out hopes which he had no intention of A letter from gratifying. When the Nuncio presented him with a letter from the Pope, in which he was exhorted to Charles. return to the true Church, he not only spoke respectfully of the writer, but he added that, although he could not listen to any theological discussion now, he would be willing to hear anything as soon as the marriage was over.1 In the written answer which he returned to the Pope, he expressed himself in more guarded terms. Yet even this contrasts most unfavourably with the letter which had been written a few months previously by his father. James had The Prince's urged the Pope not to allow difference of religion to stand in the way of a common understanding for the re-establishment of the peace of Christendom. Charles talked of those differences as the seed sown by the inveterate malice of Satan, and promised to employ all his energies in effecting a reconciliation in the Church. So far, he said, was he from feeling any abhorrence for the Roman Catholic religion, that he would take every opportunity, with the help of time, to remove all sinister suspicions, so that as we all publicly confess one undivided Trinity, and one Christ crucified, we may unite with one mind in one only faith, and in one Church.' If Charles only meant that he looked forward to the establish answer. 14 72 17 May 24 Venice MSS. Desp. Spagna. 24 27' June 3' ' Corner to the Doge, May Corner's authority is quite good enough, and is not invalidated by the fact that there is no mention of the engagement to listen to discussion in the answer as given in Goodman, ii. 260. Charles may have said it in con. versation atter the formal reply was given. The Prince to Gregory XV., Hardwicke S. P. i. 452. The letter, contrary to the general belief in England at the time, was written either by the Prince himself, or by his direction, without any reference to his father. See the letter of June 6, Hardwicke S. P. i. 419. VOL. V. |