The Queen of England, on the other hand—­although often listenting to secret agents from Brussels and Madrid who offered peace, and although perfectly aware that the great abject of Spain in securing peace with England was to be able to swoop down at once upon the republic, thus deprived of any allies was beside herself with rage, whenever she suspected, with or without reason, that Brussels or Madrid had been sending peace emissaries to the republic.

“Before I could get into the room,” said Caron, on one such occasion, “she called out, ’Have you not always told me that the States never could, would, or should treat for peace with the enemy?  Yet now it is plain enough that they have proceeded only too far in negotiations.’  And she then swore a big oath that if the States were to deceive her she meant to take such vengeance that men should talk of it for ever and ever.”  It was a long time before the envoy could induce her to listen to a single word, although the, perfect sincerity of the States in their attitude to the queen and to Spain was unquestionable, and her ill-humour on the subject continued long after it had been demonstrated how much she had been deceived.

Yet it was impossible in the nature of things for the States to play her false, even if no reliance were to be placed on their sagacity and their honour.  Even the recent naval expedition of the republic against the distant possessions of Spain—­which in its result had caused so much disappointment to the States, and cost them so many lives, including that of the noble admiral whom every sailor in the Netherlands adored had been of immense advantage to England.  The queen acknowledged that the Dutch Navy had averted the storm which threatened to descend upon her kingdom out of Spain, the Spanish ships destined for the coast of Ireland having been dispersed and drawn to the other aide of the world by these demonstrations of her ally.  For this she vowed that she would be eternally grateful, and she said as much in “letters full of sugar and honey”—­according to the French envoy—­which she sent to the States by Sir Francis Vere.  She protested, in short, that she had been better and more promptly served in her necessities by the Netherlands than by her own subjects.

All this sugar and honey however did not make the mission of Envoy Edmonds less bitter to the States.  They heard that he was going about through half the cities of the obedient Netherlands in a sort of triumphal procession, and it was the general opinion of the politicians and financiers of the continent that peace between Spain and England was as good as made.  Naturally therefore, notwithstanding the exuberant expressions of gratitude on the part of Elizabeth, the republican Government were anxious to know what all this parleying meant.  They could not believe that people would make a raree-show of the English envoy except for sufficient reason.  Caron accordingly presented