At the same moment a thoroughly Catholic prince,
Sigismund III, ascended the throne of Poland, with the prospect also of
future succession to the throne of Sweden. But whenever any principle or
power, be it what it may, aims at unlimited supremacy in Europe, some
vigorous resistance to it, having its origin in the deepest springs of
human nature, invariably arises. Philip II had to encounter newly
awakened powers, braced by the vigor of youth and elevated by a sense of
their future destiny.
[1] Ranke.
"The intrepid corsairs, who had rendered every sea insecure, now
clustered round the coasts of their native island. The Protestants in a
body--even the Puritans, although they had been subjected to as severe
oppression as the Catholics--rallied round their Queen, who now gave
admirable proof of her masculine courage and her princely talent of
winning the affections and leading the minds and preserving the
allegiance of men."
Ranke should have added that the English Catholics at this crisis proved
themselves as loyal to their Queen and true to their country as were the
most vehement anti-Catholic zealots in the island. Some few traitors
there were, but as a body, the Englishmen who held the ancient faith
stood the trial of their patriotism nobly. The lord admiral himself was
a Catholic, and--to adopt the words of Hallam--"then it was that the
Catholics in every country repaired to the standard of the lord
lieutenant, imploring that they might not be suspected of bartering the
national independence for their religion itself.
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