Note 198 — Chapter VII · 1570-1578

Cobham arrived in Madrid in May, when Alba’s memorandum on Ridolfi’s mission was in Philip’s hands. As was usual in English affairs, Feria was one of those asked to report on Cobham’s mission. He and his colleagues recommend that Cobham should be curtly dismissed, and the English again referred to Alba for the discussion of the trade dispute, and this course was taken. An extremely interesting letter was written by Feria to the King’s Secretary, Zayas, which is full of bitterness that his former advice as to England had not been taken. Amongst other things, Feria writes: “I understand that our object is to keep friendly with England because it is not at present possible to undertake the subjection of that country and Ireland. We were lords of it once and left it. The friendship will be difficult to maintain if the Sovereign be not a Catholic and our hold upon the Netherlands less firm. The Queen sees our weakness and assails us with inventions and fears that she will marry in France. She will no more marry Anjou than she will marry me.... If Cobham is not dealt with in dignified fashion I fear that our efforts to avoid war will only bring it upon us, and we shall find suddenly some day that we have lost the Catholics, and even they will take up arms against us. When the Queen once understands that the Catholics depend upon our King she will not dare to break with us. There is no other way out of it. For the last two years we have trodden the path of feebleness; let us now try the other road.”—Feria to Zayas, 10th May, 1571, Spanish Calendar, vol. ii.