westward ho-第134节

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ge　of　one　John　White。　　Raleigh　had　written　more　than　once；　entreating　Amyas　to　take　the　command；　which　if　he　had　done；　perhaps　the　United　States　had　begun　to　exist　twenty　years　sooner　than　they　actually　did。　　But　his　mother　had　bound　him　by　a　solemn　promise　（and　who　can　wonder　at　her　for　asking；　or　at　him　for　giving　it？）　to　wait　at　home　with　her　twelve　months　at　least。　　So；　instead　of　himself；　he　sent　five　hundred　pounds；　which　I　suppose　are　in　Virginia　（virtually　at　least）　until　this　day；　for　they　never　came　back　again　to　him。

But　soon　came　a　sharper　trial　of　Amyas's　promise　to　his　mother；　and　one　which　made　him；　for　the　first　time　in　his　life；　moody；　peevish；　and　restless；　at　the　thought　that　others　were　fighting　Spaniards；　while　he　was　sitting　idle　at　home。　　For　his　whole　soul　was　filling　fast　with　sullen　malice　against　Don　Guzman。　　He　was　losing　the　〃single　eye；〃　and　his　whole　body　was　no　longer　full　of　light。　　He　had　entered　into　the　darkness　in　which　every　man　walks　who　hates　his　brother；　and　it　lay　upon　him　like　a　black　shadow　day　and　night。　No　company；　too；　could　be　more　fit　to　darken　that　shadow　than　Salvation　Yeo's。　　The　old　man　grew　more　stern　in　his　fanaticism　day　by　day；　and　found　a　too　willing　listener　in　his　master；　and　Mrs。　Leigh　was　（perhaps　for　the　first　and　last　time　in　her　life）　seriously　angry；　when　she　heard　the　two　coolly　debating　whether　they　had　not　committed　a　grievous　sin　in　not　killing　the　Spanish　prisoners　on　board　the　galleon。

It　must　be　said；　however　（as　the　plain　facts　set　down　in　this　book　testify）；　that　if　such　was　the　temper　of　Englishmen　at　that　day；　the　Spaniards　had　done　a　good　deal　to　provoke　it；　and　were　just　then　attempting　to　do　still　more。

For　now　we　are　approaching　the　year　1588；　〃which　an　astronomer　of　Konigsberg；　above　a　hundred　years　before；　foretold　would　be　an　admirable　year；　and　the　German　chronologers　presaged　would　be　the　climacterical　year　of　the　world。〃

The　prophecies　may　stand　for　what　they　are　worth；　but　they　were　at　least　fulfilled。　　That　year　was；　indeed；　the　climacterical　year　of　the　world；　and　decided　once　and　for　all　the　fortunes　of　the　European　nations；　and　of　the　whole　continent　of　America。

No　wonder；　then；　if　（as　has　happened　in　each　great　crisis　of　the　human　race）　some　awful　instinct　that　The　Day　of　the　Lord　was　at　hand；　some　dim　feeling　that　there　was　war　in　heaven；　and　that　the　fiends　of　darkness　and　the　angels　of　light　were　arrayed　against　each　other　in　some　mighty　struggle　for　the　possession　of　the　souls　of　men；　should　have　tried　to　express　itself　in　astrologic　dreams；　and；　as　was　the　fashion　then；　attributed　to　the　〃rulers　of　the　planetary　houses〃　some　sympathy　with　the　coming　world…tragedy。

But；　for　the　wise；　there　needed　no　conjunction　of　planets　to　tell　them　that　the　day　was　near　at　hand；　when　the　long　desultory　duel　between　Spain　and　England　would　end；　once　and　for　all；　in　some　great　death…grapple。　　The　war；　as　yet；　had　been　confined　to　the　Netherlands；　to　the　West　Indies；　and　the　coasts　and　isles　of　Africa；　to　the　quarters；　in　fact；　where　Spain　was　held　either　to　have　no　rights；　or　to　have　forfeited　them　by　tyranny。　　But　Spain　itself　had　been　respected　by　England；　as　England　had　by　Spain；　and　trade　to　Spanish　ports　went　on　as　usual；　till；　in　the　year　1585；　the　Spaniard；　without　warning；　laid　an　embargo　on　all　English　ships　coming　to　his　European　shores。　　They　were　to　be　seized；　it　seemed；　to　form　part　of　an　enormous　armament；　which　was　to　attack　and　crush；　once　and　for　allwhom？　　The　rebellious　Netherlanders；　said　the　Spaniards：　but　the　queen；　the　ministry；　and；　when　it　was　just　not　too　late；　the　people　of　England；　thought　otherwise。　　England　was　the　destined　victim；　so；　instead　of　negotiating；　in　order　to　avoid　fighting；　they　fought　in　order　to　produce　negotiation。　Drake；　Frobisher；　and　Carlisle；　as　we　have　seen；　swept　the　Spanish　Main　with　fire　and　sword；　stopping　the　Indian　supplies；　while　Walsingham　（craftiest；　and　yet　most　honest　of　mortals）　prevented；　by　some　mysterious　financial　operation；　the　Venetian　merchants　from　repairing　the　Spaniards'　loss　by　a　loan；　and　no　Armada　came　that　year。

In　the　meanwhile；　the　Jesuits；　here　and　abroad；　made　no　secret；　among　their　own　dupes；　of　the　real　objects　of　the　Spanish　armament。　The　impious　heretics；the　Drakes　and　Raleighs；　Grenvilles　and　Cavendishes；　Hawkinses　and　Frobishers；　who　had　dared　to　violate　that　hidden　sanctuary　of　just　half　the　globe；　which　the　pope　had　bestowed　on　the　defender　of　the　true　faith；a　shameful　ruin；　a　terrible　death　awaited　them；　when　their　sacrilegious　barks　should　sink　beneath　the　thunder　of　Spanish　cannon；　blessed　by　the　pope；　and　sanctified　with　holy　water　and　prayer　to　the　service　of　〃God　and　his　Mother。〃　　Yes；　they　would　fall；　and　England　with　them。　　The　proud　islanders；　who　had　dared　to　rebel　against　St。　Peter；　and　to　cast　off　the　worship　of　〃Mary；〃　should　bow　their　necks　once　more　under　the　yoke　of　the　Gospel。　　Their　so…called　queen；　illegitimate；　excommunicate；　contumacious；　the　abettor　of　free…trade；　the　defender　of　the　Netherlands；　the　pillar　of　false　doctrine　throughout　Europe；　should　be　sent　in　chains　across　the　Alps；　to　sue　for　her　life　at　the　feet　of　the　injured　and　long…suffering　father　of　mankind；　while　his　nominee　took　her　place　upon　the　throne　which　she　had　long　since　forfeited　by　her　heresy。

〃What　nobler　work？　　How　could　the　Church　of　God　be　more　gloriously　propagated？　　How　could　higher　merit　be　obtained　by　faithful　Catholics？　　It　must　succeed。　　Spain　was　invincible　in　valor；　inexhaustible　in　wealth。　　Heaven　itself　offered　them　an　opportunity。　　They　had　nothing　now　to　fear　from　the　Turk；　for　they　had　concluded　a　truce　with　him；　nothing　from　the　French；　for　they　were　embroiled　in　civil　war。　　The　heavens　themselves　had　called　upon　Spain　to　fulfil　her　heavenly　mission；　and　restore　to　the　Church's　crown　this　brightest　and　richest　of　her　lost　jewels。　　The　heavens　themselves　called　to　a　new　crusade。　　The　saints；　whose　altars　the　English　had　rifled　and　profaned；　called　them　to　a　new　crusade。　　The　Virgin　Queen　of　Heaven；　whose　boundless　stores　of　grace　the　English　spurned；　called　them　to　a　new　crusade。　　Justly　incensed　at　her　own　wrongs　and　indignities；　that　'ever…gracious　Virgin；　refuge　of　sinners；　and　mother　of　fair　love；　and　holy　hope；'　adjured　by　their　knightly　honor　all　valiant　cavaliers　to　do　battle　in　her　cause　against　the　impious　harlot　who　assumed　her　titles；　received　from　her　idolatrous　flatterers　the　homage　due　to　Mary　alone；　and　even　（for　Father　Parsons　had　asserted　it；　therefore　it　must　be　true）　had　caused　her　name　to　be　substituted　for　that　of　Mary　in　the　Litanies　of　the　Church。　　Let　all　who　wore　within　a　manly　heart；　without　a　manly　sword；　look　on　the　woes　of　'Mary；'　her　shame；　her　tears；　her　blushes；　her　heart　pierced　through　with　daily　wounds；　from　heretic　tongues；　and　choose　between　her　and　Elizabeth！〃

So　said　Parsons；　Allen；　and　dozens　more；　and　said　more　than　this；　too；　and　much　which　one　had　rather　not　repeat；　and　were　somewhat　surprised　and　mortified　to　find　that　their　hearers；　though　they　granted　the　premises；　were　too　dull　or　carnal　to　arrive　at　the　same　conclusion。　　The　English　lay　Romanists；　almost　to　a　man；　had　hearts　sounder　than　their　heads；　and；　howsoever　illogically；　could　not　help　holding　to　the　strange　superstition　that；　being　Englishmen；　they　were　bound　to　fight　for　England。　　So　the　hapless　Jesuits；　who　had　been　boasting　for　years　past　that　the　persecuted　faithful　throughout　the　island　would　rise　as　one　man　to　fight　under　the　blessed　banner　of　the　pope　and　Spain；　found　that　the　faithful；　like　Demas　of　old；　forsook　them　and　〃went　after　this　present　world；〃　having　no　objection；　of　course；　to　the　restoration　of　Popery：　but　preferring　some　more　comfortable　method　than　an　invasion　which　would　inevitably　rob　them　of　their　ancestral　lands　and　would　seat　needy　and　greedy　Castilians　in　their　old　country　houses；　to　treat　their　tenants　as　they　had　treated　the　Indians　of　Hispaniola；　and　them　as　they　had　treated　the　caciques。

But　though　the　hearts　of　men　in　that　ungodly　age　were　too　hard　to　melt　at　the　supposed　woes　of　the　Mary　who　reigned　above；　and　too　dull　to　turn　rebels　and　traitors　for　the　sake　of　those　thrones　and　principalities　in　supra…lunar　spheres　which　might　be　in　her　gift：　yet　there　was　a　Mary　who　reigned　（or　ought　to　reign）　below；　whose　woes　（like　her　gifts）　were　somewhat　more　palpable　to　the　carnal　sense。　　A　Mary　who；　having　every　comfort　and　luxury　（including　hounds　and　horses）　found　for　her　by　the　English　Government；　at　an　expense　which　would　be　now　equal　to　some　twenty　thousand　a　year；　could　afford　to　employ　the　whole　of　her　jointure　as　Queen　Dowager　of　France　（probably　equal　to　fifty　thousand　a　year　more）；　in　plotting　the　destruction　of　the　said　government；　and　the　murder　of　its　queen；　a　Mary　who；　if　she　prospered　as　she　ought；　might　have　dukedoms；　and　earldoms；　fair　lands　and　castles　to　bestow　on　her　faithful　servants；　a　Mary；　finally；　who　contrived　by　means　of　an　angel　face；　a　serpent　tongue；　and　a　heart　（as　she　said　herself）　as　hard　as　a　diamond；　to　make　every　weak　man　fall　in　love　with　her；　and；　what　was　worse；　fancy　more　or　less　that　she　was　in　love　with　him。

Of　her　the　Jesuits　were　not　unmindful；　and　found　it