“If I chose, I could do something very good without you, although some persons are so fond of saying that it was quite necessary for the Queen of England to do what she does for her own protection.  No, no!  Disabuse yourselves of that impression.  These are but false persuasions.  Believe boldly that I can play an excellent game without your assistance, and a better one than I ever did with it!  Nevertheless, I do not choose to do that, nor do I wish you so much harm.  But likewise do I not choose that you should hold such language to me.  It is true that I should not wish the Spaniard so near me if he should be my enemy.  But why should I not live in peace, if we were to be friends to each other?  At the commencement of my reign we lived honourably together, the King of Spain and I, and he even asked me to, marry him, and, after that, we lived a long time very peacefully, without any attempt having been made against my life.  If we both choose, we can continue so to do.

“On the other hand, I sent you the Earl of Leicester, as lieutenant of my forces, and my intention was that he should have exact knowledge of your finances and contributions.  But, on the contrary, he has never known anything about them, and you have handled them in your own manner and amongst yourselves.  You have given him the title of governor, in order, under this name, to cast all your evils on his head.  That title he accepted against my will, by doing which he ran the risk of losing his life, and his estates, and the grace and favour of his Princess, which was more important to him than all.  But he did it in order to maintain your tottering state.  And what authority, I pray you, have you given him?  A shadowy authority, a purely imaginary one.  This is but mockery.  He is, at any rate, a gentleman, a man of honour and of counsel.  You had no right to treat him thus.  If I had accepted the title which you wished to give me, by the living God, I would not have suffered you so to treat me.

“But you are so badly advised that when there is a man of worth who discovers your tricks you wish him ill, and make an outcry against him; and yet some of you, in order to save your money, and others in the hope of bribes, have been favouring the Spaniard, and doing very wicked work.  No, believe me that God will punish those who for so great a benefit wish to return me so much evil.  Believe, boldly too, that the King of Spain will never trust men who have abandoned the party to which they belonged, and from which they have received so many benefits, and will never believe a word of what they promise him.  Yet, in order to cover up their filth, they spread the story that the Queen of England is thinking of treating for peace without their knowledge.  No, I would rather be dead than that any one should have occasion to say that I had not kept my promise.  But princes must listen to both sides, and that can be done without breach of faith.  For they transact business in a certain way, and with a princely intelligence, such as private persons cannot imitate.