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#76 RISE OF THE CONTINENTALto become its defender, but circumstances made it impossiblethat she should confine herself to playing that part at home*England (for Sweden had not yet taken a decided part) wasthe first leading power which had declared for the Protestants ;and Elizabeth was therefore considered as the generalsupporter, if not the head, of the party ;a character whichshe could not refuse without endangering her own interests.Then as Spain was at this time governed by Philip II. themost determined of the defenders of the old doctrine, a mantoo whose prideElizabeth had wounded by the refusal of hishand, the antipathy which sprung up between these twopowers became an almost necessary consequence. Butagain, it was this very antipathy which laid the foundationof the greatness of England. The religious interest now involved that of independence and political existence ; andEngland, in entering the lists against the first power of thetime, was under the necessity of either raising herself to eminence, or abjectly submitting to be crushed ;the choice laybetween victory and destruction*That this relation between England and Spain could lastthirty years (15581588) without breaking into open war,while at the same time Elizabeth never, during this lonerperiod, made a single sacrifice of her real interests,is un^doubtedly the most splendid proof of her superior politicalability.But in the mean time, other circumstances aroseon the continent, which very much strengthened the connexion with England ;namely, the war of the Hugonots inFrance, and the revolution in the Netherlands. And although one of these ties was broken off evenduring thereign of Elizabeth, the other seemed to be permanently Jestablished."When the disturbances began in the Netherlands, therewere three reasons why England should take part with theinsurgents. It has been mentioned, that the Flemish provinces were the principal market for the disposal of Britishproduce, 1and even on this account England could not be inimnnJC r ** ^^n^ofJ he ******* * 1564 >aU attem Pt t0 PrGVent feeimportation of English cloths, occasioned disputes which were terminateda prOYlslfm Llfor1^ aiTangement. See Rapin, in whose work may also befound an account of the trade between England and the Netherlands. ItsPUS!^18P f i We VG m m * j n* S ld >(quere, what dollar?) of whichn 6 Envffi ^ d r 4 S land amounted to five millions. Vol.