. Two English queens and Philip. Elizabeth over her subjectswas weakened. There were many Catholics who hadgrown tired of persecution, and were willing topurchase peace by open compliance with the Queenslaws. More there were who would have been fullycontent with even limited toleration for their observ-ance. But to these fiery young spirits toleration wasa more deadly blow than persecution, and although upto this time the secular priests had been willing toconcede to Catholics some appearance of outwardconformity, the attendance at Protestant service wasnow forbidden to those of the old Faith.
. Two English queens and Philip. Elizabeth over her subjectswas weakened. There were many Catholics who hadgrown tired of persecution, and were willing topurchase peace by open compliance with the Queenslaws. More there were who would have been fullycontent with even limited toleration for their observ-ance. But to these fiery young spirits toleration wasa more deadly blow than persecution, and although upto this time the secular priests had been willing toconcede to Catholics some appearance of outwardconformity, the attendance at Protestant service wasnow forbidden to those of the old Faith. The resultwas almost at once a recrudescence of the persecutionsapfainst Catholics in a crueller form than ever, with theinevitable result of raising a stronger and morefanatical religious spirit than had existed amongst theCatholics in England since the early days of Eliza-beths reign. Needless to say, Mendoza soon got into touch withthe new fighting element in the struggle againstElizabeth. The ambassadors feigned politeness. ROBERT PARSONS, MENDOZA GROWS VIOLENT 369 towards Elizabeth had been strained almost to break-ing point by the news of Drakes terrible depredationsin the Pacific ; and he had already fallen in his corre-spondence with his master into the same heated toneof indignation as his predecessors had done, urgingthe King to prompt reprisals upon these insolentheretics. When Drake himself arrived with his vastbooty, and was effusively received by the Queen,Mendozas angry violence of word, and his openthreats, earned for him exclusion from the Queenspresence. He was offered, indeed, a bribe of 50,000crowns to moderate his tone, but he replied in a rage,that he would pay more than that sum himself topunish so great a thief as Drake. ^ Almost daily Mendozas indignation v/ith Elizabethbecame more heated. Amongst other causes of com-plaint was one that for the first time brought him intoan acrimonious squabble with Elizabeth herself, thoughthe occasion w
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