mburg, 1852.]

This incurable jealousy between Francis and Charles made the French
King loth to weaken his friendship with Henry. The English King was
careful to impress upon the French ambassador that he could, in the
last resort, make his peace with Charles by taking back Catherine and
by restoring Mary to her place in the line of succession.[883] Francis
had too poignant a recollection of the results of the union between
Henry and Charles from 1521 to 1525 ever to risk its renewal. The age
of the crusades and chivalry was gone; commercial and national rivalries
were as potent in the sixteenth century as they are to-day. Then, as
in subsequent times, mutual suspicions made impossible an effective
concert of Europe against the Turk. The fall of Rhodes and the death
of one of Charles's brothers-in-law at Mohacz and the expulsion of
another from the throne of Denmark had never been avenged, and, in
1534, the Emperor was compelled to evacuate Coron.[884] If Europe
could not combine against the common enemy of the Faith, was it likely
to combine against one who, in spite of all his enormities, was still
an orthodox Christian? And, without a combination of princes to
execute them, papal censures, excommunications, interdicts, and all
the spiritual paraphernalia, served only to probe the hollowness of
papal pretensions, and to demonstrate the deafness of Europe to the
calls of religious enthusiasm. In Spain, at least, it might have been
thought that every sword would leap from its scabbard at a summons (p. 313)
from Charles on behalf of the Spanish Queen. "Henry," wrote Chapuys,
"has always fortified himself by the consent of Parliament."[885] It
would be well, he thought, if Charles would follow suit, and induce
the Cortes of Aragon and Castile, "or at least the grandees," to offer
their persons and goods in Catherine's cause. Such an offer, if
published in England, "will be of inestimable service". But here comes
the proof of Charles's pitiful impotence; in order to obtain this
public offer, the Emperor was "to give them privately an exemption
from such offer and promise of persons and goods". It was to be one
more pretence like the others, and unfortunately for the Pope and for
the Emperor, Henry had an inconvenient habit of piercing disguises.

[Footnote 883: _L. and P._, vi., 1572.]

[Footnote 884: _Ibid._, vii., 670.]

[Footnote 885: _L. and P._, vi., 720.]