ractises: promising them, and bestowing vpon them
extraordinarie rewards, of purpose to stirre them vp to moue domestical
conspiracies against her Maiestie.

And how much they preuailed in their attempts, it is not materiall in
this place particularly to discusse, for so this worke would growe
large. The 3. principall conspiracies, the one of the Earles of
Northumberland and Westmerland, and of their partizans, the second of
the Duke of Norfolke, the third of the two Pagets brethren, as also of
the two Throckmortons and of their confederats, whereof some were
condemned and executed, for their intended ouerthrow of the Queenes
Maiestie, and of the state of the Commonwealth, and the rest that are
fled, and wander vp and downe in vncertaine places, and are to this day
mainteined at the charge and by the purse of the Spanish King, are in
this matter very sufficient witnesses.

But the Patrons and complotters of these rebellious, being subtile and
cautelous in their actions, howsoeuer apparant the factes of their
seditious ministers seeme to bee, yet peraduenture the Spaniard himself
wil denie them to be his precepts, and directions. Did he then chastise
those his ministers being returned into Spaine, as transgressers of his
pleasures? Did hee detaine from them all rewards and preferments, as
hauing ill deserued them? hath he blamed the auctours of such facts, and
excused himself to the Queene? I would to God it were so.

[Sidenote: The conspiracie of the King of Spaine against the kingdoms of
England and Ireland 1570.]

But goe to, let these witnesses passe. May hee be taken for a man of a
good spirit, & of no poysoned minde against her Maiestie? Let then
_Guilielmus Cataneus_, the Popes Secretarie that now is be produced: let
his worke of the life of _Pius Quintus_ sometime bishop of Rome be read.
The saide _Cataneus_ in that booke of his reporteth, that Philip the
king of Spaine complained bitterly and with great griefe to the
Cardinall of _Alexandria_, sent vnto him into Spaine in the yeere 1572.
because the conspired practise, as wel against England as Ireland, not
long before entred vpon by his authoritie and aduise, had not that
successe that he looked for.

[Sidenote: Ships and forces twise sent into Ireland by the King of
Spaine.]

Adde hereunto the ships and forces sent twise out of Spaine into Ireland
vnder the pretext of the Popes name. As for the late treatie of peace
with the Duke of _Parma_ in Flanders,