nder him
Rome became the political as well as the religious centre of Western
Europe. The history of the Papacy widened again, as in the Middle Ages,
into the history of the world. Every scheme of the Catholic resistance
was devised or emboldened at Rome. While her Jesuit emissaries won a new
hold in Bavaria and Southern Germany, rolled back the tide of
Protestantism in the Rhineland, and by school and pulpit laboured to
re-Catholicize the Empire, Rome spurred Mary Stuart to the Darnley
marriage, urged Philip to march Alva on the Netherlands, broke up the
religious truce which Catharine had won for France, and celebrated with
solemn pomp the massacre of the Huguenots. England above all was the
object of Papal attack. The realm of Elizabeth was too important for the
general Papal scheme of reconquering Christendom to be lightly let go.
England alone could furnish a centre to the reformed communions of
Western Europe. The Lutheran states of North Germany were too small. The
Scandinavian kingdoms were too remote. Scotland hardly ranked as yet as
a European power. Even if France joined the new movement her influence
would long be neutralized by the strife of the religious parties within
her pale. But England was to outer seeming a united realm. Her
government held the country firmly in hand. Whether as an island or from
her neighbourhood to the chief centres of the religious strife, she was
so placed as to give an effective support to the new opinions.
Protestant refugees found a safe shelter within her bounds. Her trading
ships diffused heresy in every port they touched at. She could at little
risk feed the Calvinistic revolution in France or the Netherlands. In
the great battle of the old faith and the new England was thus the key
of the reformed position. With England Protestant the fight against
Protestantism could only be a slow and doubtful one. On the other hand a
Catholic England would render religious revolution in the west all but
hopeless. Hand in hand with Philip religiously, as she already was
politically, the great island might turn the tide of the mighty conflict
which had so long gone against the Papacy.

[Sidenote: Philip and the Netherlands.]

It was from this sense of the importance of England in the world-wide
struggle which it was preparing that Rome had watched with such a
feverish interest the effort of Mary Stuart. Her victory would have
given to Catholicism the two westernmost realms of the Reforma