Spain, there to advise King Philip in his plans for the invasion of England. Stanley's scheme, as tendered to the Spanish King, was to land an army in Ireland, and after conquering that country, to disembark troops at Milford Haven. Having done this, the Spanish fleet was to hold the Irish Channel, so that more troops could be brought over from Spain for the invasion of England on the grand scale. Even if this latter item in the programme were not feasible for some time yet, Stanley argued that Spain would be able to garrison Milford just as England had formerly occupied Calais.
That Stanley's schemes were far more wisely conceived and more likely of success than those adopted by Philip when despatching his great Armada, there can be no doubt; but (happily for England) the King refused to listen to his advice. Sir William Stanley, thereupon, returned to the Netherlands, to serve under Parma in the army which was to co-operate with the Armada (of 1588). After the failure of the Armada, he returned again to Spain in order to endeavour to obtain, once more, Philip's approval of his original scheme for sending troops to Ireland and Milford. From 1590 to 1600 he was serving, off and on, in the Netherlands, whilst making several visits to Madrid, and to Rome, to keep alive his cherished idea of invading England.
The accession of James I. opened, at last Stanley's eyes as to the hopelessness of the
