564 REIGN OF ELIZABETH. [CH. 67. him best did not believe him to be treacherous. Yet ' which is better/ wrote Stafford, ' to fall into the hands of a deep dissembler, which I have ever taken the King to be, and do more than three-quarters believe it still ; or into the hands of a coward constrained by fear to embrace any party ? This is as much to be feared as the other; for I never saw but cowards were ever bloodiest and cruellest when they had the victory. God, like a good God, may bring many things about to His will, and put His hand to that which we were not likely to hope for ; but for God's sake let us not live in hope so much of heavenly Providence that we forget to provide for earthly helps which God gives us, for fear we tempt him to be angry with us.' 1 Providence or chance was indeed at the moment curiously working for Elizabeth, and in the most un- likely quarter. On the 24th of April Gregory XIII. jlosed his long Pontificate. He was succeeded by Car- dinal Montalta, known to history as Sextus V., who, ambitious to distinguish his Pontificate, and believing himself born to extinguish the schism in the Church, commenced by a dream of converting the heretic Queen. Sir Edward Stafford, it seems, had been heard to say in Paris that if the worst came to the worst his mistress could save herself by hearing a mass. The words were carried to Rome, and for a few weeks the Vatican was full of a belief that so it was to June. raise your spirit. 'lam your good sister and assured cousin, ' ELIZABETH.' MSS. France, May, 1585. 1 Stafford to Walsingham, June 22 July 2 : MSS. France.
