Quote 475 of 495

So for ten years now [Dr William] Allen had been urging haste with the
Enterprise.  Yet now, as always whenever the ghost of a chance
appeared, he felt there was still time.  The old arguments marshaled
themselves in his brain. England was an open land.  The harbors were
many and safe.  It abounded with cattle and all sorts of provisions to
be had for taking. Its cities were ungarrisoned and practicaly
unfortified.  Not one could stand a three-day siege.  Its people were
unaccustomed to war, no match for the Spanish veterans. But more
important still, two thirds of them were Catholics, or secret
sympathizers with the Catholic cause.  The professed Catholoics would
join a Catholic army at once.  They knew now that they owed the queen
no duty and only obeyed her through fear.
		-- The Armada, Garrett Mattingly, p. 62

Tags: england queen fear brain provisions allsorts twothirds match cattle catholics haste drwilliam sympathizers ghostofachance catholicarmy garrettmattingly