Quote 478 of 495

It seems more likely, however, that even had the Spaniards snatched a
victory at sea, the final picture of Europe, when peace came, would
not have been much different.  Philip and his militant advisers
dreamed of a great crusade which should wipe out heresy and impose on
Christendom the king of Spain's Catholic peace.  Drake and his felow
Puritans dreamed of spreading the religious revolution throughout
Europe until Anti-Christ was hurled from his throne.  Both dreams were
wide of reality.  Neither the Catholic nor the Protestant coalition
had the necessary unity, or could dispose of the necessary force.
Systems of ideas, though usually self-limiting in their spread, are
harder to kill than men, or even than nations.  Of all the kinds of
war, a crusade, a total war against a system of ideas, is the hardest
to win.  By its very natrue, the war between Spain and England was
likely to be indecisive, and, men being what they are, even its object
lesson proved to be in vain.  Most of Europe had to fight another war,
thirty years long, before deciding that crusades were a poor way of
settling differences of opinion, and that two or more systems of ideas
could live side by side without mortal danger to either.
		-- The Armada, Garrett Mattingly, pp. 399-400

Tags: england peace dreams drake garrett thirtyyears crusade totalwar christendom crusades heresy spaniards puritans pictureofeurope mortaldanger kingofspain religiousrevolution necessaryforce victoryatsea necessaryunity