This  was  a  good  excuse  to  avoid  his  importunities  until  the
treasures  were  landed  and  disposed  of,  although  it  is  clear
that  some  of  the  more  timid  or  disinterested  members  of
the  Queen's  Council  were  apprehensive  at  the  magnitude
of  the  injury  done  to  Spain.     Mendoza  was  warned  by  the
Council  that  he  was  talking  too  freely  about  the  matter,
and  "  Leicester  also  sent  a  secretary  of  his  to  say  that  my
••  talk   about  Drake's  robberies   was  causing  much   fear
"  amongst  the  merchants  that  your  Majesty  would  declare
"  war  about  it,  and  this  would  oblige  the  Queen  to   send
"  all  her  ships  to  sea  and  raise  foreign  troops.     In  view
*'  of  present  circumstances  lie  would  leave  me  to  judge
"  whether  it  would  be  advantageous  for  your  Majesty's
"  interests  for  the  Queen  to  arm  at  this  time,  now  that
"  the  French  were  ui'ging  her  to  marry  Alon^on  and  bind
"  herself  to  them.     He  therefore  thought  that  it  would  be
"  better  to  come  to  some  arrangement  about  Drake.     I
"  told  him  that  until  I  had  seen  the  Queen  and  conveyed
"  your  Majesty's  message  to  her,  I  had  nothing  to  say
•'  upon  the  matter  of  Drake ;  and  as  for  the  rest,  I  would
"  only  say  that,  in  my  capabity  of  a  simple  soldier,  whose
"  weapon  was  his  arm  rather  than  his  tongue,  I  had  done
"  my  best    to    keep   the   Queen  from    provoking    your
"  Majesty  to  lay  hands  upon  her  ;  and  as  for  her  marrying
"  Alengon  and  joining  the  French,   that   concerned   me
•'  little,  as  I  was  sure  that  both  parties  would  understand
"  the  importance  of  not  offending'  so  powerful  a  monarch
"as  your  Majesty"    (page  61).    It  was  this  hectoring


X  INTEODUCTION.
