the difficultyes and damages of all other wayes, whatsoever should be devised. For firste, he was wonte to saye, that if the house of Portugall should be preferred, many difficultyes would be aboute the admittinge of the Kinge of Spaine, both for that the English, of what stocke soever, would not willingly yelde to have ther Crowne subjected to any other, nor would other Christyan princes rounde aboute like of that increase of soe greate a monarchye, and consequently there woulde followe much warre and bloudshed; for the Dukes of Parma and Braganza, which alsoe are of this house of Portugall, though they be worthie Princes, yet greate difficultyes doe seeme woulde followe, both for that they wante forces sufficyently to gette and defende soe greate a Crowne; as alsoe for that theire tytles to the successyon of Englande may seeme in parte to be decyded against them alreadye in the controversye that is paste of the Crowne of Portugall, though some men will saye that there is a difference in the state of these twoe successyons. In the house of Suffolke, that conteyneth the Earles of Hertforde and Darbye there are partely alsoe the same, and partly farre greater difficultyes; the same for that the powers are not like to be sufficyente for soe difficulte an enterprise, and farre greater, for that the tytles doe seeme evidently behinde that of Scotlande, which cometh of the eldeste daughter of King Henry the Seventh, and ther is onely of the yonger syde the impedimente of the religion, wherof I shall speake presentlye. There remayneth then onely the house of Scotland, and namely the Kinge's tytle, for of Arbellae's pretention C. A. never made any accompte at all, she beinge as is knowne of a seconde marryadge, and that intangled with many difficultyes and doubtes as the booke declareth; about which tytle of the Kinge of Scottes, C. A. was wonte to saye that albeyt for the causes above mentyoned of the quiet posessyon of Henry the Seventh, he was longe desirous that noe mutation should be made in this yssue, espetyally as longe as the Queene of Scottes lived, which was a knowne Catholique, and soe longe after her death as there was any hope of the reduction and conformitye of her sonne (nowe Kinge) to the Catholique faithe; upon which hope both C. A. and Mr. Fr. P. and other the freindes labored earnestly for his prefermente divers yeares together, yet afterwardes seinge the perseverance of the Kinge in his professyon of herysie, and consyderinge that havinge bin broughte up and nourished in the same from his tender yeares, though otherwise as it is thoughte of noe evill nature, it would be hard to expecte any sure or firme reduction in a prince of his yeares and libertye, and that of this one pointe notwithstandinge depended the whole good or distruction of our whole country and realme, C. A. beganne