SPAIN AND THE JACOBEAN CATHOLICS
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Spain. informed her that had asked your Majesty for leave to return on that account to that kingdom for would like to say frankly thaton that score their Majesties were at fault. Indeed they had not mentioned a word for twenty months about an affair in which they were deeply concerned.5 Meanwhile others as well as had told them on several occasions that the road to achieve it was to advance the Catholic faith and to have the prince a Catholic yet during that period we had been seeingthem hanging priests and stripping Catholics of their property and persecuting them in such a way that your Majesty could properly consider himself disillusioned. She replied that was right and that the religion of the king had deprived her children. She told me that she was quite Catholic ( she is no more than what I told your Majesty in another letter of which I will send along a copy. Then I spoke of the favour she had been pleased to do for me) in that the audience had gone beyond an hour and when wished to arise at one moment she bade me be still and she laughed that the older members of the Council there had moved aside and rested against the walls. Later was with Lady Drummond. She said that she was asking me secretly on the queen's behalf why had come. responded that her Majesty was alreadyquite aware ofit. She said that she was not unless should tell here that it was to wed your Majesty with the princess about which she gave me her word on the part of the queen to keep secret. 6 swore by everything possible as a Christian that not even a thought of marriage had occurred to your Majesty. This was not sufficient to prevent her from remarking at Theobalds that was deceiving her. " May our Lord protect the Catholic person of your Majesty as Christianity has need. From London, 2 August 1612 TheMarquis of Flores autograph
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1 i.e. 19 July o.s. This second audience is distinct from the earlier one with James and Anne. 2 Somerset House 3 For some time after the betrothalsthis question was debated . Opinions from theologians and lawyers whether Ana had to resign her rights to Castile to prevent the ultimate union of France and Spain are indicated in Papeles de Francia (B.M. Add. Mss 14,000 , ff. 825-59 ). Digby reported that the act excludingAna from the Spanish succession would be drawn up by way of condition and that the king of France and the Infanta, when they are of compleat yeares, shall make a voluntary renuntiation of all right and interest (P.R.O. , S.P. 94 / 19/25v, Digby to Lake , 12 February 1612 o.s. ) . Velasco informed Cecil that Ana was no longer the heiress of Castile ( C.S.P. Venetian 1610-13 , p . 216) . 4 The italic passage is written over the original cipher . 5 This is a response to the disappointmentshown over the betrothals.
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6 Digby wrote: they would willingly haue me conceaue that there are reall intents here for this kings demanding of the Lady Elizabeth the Florentine is very desirous here to haue the honor that one of their ladies may be reckoned in the number. But the strongest and most general opinion goeth for my Lady
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