"The Prince of Parma," he said, "is making great preparations for
war, and with all expedition means to march a great army, and for a
triumph, the coats and costly, apparel for his own body doth exceed
for embroidery, and beset with jewels; for all the embroiderers and
diamond-cutters work both night and day, such haste is made. Five
hundred velvet coats of one sort for lances, and a great number of
brave new coats made for horsemen; 30,000 men are ready, and gather
in Brabant and Flanders. It is said that there shall be in two days
10,000 to do some great exploit in these parts, and 20,000 to march
with the Prince into France, and for certain it is not known what
way or how they shall march, but all are ready at an hour's warning
--4,000 saddles, 4000 lances. 6,000 pairs of boots, 2,000 barrels of
beer, biscuit sufficient for a camp of 20,000 men, &c. The Prince
hath received a marvellous costly garland or crown from the Pope,
and is chosen chief of the holy league..."]

but when he spoke at the council-board, it was to ears wilfully deaf.
Nor was much concealed from the Argus-eyed politicians in the republic.
The States were more and more intractable. They knew nearly all the
truth with regard to the intercourse between the Queen's government and
Farnese, and they suspected more than the truth. The list of English
commissioners privately agreed upon between Burghley and De Loo was known
to Barneveld, Maurice, and Hohenlo, before it came to the ears of
Leicester. In June, Buckhurst had been censured by Elizabeth for opening
the peace matter to members of the States, according to her bidding, and
in July Leicester was rebuked for exactly the opposite delinquency. She
was very angry that he had delayed the communication of her policy so
long, but she expressed her anger only when that policy had proved so
transparent as to make concealment hopeless. Leicester, as well as
Buckhurst, knew that it was idle to talk to the Netherlanders of peace,