LXIX. manufactures, they brought along with them feveral LETTER ufeful arts, hitherto unknown, or but little cultivated, in England. The queen had alfo permitted the Flemish privateers to enter the English harbours, and there difpofe of their prizes. But, on the remonstrance of the Spanish ambaffador, fhe withdrew that liberty 4; a measure which, in the iffue, proved extremely prejudicial to the interefts of Philip, and which naturally leads us back to the hiftory of the civil wars in the Low Countries. THE GEUX, or beggars, as the Flemish fea-adventurers were called, being shut out from the English harbours, were under the neceflity of attempting to fecure one of their own. They accordingly attacked, in 1572, the Brille, a fea-port town in Holland; and, by a furious affault, made themfelves mafters of the place. UNIMPORTANT as this conqueft may feem, it alarmed the duke of Alva ; who, putting a stop to those bloody executions, which he was making on the defenceless Flemings, in order to enforce his oppreffive taxes, withdrew the garrifon from Bruffels, and detached it against the Geux. Experience foon proved that his fears were well-grounded. The people in the neighbourhood of the Brille, rendered defperate by that complication of cruelty, oppreffion, infolence, ufurpation, and perfecution, under which they and all their countrymen laboured, flew to arms on the approach of a military force; defeated the Spanish detachment, and put themselves under the protection of the prince of Orange; who, though unsuccessful in his former attempt, ftill meditated the relief of the Netherlands. PART 1. He inflamed the inhabitants by every motive which religious zeal, refentment, or love of freedom could infpire. In a fhort time almoft the whole province of Holland, and alfo that of Zealand, threw off the Spanish yoke ; and the prince, by uniting the revolted towns in a league, laid the foundation of that illuftrious republic, whofe arms and policy long made fo confiderable a figure in the tranfactions of Europe, and whose commerce, frugality, and perfevering induftry, is ftill the wonder of the world. THE love of liberty transformed into heroe, men little accustomed to arms, and naturally averfe from war. The prince of Orange took Mechlin, Oudenarde, and Dendermonde ; and the defperate defence of Haarlem, which nothing but the most extreme famine could overcome, convinced the duke of Alva of the pernicious effects of his violent counfels. He entreated the Hollanders, whom his feverities had only exafperated, to lay down their arms, and rely on the king's generofity; and he gave the ftrongeft affurances, that the utmoft lenity would be shown to those who did not obftinately perfift in their rebellion. But the people were not dif pofed to confide in promifes fo often violated, nor to throw themfelves on the clemency of a prince and governor, who had fhewn themfelves equally perfidious and inhuman. Now reduced to defpair, they expected the worft that could happen, and bid defiance to fortune. Alva enraged at their firmnefs, laid fiege to Alcmaer, where the Spaniards were finally repulfed, 1573 a great fleet, which he had fitted out, was defeated by the Zealanders; he petitioned to be recalled from his government, and boafted at his departure, that in the courfe of five years, he had made eighteen 6. Le Clerc. Temple. Grotius. thoufand thousand heretics perish by the hands of the public LETTER executioner 7. ALVA was fucceeded in the Low Countries by Requefens, commendator of Caftile, who began his government with pulling down the infulting ftatue of his predeceffor, erected at Antwerp. But neither this popular act, nor the mild difpofition of the new governor, could reconcile the revolted Hollanders to the Spanish dominion. Their injuries were too recent, and too grievous to be foon forgot. The war continued as obftinate as ever. The fuccefs was various. Middleburg was taken by the Zealanders, in 1574, while Lewis of Naffau, with a confiderable body of troops, intended as a reinforcement to his brother, the prince of Orange, was furprifed near a village called Noock, and his army defeated. Lewis and two of his brothers were left dead on the field of battle. The fiege of Leyden was formed by the Spaniards, and the most amazing examples of valour and conftancy were difplayed on both fides. The Dutch opened the dykes and fluices, in order to drive the befiegers from that enterprize; and the Spaniards had the hardinefs to continue their purpofe, and to attempt to drain off the innundation. The beficged fuffered every fpecies of mifery, and were at laft fo reduced by famine, as to be obliged to feed on the dead bodies of their fellow-citizens. But they did. not fuffer in vain. A violent fouth-west wind drove the innundation with fury against the works of the befiegers, when every human hope feemed to fail; and Valdes, the Spanish general, in danger of being fwallowed up by the waves, was conftrained to raise the fiege, after having loft the flower of his army 3. 7. Grotius, lib. ii. 8. Metern. Bentivoglio. Le Clerc. LXIX. PART I. THE repulfe at Leyden was followed by the conferences at Breda, in 1575. There the emperor, Rodolph II. endeavoured to mediate a reconciliation between his coufin the king of Spain, and the ftates of the Low Countries, originally fubject to the empire, and over which the imperial jurisdiction was ftill fupreme. But these negociations proving unsuccessful, hoftilities were renewed, and pushed with vigour by Spaniards. They met with a proportional refiftance in many places; particularly at Woerde, the reduction of which they were obliged to abandon, after a fiege of feveral months, and a great lofs of men 9. BUT the conteft was unequal, between a mighty monarchy and two fmall provinces, however fortified by nature, or defended by the defperate valour of the inhabitants. The Spaniards made themselves mafters of the island of Finart, east of Zealand; they entered Zealand itself, in spite of all oppofition; they reduced Ziriczce, after an obftinate refiftance; and, as a last blow, were projecting the reduction of Holland', Now it was that the revolted provinces faw the neceffity of foreign affiftance, in order to preserve them from final ruin; and they fent a folemn embaffy to Elizabeth, their moft natural ally, offering her the fovereignty of Holland and Zealand, if fhe would employ her power in their defence. But that princefs, though inclined by many ftrong motives to accept of fo libera! an offer, prudently rejected it. Though magnanimous, fhe had never entertained the ambition of making conquefts, or of acquiring, by any other means, an acceffion of territory. The fole purpose of her vigilant and 9. Ibid. 10. Bentivoglio, Le Clerc. LXIX. active politics was to maintain, by the moft frugal and LETTER cautious expedients, the tranquillity of her own dominions. An open war with the Spanish monarchy appeared the probable confequence of supporting the revolted provinces; and after taking the inhabitants under her protection, fhe could never in honour abandon them, how desperate foever their defence might become, but muft embrace it even in oppofition to her intereft. The poffeffion of Holland and Zealand, though highly inviting to a commercial nation, did not feem equivalent to fuch hazard. Elizabeth therefore refufed, in pofitive terms, the fovereignty proffered her; but told the ambaffadors. That, in return for the good-will which the prince of Orange and the States had fhewn her, fhe would endeavour to mediate an agreement for them, on the beft terms poffible. She accordingly dispatched Sir Henry Cobham to Philip, who took her mediation in good part, but no accommodation enfued". The war in the Netherlands was carried on with the fame rage and violence as before, when an accident faved the infant republic. REQUESENS, the governor, dying fuddenly, at a time when large arrears were due to the Spanish troops, they broke into a furious mutiny, in 1576; and facked and pillaged the wealthy city of Antwerp, executing terrible flaughter on the inhabitants, and threatened the other cities with a like fate. This danger united all the provinces, except Luxemburg, in a confederacy, commonly called the Pacification of Ghent, which had for its object the expulfion of foreign troops, and the reftoration of the ancient liberties of the States 12. DON John of Auftria who had been appointed to fucceed Requefens, found every thing in confufion on 11. Camden. 12. Bentivog. lib. ix. Thuan. lib. lxii. his |