The prince of Parma now assumed the offensive, and marched against Maestricht with his whole army.  He took the place in the month of June, 1579, after a gallant resistance, and delivered it to sack and massacre for three entire days.  About the same time Mechlin and Bois-le-duc returned to their obedience to the king.  Hembyse having renewed his attempts against the public peace at Ghent, the Prince of Orange repaired to that place, re-established order, frightened the inveterate demagogue into secret flight, and Flanders was once more restored to tranquillity.

An attempt was made this year at a reconciliation between the king and the states.  The emperor Rodolf II. and Pope Gregory XIII. offered their mediation; and on the 5th of April a congress assembled at Cologne, where a number of the most celebrated diplomatists in Europe were collected.  But it was early seen that no settlement would result from the apparently reciprocal wish for peace.  One point—­that of religion, the main, and indeed the only one in debate—­was now maintained by Philip’s ambassador in the same unchristian spirit as if torrents of blood and millions of treasure had never been sacrificed in the cause.  Philip was inflexible in his resolution never to concede the exercise of the reformed worship; and after nearly a year of fruitless consultation, and the expenditure of immense sums of money, the congress separated on the 17th of November, without having effected anything.  There were several other articles intended for discussion, had the main one been adjusted, on which Philip was fully as determined to make no concession; but his obstinacy was not put to these new tests.

The time had now arrived for the execution of the great and decisive step for independence, the means of effecting which had been so long the object of exertion and calculation on the part of the Prince of Orange.  He now resolved to assemble the states of the United Provinces, solemnly abjure the dominion of Spain, and depose King Philip from the sovereignty he had so justly forfeited.  Much has been written both for and against this measure, which involved every argument of natural rights and municipal privilege.  The natural rights of man may seem to comprise only those which he enjoys in a state of nature; but he carries several of those with him into society, which is based upon the very principle of their preservation.  The great precedent which so many subsequent revolutions have acknowledged and confirmed is that which we now record.  The states-general assembled at Antwerp early in the year 1580; and, in spite of all the opposition of the Catholic deputies, the authority of Spain was revoked forever, and the United Provinces declared a free and independent state.  At the same time was debated the important question as to whether the protection of the new state should be offered to England or to France.  Opinions were divided on this point; but that of the Prince of Orange being in favor of