No man, however, could have been more observant of religious rites.  He heard mass daily.  He listened to a sermon every Sunday and holiday.  He confessed and received the sacrament four times a year.  He was sometimes to be seen in his tent at midnight, on his knees before a crucifix with eyes and hands uplifted.  He ate no meat in Lent, and used extraordinary diligence to discover and to punish any man, whether courtier or plebeian, who failed to fast during the whole forty days.  He was too good a politician not to know the value of broad phylacteries and long prayers.  He was too nice an observer of human nature not to know how easily mint and cummin could still outweigh the “weightier matters of law, judgment, mercy and faith;” as if the founder of the religion which he professed, and to maintain which he had established the inquisition and the edicts, had never cried woe upon the Pharisees.  Yet there is no doubt that the Emperor was at times almost popular in the Netherlands, and that he was never as odious as his successor.  There were some deep reasons for this, and some superficial ones; among others, a singularly fortunate manner.  He spoke German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Flemish, and could assume the characteristics of each country as easily as he could use its language.  He could be stately with Spaniards, familiar with Flemings witty with Italians.  He could strike down a bull in the ring like a matador at Madrid, or win the prize in the tourney like a knight of old; he could ride at the ring with the Flemish nobles, hit the popinjay with his crossbow among Antwerp artisans, or drink beer and exchange rude jests with the boors of Brabant.  For virtues such as these, his grave crimes against God and man, against religion and chartered and solemnly-sworn rights have been palliated, as if oppression became more tolerable because the oppressor was an accomplished linguist and a good marksman.

But the great reason for his popularity no doubt lay in his military genius.  Charles was inferior to no general of his age.  “When he was born into the world,” said Alva, “he was born a soldier,” and the Emperor confirmed the statement and reciprocated the compliment, when he declared that “the three first captains of the age were himself first, and then the Duke of Alva and Constable Montmorency.”  It is quite true that all his officers were not of the same opinion, and many were too apt to complain that his constant presence in the field did more harm than good, and “that his Majesty would do much better to stay at home.”  There is, however, no doubt that he was both a good soldier and a good general.  He was constitutionally fearless, and he possessed great energy and endurance.  He was ever the first to arm when a battle was to be fought, and the last to take off his harness.  He commanded in person and in chief, even when surrounded by veterans and crippled by the gout.  He was calm in great reverses.  It was said that he was never known