She avowed her determination to conceal the secrets of the government from those who were capable of abusing her confidence.  She represented that there were members of the council who would willingly take advantage of the trepidation which she really felt, and which she should exhibit if she expressed herself without reserve before them.  For this reason she confined herself, as Philip had always intended, exclusively to the Consulta.  It was not difficult to recognize the hand which wrote the letter thus signed by Margaret of Parma.

Both nobles and people were at this moment irritated by another circumstance.  The civil war having again broken out in France, Philip, according to the promise made by him to Catharine de Medici, when he took her daughter in marriage, was called upon to assist the Catholic party with auxiliaries.  He sent three thousand infantry, accordingly, which he had levied in Italy, as many more collected in Spain, and gave immediate orders that the Duchess of Parma should despatch at least two thousand cavalry, from the Netherlands.  Great was the indignation in the council when the commands were produced.  Sore was the dismay of Margaret.  It was impossible to obey the King.  The idea of sending the famous mounted gendarmerie of the provinces to fight against the French Huguenots could not be tolerated for an instant.  The “bands of ordonnance” were very few in number, and were to guard the frontier.  They were purely for domestic purposes.  It formed no part of their duty to go upon crusades in foreign lands; still less to take a share in a religious quarrel, and least of all to assist a monarch against a nation.  These views were so cogently presented to the Duchess in council, that she saw the impossibility of complying with her brother’s commands.  She wrote to Philip to that effect.  Meantime, another letter arrived out of Spain, chiding her delay, and impatiently calling upon her to furnish the required cavalry at once.  The Duchess was in a dilemma.  She feared to provoke another storm in the council, for there was already sufficient wrangling there upon domestic subjects.  She knew it was impossible to obtain the consent, even of Berlaymont and Viglius, to such an odious measure as the one proposed.  She was, however, in great trepidation at the peremptory tone of the King’s despatch.  Under the advice of Granvelle, she had recourse to a trick.  A private and confidential letter of Philip was read to the council, but with alterations suggested and interpolated by the Cardinal.  The King was represented as being furious at the delay, but as willing that a sum of money should be furnished instead of the cavalry, as originally required.  This compromise, after considerable opposition, was accepted.  The Duchess wrote to Philip, explaining and apologizing for the transaction.  The King received the substitution with as good a grace as could have been expected, and sent fifteen hundred troopers from Spain to his Medicean mother-in-law, drawing upon the Duchess of Parma for the money to pay their expenses.  Thus was the industry of the Netherlands taxed that the French might be persecuted by their own monarch.