foot was on its neck.  Brussels was almost the only considerable town out of Holland and Zealand which was even temporarily safe.  The important city of Maestricht was held by a Spanish garrison, while other capital towns and stations were in the power of the Walloon and German mutineers.  The depredations committed in the villages, the open country, and the cities were incessant—­the Spaniards treating every Netherlander as their foe.  Gentleman and peasant, Protestant and Catholic, priest and layman, all were plundered, maltreated, outraged.  The indignation became daily more general and more intense.  There were frequent skirmishes between the soldiery and promiscuous bands of peasants, citizens, and students; conflicts in which the Spaniards were invariably victorious.  What could such half-armed and wholly untrained partisans effect against the bravest and most experienced troops in the whole world?  Such results only increased the general exasperation, while they impressed upon the whole people the necessity of some great and general effort to throw off the incubus.

1576-1577 [Chapter V.]

Religious and political sympathies and antipathies in the seventeen provinces—­Unanimous hatred for the foreign soldiery—­Use made by the Prince of the mutiny—­His correspondence—­Necessity of Union enforced—­A congress from nearly all the provinces meets at Ghent—­ Skirmishes between the foreign troops and partisan bands—­Slaughter at Tisnacq—­Suspicions entertained of the State-Council—­Arrest of the State-Council—­Siege of Ghent citadel—­Assistance sent by Orange—­Maestricht lost and regained—­Wealthy and perilous condition of Antwerp—­Preparations of the mutineers under the secret superintendence of Avila—­Stupidity of Oberstein—­Duplicity of Don Sancho—­Reinforcements of Walloons under Havre, Egmont, and others, sent to for the expected assault of Antwerp—­Governor Champagny’s preparations the mutineers—­Insubordination, incapacity, and negligence of all but him—­Concentration of all the mutineers from different points, in the citadel—­The attack—­the panic—­the flight —­the massacre—­the fire—­the sack—­and other details of the “Spanish Fury”—­Statistics of murder and robbery—­Letter of Orange to the states-general—­Surrender of Ghent citadel—­Conclusion of the “Ghent Pacification”—­The treaty characterized—­Forms of ratification—­Fall of Zierickzee and recovery of Zealand.

Meantime, the Prince of Orange sat at Middelburg, watching the storm.  The position of Holland and Zealand with regard to the other fifteen provinces was distinctly characterized.  Upon certain points there was an absolute sympathy, while upon others there was a grave and almost fatal difference.  It was the task of the Prince to deepen the sympathy, to extinguish the difference.

In Holland and Zealand, there was a warm and nearly universal adhesion to the Reformed religion, a passionate attachment to the ancient political liberties.  The Prince, although an earnest Calvinist himself, did all in his power to check the growing spirit of intolerance toward the old religion, omitted no opportunity of strengthening the attachment which the people justly felt for their liberal institutions.