By midsummer the Duke of Anjou made his appearance in the western part of the Netherlands.  The Prince of Parma had recently come before Cambray with the intention of reducing that important city.  On the arrival of Anjou, however, at the head of five thousand cavalry—­nearly all of them gentlemen of high degree, serving as volunteers—­and of twelve thousand infantry, Alexander raised the siege precipitately, and retired towards Tournay.  Anjou victualled the city, strengthened the garrison, and then, as his cavalry had only enlisted for a summer’s amusement, and could no longer be held together, he disbanded his forces.  The bulk of the infantry took service for the states under the Prince of Espinoy, governor of Tournay.  The Duke himself, finding that, notwithstanding the treaty of Plessis les Tours and the present showy demonstration upon his part, the states were not yet prepared to render him formal allegiance, and being, moreover, in the heyday of what was universally considered his prosperous courtship of Queen Elizabeth, soon afterwards took his departure for England.

Parma; being thus relieved of his interference, soon afterwards laid siege to the important city of Tournay.  The Prince of Espinoy was absent with the army in the north, but the Princess commanded in his absence.  She fulfilled her duty in a manner worthy of the house from which she sprang, for the blood of Count Horn was in her veins.  The daughter of Mary, de Montmorency, the admiral’s sister, answered the summons of Parma to surrender at discretion with defiance.  The garrison was encouraged by her steadfastness.  The Princess appeared daily among her troops, superintending the defences, and personally directing the officers.  During one of the assaults, she is said, but perhaps erroneously; to have been wounded in the arm, notwithstanding which she refused to retire.

The siege lasted two months.  Meantime, it became impossible for Orange and the estates, notwithstanding their efforts, to raise a sufficient force to drive Parma from his entrenchments.  The city was becoming gradually and surely undermined from without, while at the same time the insidious art of a Dominican friar, Father Gery by name, had been as surely sapping the fidelity of the garrison from within.  An open revolt of the Catholic population being on the point of taking place, it became impossible any longer to hold the city.  Those of the Reformed faith insisted that the place should be surrendered; and the Princess, being thus deserted by all parties, made an honorable capitulation with Parma.  She herself, with all her garrison, was allowed to retire with personal property, and with all the honors of war, while the sack of the city was commuted for one hundred thousand crowns, levied upon the inhabitants:  The Princess, on leaving the gates, was received with such a shout of applause from the royal army that she seemed less like a defeated commander than a conqueror.  Upon the 30th November, Parma accordingly entered the place which he had been besieging since the 1st of October.