History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1586c eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 61 pages of information about History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1586c.

History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1586c eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 61 pages of information about History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1586c.
at a great disadvantage.  Alexander had scarcely eight thousand effective men.  Famine, pestilence, poverty, mutiny, beset and almost paralyzed him.  Language could not exaggerate the absolute destitution of the country.  Only miracles could save the King’s cause, as Farnese repeatedly observed.  A sharp vigorous campaign, heartily carried on against him by Leicester and Hohenlo, with plenty of troops and money at command, would have brought the heroic champion of Catholicism to the ground.  He was hemmed in upon all sides; he was cut off from the sea; he stood as it were in a narrowing circle, surrounded by increasing dangers.  His own veterans, maddened by misery, stung by their King’s ingratitude, naked, starving, ferocious, were turning against him.  Mucio, like his evil genius, was spiriting away his supplies just as they were reaching his hands; a threatening tempest seemed rolling up from France; the whole population of the Provinces which he had “reconciled”—­a million of paupers—­were crying to him for bread; great commercial cities, suddenly blasted and converted into dens of thieves and beggars, were cursing the royal author of their ruin, and uttering wild threats against his vicegerent; there seemed, in truth, nothing left for Alexander but to plunge headlong into destruction, when, lo!  Mr. Comptroller Croft, advancing out of the clouds, like a propitious divinity, disguised in the garb of a foe—­and the scene was changed.

The feeble old man, with his shufing, horse-trucking servant, ex-spy of Monsieur, had accomplished more work for Philip and Alexander than many regiments of Spaniards and Walloons could have done.  The arm of Leicester was paralyzed upon the very threshold of success.  The picture of these palace-intrigues has been presented with minute elaboration, because, however petty and barren in appearance, they were in reality prolific of grave results.  A series of victories by Parma was substituted for the possible triumphs of Elizabeth and the States.

The dissimulation of the Spanish court was fathomless.  The secret correspondence of the times reveals to us that its only purpose was to deceive the Queen and her counsellors, and to gain time to prepare the grand invasion of England and subjugation of Holland—­that double purpose which Philip could only abandon with life.  There was never a thought, on his part, of honest negotiation.  On the other hand, the Queen was sincere; Burghley and Hatton and Cobham were sincere; Croft was sincere, so far as Spain was concerned.  At least they had been sincere.  In the private and doleful dialogues between Bodman and Grafigni which we have just been overhearing, these intriguers spoke the truth, for they could have no wish to deceive each other, and no fear of eaves-droppers not to be born till centuries afterwards.  These conversations have revealed to us that the Lord Treasurer and three of his colleagues had been secretly doing their best to cripple Leicester, to stop the supplies

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History of the United Netherlands from the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce, 1586c from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.