Title:  History of the United Netherlands, 1587

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4852] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 5, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK history united Netherlands, 1587 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger widger@cecomet.net

[Note:  There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the file for those who may wish to sample the author’s ideas before making an entire meal of them.  D.W.]

HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year’s Truce—­1609

By John Lothrop Motley

MOTLEY’S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 52

History of the United Netherlands, 1587

CHAPTER XIV.

Leicester in England—­Trial of the Queen of Scots—­Fearful Perplexity at the English Court—­Infatuation and Obstinacy of the Queen—­Netherland Envoys in England—­Queen’s bitter Invective against them—­Amazement of the Envoys—­They consult with her chief Councillors—­Remarks of Burghley and Davison—­Fourth of February Letter from the States—­Its severe Language towards Leicester—­ Painful Position of the Envoys at Court—­Queen’s Parsimony towards Leicester.

The scene shifts, for a brief interval, to England.  Leicester had reached the court late in November.  Those “blessed beams,” under whose shade he was wont to find so much “refreshment and nutrition,” had again fallen with full radiance upon him.  “Never since I was born,” said he, “did I receive a more gracious welcome.”—­[Leicester to ’Wilkes, 4 Dec. 1587. (S.  P. Office Ms)]—­Alas, there was not so much benignity for the starving English soldiers, nor for the Provinces, which were fast growing desperate; but although their cause was so intimately connected with the “great cause,” which then occupied Elizabeth, almost to the exclusion of other matter, it was, perhaps, not wonderful, although unfortunate, that for a time the Netherlands should be neglected.

The “daughter of debate” had at last brought herself, it was supposed, within the letter of the law, and now began those odious scenes of hypocrisy on the part of Elizabeth, that frightful comedy—­more melancholy even than the solemn tragedy which it preceded and followed—­ which must ever remain the darkest passage in the history of the Queen.