it was agreed that they should be sent against the bridge with the first flood-tide.  The propitious moment never seemed to arrive, however, and, meantime, the citizens of Flushing, of their own accord, declared that they would themselves equip and conduct a fleet into the harbour of Sluys.  But the Nassaus are said to have expressed great disgust that low-born burghers should presume to meddle with so important an enterprise, which of right belonged to their family.  Thus, in the midst of these altercations and contradictory schemes; the month of July wore away, and the city was reduced to its last gasp.

For the cannonading had thoroughly done its work.  Eighteen days long the burghers and what remained of the garrison had lived upon the ramparts, never leaving their posts, but eating, sleeping, and fighting day and night.  Of the sixteen hundred Dutch and English but seven hundred remained.  At last a swimming messenger was sent out by the besieged with despatches for the States, to the purport that the city could hold out no longer.  A breach in the wall had been effected wide enough to admit a hundred men abreast.  Sluys had, in truth, already fallen, and it was hopeless any longer to conceal the fact.  If not relieved within a day or two, the garrison would be obliged to surrender; but they distinctly stated, that they had all pledged themselves, soldiers and burghers, men, women, and all, unless the most honourable terms were granted, to set fire to the city in a hundred places, and then sally, in mass, from the gates, determined to fight their way through, or be slain in the attempt.  The messenger who carried these despatches was drowned, but the letters were saved, and fell into Parma’s hands.

At the same moment, Leicester was making, at last, an effort to raise the siege.  He brought three or four thousand men from Flushing, and landed them at Ostend; thence he marched to Blanckenburg.  He supposed that if he could secure that little port, and thus cut the Duke completely off from the sea, he should force the Spanish commander to raise (or at least suspend) the siege in order to give him battle.  Meantime, an opportunity would be afforded for Maurice and Hohenlo to force an entrance into the harbour of Sluys, In this conjecture he was quite correct; but unfortunately he did not thoroughly carry out his own scheme.  If the Earl had established himself at Blanckenburg, it would have been necessary for Parma—­as he himself subsequently declared-to raise the siege.  Leicester carried the outposts of the place successfully; but, so soon as Farnese was aware of this demonstration, he detached a few companies with orders to skirmish with the enemy until the commander-in-chief, with as large a force as he could spare, should come in person to his support.  To the unexpected gratification of Farnese, however, no sooner did the advancing Spaniards come in sight, than the Earl, supposing himself invaded by the whole of the Duke’s army, under their famous general, and not feeling himself strong enough for such an encounter, retired, with great precipitation, to his boats, re-embarked his troops with the utmost celerity, and set sail for Ostend.