Before the end of the year Henry had obtained control of the, Seine, both above and below the city, holding Pont de l’Arche on the north—­where was the last bridge across the river; that of Rouen, built by the English when they governed Normandy, being now in ruins—­and Caudebec on the south in an iron grasp.  Several war-vessels sent by the Hollanders, according to the agreement with Buzanval, cruised in the north of the river below Caudebec, and rendered much service to the king in cutting off supplies from the beleaguered place, while the investing army of Henry, numbering twenty-five thousand foot—­inclusive of the English contingent, and three thousand Netherlanders—­and ten thousand cavalry, nearly all French, was fast reducing the place to extremities.

Parma, as usual, in obedience to his master’s orders, but entirely against his own judgment, had again left the rising young general of the Netherlands to proceed from one triumph to another, while he transferred beyond the borders of that land which it was his first business to protect, the whole weight of his military genius and the better portion of his well disciplined forces.

Most bitterly and indignantly did he express himself, both at the outset and during the whole progress of the expedition, concerning the utter disproportions between the king’s means and aims.  The want of money was the cause of wholesale disease, desertion, mutiny, and death in his slender army.

Such great schemes as his master’s required, as he perpetually urged, liberality of expenditure and measures of breadth.  He protested that he was not to blame for the ruin likely to come upon the whole enterprise.  He had besought, remonstrated, reasoned with the king in vain.  He had seen his beard first grow, he said, in the king’s service, and he had grown gray in that service, but rather than be kept longer in such a position, without money, men, or means to accomplish the great purposes on which he was sent, he protested that he would “abandon his office and retire into the woods to feed on roots.”  Repeatedly did he implore his master for a large and powerful army; for money and again money.  The royal plans should be enforced adequately or abandoned entirely.  To spend money in small sums, as heretofore, was only throwing it into the sea.

It was deep in the winter however before he could fairly come to the rescue of the besieged city.  Towards the end of January, 1592, he moved out of Hainault, and once more made his junction at Guise with the Duke of Mayenne.  At a review of his forces on 16th January, 1592, Alexander found himself at the head of thirteen thousand five hundred and sixteen infantry and four thousand and sixty-one cavalry.  The Duke of Mayenne’s army, for payment of which that personage received from Philip 100,000 dollars a month, besides 10,000 dollars a month for his own pocket, ought to have numbered ten thousand foot and three thousand horse, according to contract, but was in reality much less.