For nearly the whole twelvemonth subsequent to the death of Farnese, the Spanish envoy to the Imperial court had been endeavouring to arrange for the departure of the archduke to his seat of government in the Netherlands.  The prince himself was willing enough, but there were many obstacles on the part of the emperor and his advisers.  “Especially there is one very great impossibility,” said San Clemente, “and that is the poverty of his Highness, which is so great that my own is not greater in my estate.  So I don’t see how he can stir a step without money.  Here they’ll not furnish him with a penny, and for himself he possesses nothing but debts.”  The emperor was so little pleased with the adventure that in truth, according to the same authority, he looked upon the new viceroy’s embarrassments with considerable satisfaction, so that it was necessary for Philip to provide for his travelling expenses.

Ernest was next brother of the Emperor Rudolph, and as intensely devoted to the interests of the Roman Church as was that potentate himself, or even his uncle Philip.

He was gentle, weak, melancholy, addicted to pleasure, a martyr to the gout.  He brought no soldiers to the provinces, for the emperor, threatened with another world-empire on his pagan flank, had no funds nor troops to send to the assistance of his Christian brother-in-law and uncle.  Moreover, it may be imagined that Rudolph, despite the bonds of religion and consanguinity, was disposed to look coldly on the colossal projects of Philip.

So Ernest brought no troops, but he brought six hundred and seventy gentlemen, pages, and cooks, and five hundred and thirty-four horses, not to charge upon the rebellious Dutchmen withal, but to draw coaches and six.

There was trouble enough prepared for the new governor at his arrival.  The great Flemish and Walloon nobles were quarrelling fiercely with the Spaniards and among themselves for office and for precedence.  Arschot and his brother Havre both desired the government of Flanders; so did Arenberg.  All three, as well as other gentlemen, were scrambling for the majordomo’s office in Ernest’s palace.  Havre wanted the finance department as well, but Ybarra, who was a financier, thought the public funds in his hands would be in a perilous condition, inasmuch as he was provinces was accounted the most covetous man in all the provinces.

So soon as the archduke was known to be approaching the capital there was a most ludicrous race run by all these grandees, in order to be the first to greet his Highness.  While Mansfeld and Fuentes were squabbling, as usual, Arschot got the start of both, and arrived at Treves.  Then the decrepit Peter Ernest struggled as far as Luxembourg, while Fuentes posted on to Namur.  The archduke was much perplexed as to the arranging of all these personages on the day of his entrance into Brussels.  In the council of state it was still worse.  Arschot claimed the