Meantime, the armies on both sides had been assembled, and had been moving towards each other.  Don John was at the head of nearly thirty thousand troops, including a large proportion of Spanish and Italian veterans.  The states’ army hardly numbered eighteen thousand foot and two thousand cavalry, under the famous Francois de la None, surnamed Bras de Fer, who had been recently appointed Marechal de Camp, and, under Count Bossu, commander-in-chief.  The muster-place of the provincial forces was in the plains between Herenthals and Lier.  At this point they expected to be reinforced by Duke Casimir, who had been, since the early part of the summer, in the country of Zutfen, but who was still remaining there inglorious and inactive, until he could be furnished with the requisite advance-money to his troops.  Don John was determined if possible, to defeat the states army, before Duke Casimir, with his twelve thousand Germans, should effect his juncture with Bossu.  The Governor therefore crossed the Demer, near Aerschot, towards the end of July, and offered battle, day after day, to the enemy.  A series of indecisive skirmishes was the result, in the last of which, near Rijnemants, on the first day of August, the royalists were worsted and obliged to retire, after a desultory action of nearly eight hours, leaving a thousand dead upon the field.  Their offer of “double or quits,” the following morning was steadily refused by Bossu, who, secure within his intrenchments, was not to be induced at that moment to encounter the chances of a general engagement.  For this he was severely blamed by the more violent of the national party.

His patriotism, which was of such recent origin, was vehemently suspected; and his death, which occurred not long afterwards, was supposed to have alone prevented his deserting the states to fight again under Spanish colours.  These suspicions were probably unjust.  Bossu’s truth of character had been as universally recognized as was his signal bravery.  If he refused upon this occasion a general battle, those who reflected upon the usual results to the patriot banner of such engagements, might confess, perhaps, that one disaster the more had been avoided.  Don John, finding it impossible to accomplish his purpose, and to achieve another Gemblours victory, fell back again to the neighbourhood of Namur.

The states’ forces remained waiting for the long-promised succor of John Casimir.  It was the 26th of August, however, before the Duke led his twelve thousand men to the neighbourhood of Mechlin, where Bossu was encamped.  This young prince possessed neither the ability nor the generosity which were requisite for the heroic part which he was ambitious to perform in the Netherland drama.  He was inspired by a vague idea of personal aggrandizement, although he professed at the same time the utmost deference to William of Orange.  He expressed the hope that he and the Prince “should be but two heads under