History of the United Netherlands, 1584-85

History of the United
Netherlands, 1584-85

The Project Gutenberg EBook History of the United Netherlands,
1584-85
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Title: History of the United Netherlands, 1584-85
Author: John Lothrop Motley
Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4838] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 2,
2002]

Edition: 10
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY
OF UNITED NETHERLANDS, 1584-85 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger

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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, Volume 38
History of The United Netherlands, 1584-1585
CHAPTER III
.
Policy of England--Schemes of the Pretender of Portugal--Hesitation of
the French Court--Secret Wishes of France--Contradictory Views as to
the Opinions of Netherlanders--Their Love for England and
Elizabeth--Prominent Statesmen of the Provinces--Roger Williams the
Welshman Views of Walsingham, Burghley, and the Queen--An
Embassy to Holland decided upon--Davison at the Hague--Cautious
and Secret Measures of Burghley--Consequent Dissatisfaction of
Walsingham-- English and Dutch Suspicion of France--Increasing
Affection of Holland for England.
The policy of England towards the Provinces had been somewhat
hesitating, but it had not been disloyal. It was almost inevitable that

there should be timidity in the councils of Elizabeth, when so grave a
question as that of confronting the vast power of Spain was forcing
itself day by day more distinctly upon the consideration of herself and
her statesmen. It was very clear, now that Orange was dead, that some
new and decided step would be taken. Elizabeth was in favour of
combined action by the French and English governments, in behalf of
the Netherlands--a joint protectorate of the Provinces, until such time
as adequate concessions on the religious question could be obtained
from Spain. She was unwilling to plunge into the peril and expense of a
war with the strongest power in the world. She disliked the necessity
under which she should be placed of making repeated applications to
her parliament, and of thus fostering the political importance of the
Commons; she was reluctant to encourage rebellious subjects in
another land, however just the cause of their revolt. She felt herself
vulnerable in Ireland and on the Scottish border. Nevertheless, the
Spanish power was becoming so preponderant, that if the Netherlands
were conquered, she could never feel a moment's security within her
own territory. If the Provinces were annexed to France, on the other
hand, she could not contemplate with complacency the increased power
thus placed in the hands of the treacherous and jesuitical house of
Valois.
The path of the Queen was thickly strewed with peril: her advisers were
shrewd, far-seeing, patriotic, but some of them were perhaps over
cautious. The time had, however, arrived when the danger was to be
faced, if the whole balance of power in Europe were not to come to an
end, and weak states, like England and the Netherlands, to submit to
the tyranny of an overwhelming absolutism. The instinct of the English
sovereign, of English statesmen, of the English nation, taught them that
the cause of the Netherlands was their own. Nevertheless, they were
inclined to look on yet a little longer, although the part of spectator had
become an impossible one. The policy of the English government was
not treacherous, although it was timid. That of the French court was
both the one and the other, and it would have been better both for
England and the Provinces, had they more justly appreciated the
character of Catharine de' Medici and her son.
The first covert negotiations between Henry and the