History of the United Netherlands, 1584-85 | Page 6

they were to keep on
foot an army of 15,000 foot and 5000 horse, with which they should be
able, "to expulse the enemy and to reconquer their towns and country
lost, within three months." Of this army they hoped to induce the
Queen to furnish 5000 English footmen and 500 horse, to be paid
monthly by a treasurer of her own; and for the assistance thus to be
furnished they proposed to give Ostend and Sluys as pledge of payment.
According to this scheme the elector palatine, John Casimir, had
promised to furnish, equip, and pay 2000 cavalry, taking the town of
Maestricht and the country of Limburg, when freed from the enemy, in

pawn for his disbursements; while Antwerp and Brabant had agreed to
supply 300,000 crowns in ready money for immediate use. Many
powerful politicians opposed this policy, however, and urged reliance
upon France, "so that this course seemed to be lame in many
parts."--[Letter of Herle].
Agents had already been sent both to England and France, to procure, if
possible, a levy of troops for immediate necessity. The attempt was
unsuccessful in France, but the Dutch community of the reformed
religion in London subscribed nine thousand and five florins. This sum,
with other contributions, proved sufficient to set Morgan's regiment on
foot, which soon after began to arrive in the Netherlands by companies.
"But if it were all here at once," said Stephen Le Sieur, "'t would be but
a breakfast for the enemy."
The agent for the matter in England was De Griyse, formerly bailiff of
Bruges; and although tolerably successful in his mission, he was not
thought competent for so important a post, nor officially authorised for
the undertaking. While procuring this assistance in English troops he
had been very urgent with the Queen to further the negotiations
between the States and France; and Paul Buys was offended with him
as a mischief- maker and an intriguer. He complained of him as having
"thrust himself in, to deal and intermeddle in the affairs of the Low
Countries unavowed," and desired that he might be closely looked
after.
After the Advocate, the next most important statesman in the provinces
was, perhaps, Meetkerk, President of the High Court of Flanders, a man
of much learning, sincerity, and earnestness of character; having had
great experience in the diplomatic service of the country on many
important occasions. "He stands second in reputation here," said Herle,
"and both Buys and he have one special care in all practises that are
discovered, to examine how near anything may concern your person or
kingdom, whereof they will advertise as matter shall fall out in
importance."
John van Olden-Barneveldt, afterwards so conspicuous in the history of
the country, was rather inclined, at this period, to favour the French
party; a policy which was strenuously furthered by Villiers and by
Sainte Aldegonde.
Besides the information furnished to the English government, as to the

state of feeling and resources of the Netherlands, by Buys, Meetkerk,
and William Herle, Walsingham relied much upon the experienced eye
and the keen biting humour of Roger Williams.
A frank open-hearted Welshman, with no fortune but his sword, but as
true as its steel, he had done the States much important service in the
hard- fighting days of Grand Commander Requesens and of Don John
of Austria. With a shrewd Welsh head under his iron morion, and a
stout Welsh heart under his tawny doublet, he had gained little but hard
knocks and a dozen wounds in his campaigning, and had but recently
been ransomed, rather grudgingly by his government, from a Spanish
prison in Brabant. He was suffering in health from its effects, but was
still more distressed in mind, from his sagacious reading of the signs of
the times. Fearing that England was growing lukewarm, and the
Provinces desperate, he was beginning to find himself out of work, and
was already casting about him for other employment. Poor, honest, and
proud, he had repeatedly declined to enter the Spanish service. Bribes,
such as at a little later period were sufficient to sully conspicuous
reputations and noble names, among his countrymen in better
circumstances than his own, had been freely but unsuccessfully offered
him. To serve under any but the English or States' flag in the Provinces
he scorned; and he thought the opportunity fast slipping away there for
taking the Papistical party in Europe handsomely by the beard. He had
done much manful work in the Netherlands, and was destined to do
much more; but he was now discontented, and thought himself slighted.
In more remote regions of the world, the, thrifty soldier thought that
there might be as good harvesting for his sword as in the
thrice-trampled stubble of Flanders.
"I would refuse no hazard that is possible