History of the United Netherlands, 1585 part 1

History of the United
Netherlands, 1585 part 1

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Title: History of the United Netherlands, 1585
Author: John Lothrop Motley
Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4839] [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
UNITED NETHERLANDS, 1585 ***

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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 39
History of The United Netherlands, 1585
CHAPTER V
., Part 1.
Position and Character of Farnese--Preparations for Antwerp Siege-- Its
Characteristics--Foresight of William the Silent--Sainte Aldegonde, the
Burgomaster--Anarchy in Antwerp--Character of Sainte
Aldegonde--Admiral Treslong--Justinus de
Nassau--Hohenlo--Opposition to the Plan of
Orange--Liefkenshoek--Head--Quarters of Parma at Kalloo--Difficulty
of supplying the City--Results of not piercing the Dykes--Preliminaries
of the Siege--Successes of the Spaniards-- Energy of Farnese with
Sword and Pen--His Correspondence with the Antwerpers--Progress of
the Bridge--Impoverished Condition of Parma --Patriots attempt
Bois-le-Duc--Their Misconduct--Failure of the Enterprise--The Scheldt

Bridge completed--Description of the Structure
The negotiations between France and the Netherlands have been
massed, in order to present a connected and distinct view of the relative
attitude of the different countries of Europe. The conferences and
diplomatic protocolling had resulted in nothing positive; but it is very
necessary for the reader to understand the negative effects of all this
dissimulation and palace-politics upon the destiny of the new
commonwealth, and upon Christendom at large. The League had now
achieved a great triumph; the King of France had virtually abdicated,
and it was now requisite for the King of Navarre, the Netherlands, and
Queen Elizabeth, to draw more closely together than before, if the last
hope of forming a counter-league were not to be abandoned. The next
step in political combination was therefore a solemn embassy of the
States- General to England. Before detailing those negotiations,
however, it is proper to direct attention to the external public events
which had been unrolling themselves in the Provinces,
contemporaneously with the secret history which has been detailed in
the preceding chapters.
By presenting in their natural groupings various distinct occurrences,
rather than by detailing them in strict chronological order, a clearer
view of the whole picture will be furnished than could be done by
intermingling personages, transactions, and scenery, according to the
arbitrary command of Time alone.
The Netherlands, by the death of Orange, had been left without a head.
On the other hand, the Spanish party had never been so fortunate in
their chief at any period since the destiny of the two nations had been
blended with each other. Alexander Farnese, Prince of Parma, was a
general and a politician, whose character had been steadily ripening
since he came into the command of the country. He was now
thirty-seven years of age--with the experience of a sexagenarian. No
longer the impetuous, arbitrary, hot-headed youth, whose intelligence
and courage hardly atoned for his insolent manner and stormy career,
he had become pensive, modest, almost gentle. His genius was rapid in
conception, patient in combination, fertile in expedients, adamantine in
the endurance or suffering; for never did a heroic general and a noble
army of veterans manifest more military virtue in the support of an
infamous cause than did Parma and his handful of Italians and

Spaniards. That which they considered to be their duty they performed.
The work before them they did with all their might.
Alexander had vanquished the rebellion in the Celtic provinces,