History of the United Netherlands, 1594 | Page 3

had fought in most of the battles of the century,
was nearly as old as the century. Being now turned of ninety, he
thought best to keep house in Antwerp Castle: Accordingly twelve
thousand foot and three thousand horse took the field under the more
youthful Peter Ernest? But Peter Ernest, when his son was not there to
superintend his operations, was nothing but a testy octogenarian, while
the two together were not equal to the little finger of Farnese, whom
Philip would have displaced, had he not fortunately died.
"Nothing is to be expected out of this place but toads and poison,"
wrote Ybarra in infinite disgust to the two secretaries of state at Madrid.
"I have done my best to induce Fuentes to accept that which the patent
secured him, and Count Peter is complaining that Fuentes showed him
the patent so late only to play him a trick. There is a rascally pack of
meddlers here, and the worst of them all are the women, whom I
particularly give to the devil. There is no end to the squabbles as to
who shall take the lead in relieving Gertruydenberg."
Mansfeld at last came ponderously up in the neighbourhood of
Turnhout. There was a brilliant little skirmish, in the, neighbourhood of
this place, in which a hundred and fifty Dutch cavalry under the famous
brothers Bax defeated four hundred picked lancers of Spain and Italy.
But Mansfeld could get nothing but skirmishes. In vain he plunged
about among the caltrops and man-traps. In vain he knocked at the
fortifications of Hohenlo on the east and of Maurice on the west. He
found them impracticable, impregnable, obdurate. It was Maurice's
intention to take his town at as small sacrifice of life as possible. A
trumpet was sent on some trifling business to Mansfeld, in reply to a

communication made by the general to Maurice.
"Why does your master," said the choleric veteran to the trumpeter,
"why does Prince Maurice, being a lusty young commander as he is,
not come out of his trenches into the open field and fight me like a man,
where honour and fame await him?"
"Because my master," answered the trumpeter, "means to live to be a
lusty old commander like your excellency, and sees no reason to-day to
give you an advantage."
At this the bystanders laughed, rather at the expense of the veteran.
Meantime there were not many incidents within the lines or within the
city to vary the monotony of the scientific siege.
On the land side, as has been seen, the city was enclosed and built out
of human sight by another Gertruydenberg. On the wide estuary of the
Meuse, a chain of war ships encircled the sea-front, in shape of a half
moon, lying so close to each other that it was scarcely possible even for
a messenger to swim out of a dark night.
The hardy adventurers who attempted that feat with tidings of despair
were almost invariably captured.
This blockading fleet took regular part in the daily cannonade; while,
on the other hand, the artillery practice from the landbatteries of
Maurice and Hohenlo was more perfect than anything ever known
before in the Netherlands or France.
And the result was that in the course of the cannonade which lasted
nearly ninety days, not more than four houses in the city escaped injury.
The approaches were brought, every hour, nearer and nearer to the
walls. With subterranean lines converging in the form of the letter Y,
the prince had gradually burrowed his way beneath the principal
bastion.
Hohenlo, representative of the older school of strategy, had on one
occasion ventured to resist the authority of the commander-in-chief. He
had constructed a fort at Ramsdonck. Maurice then commanded the
erection of another, fifteen hundred yards farther back. It was as much
a part of his purpose to defend himself against the attempts of
Mansfeld's relieving force, as to go forward against the city. Hohenlo
objected that it would be impossible to sustain himself against a sudden
attack in so isolated a position. Maurice insisted. In the midst of the
altercation Hohenlo called to the men engaged in throwing up the new

fortifications: "Here, you captains and soldiers," he cried, "you are
delivered up here to be butchered. You may drop work and follow me
to the old fort."
"And I swear to you," said Maurice quietly, "that the first man who
moves from this spot shall be hanged."
No one moved. The fort was completed and held to the and; Hohenlo
sulkily acquiescing in the superiority which this stripling--his former
pupil--had at last vindicated over all old-fashioned men-at-arms.
From the same cause which was apt to render Hohenlo's services
inefficient, the prince was apt to suffer inconvenience in the persons
placed in