History of the United Netherlands, 1595 | Page 3

to the Netherlanders as
might have been inferred from such education and such kin. A dark,
grizzled, baldish man, with high steep forehead, long, haggard, leathern
visage, sweeping beard, and large, stern, commanding, menacing eyes,
with his Brussels ruff of point lace and his Milan coat of proof, he was
in personal appearance not unlike the terrible duke whom men never
named without a shudder, although a quarter of a century had passed
since he had ceased to curse the Netherlands with his presence.
Elizabeth of England was accustomed to sneer at Fuentes because he
had retreated before Essex in that daring commander's famous foray
into Portugal. The queen called the Spanish general a timid old woman.
If her gibe were true, it was fortunate for her, for Henry of France, and
for the republic, that there were not many more such old women to
come from Spain to take the place of the veteran chieftains who were
destined to disappear so rapidly during this year in Flanders. He was a
soldier of fortune, loved fighting, not only for the fighting's sake, but
for the prize-money which was to be accumulated by campaigning, and
he was wont to say that he meant to enter Paradise sword in hand.
Meantime his appointment excited the wrath of the provincial magnates.
The Duke of Arschot was beside himself with frenzy, and swore that he
would never serve under Fuentes nor sit at his council-board. The
duke's brother, Marquis Havre, and his son-in-law, Count Arenberg,
shared in the hatred, although they tried to mitigate the vehemence of
its expression. But Arschot swore that no man had the right to take
precedence of him in the council of state, and that the appointment of
this or any Spaniard was a violation of the charters of the provinces and
of the promises of his Majesty. As if it were for the nobles of the
obedient provinces to prate of charters and of oaths! Their brethren
under the banner of the republic had been teaching Philip for a whole
generation how they could deal with the privileges of freemen and with
the perjury of tyrants. It was late in the day for the obedient
Netherlanders to remember their rights. Havre and Arenberg,
dissembling their own wrath, were abused and insulted by the duke
when they tried to pacify him. They proposed a compromise, according
to which Arschot should be allowed to preside in the council of state
while Fuentes should content himself with the absolute control of the
army. This would be putting a bit of fat in the duke's mouth, they said.

Fuentes would hear of no such arrangement. After much talk and daily
attempts to pacify this great Netherlander, his relatives at last persuaded
him to go home to his country place. He even promised Arenberg and
his wife that he would go to Italy, in pursuance of a vow made to our
lady of Loretto. Arenberg privately intimated to Stephen Ybarra that
there was a certain oil, very apt to be efficacious in similar cases of
irritation, which might be applied with prospect of success. If his
father-in-law could only receive some ten thousand florins which he
claimed as due to him from Government, this would do more to quiet
him than a regiment of soldiers could. He also suggested that Fuentes
should call upon the duke, while Secretary Ybarra should excuse
himself by sickness for not having already paid his respects. This was
done. Fuentes called. The duke returned the call, and the two conversed
amicably about the death of the archduke, but entered into no political
discussion.
Arschot then invited the whole council of state, except John Baptist
Tassis, to a great dinner. He had prepared a paper to read to them in
which he represented the great dangers likely to ensue from such an
appointment as this of Fuentes, but declared that he washed his hands
of the consequences, and that he had determined to leave a country
where he was of so little account. He would then close his eyes and ears
to everything that might occur, and thus escape the infamy of
remaining in a country where so little account was made of him. He
was urged to refrain from reading this paper and to invite Tassis. After
a time he consented to suppress the document, but he manfully refused
to bid the objectionable diplomatist to his banquet.
The dinner took place and passed off pleasantly enough. Arschot did
not read his manifesto, but, as he warmed with wine, he talked a great
deal of nonsense which, according to Stephen Ybarra, much resembled
it, and he vowed that thenceforth he would be blind and dumb to all
that might occur. A few days later, he paid a visit to the