The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland, 1614-17 | Page 6

and the
world was long to feel its effects.
"His Majesty firmly believes," wrote Secretary Winwood, "that the
Papistical League is brewing great and dangerous plots. To obviate
them in everything that may depend upon him, My Lords the States
will find him prompt. The source of all these entanglements comes
from Spain. We do not think that the Archduke will attack Julich this
year, but rather fear for Mulheim and Aix-la-Chapelle."
But the Secretary of State, thus acknowledging the peril, chose to be

blind to its extent, while at the same time undervaluing the powers by
which it might be resisted. "To oppose the violence of the enemy," he
said, "if he does resort to violence, is entirely impossible. It would be
furious madness on our part to induce him to fall upon the Elector-
Palatine, for this would be attacking Great Britain and all her friends
and allies. Germany is a delicate morsel, but too much for the throat of
Spain to swallow all at once. Behold the evil which troubles the
conscience of the Papistical League. The Emperor and his brothers are
all on the brink of their sepulchre, and the Infants of Spain are too
young to succeed to the Empire. The Pope would more willingly permit
its dissolution than its falling into the hands of a prince not of his
profession. All that we have to do in this conjuncture is to attend the
best we can to our own affairs, and afterwards to strengthen the good
alliance existing among us, and not to let ourselves be separated by the
tricks and sleights of hand of our adversaries. The common cause can
reckon firmly upon the King of Great Britain, and will not find itself
deceived."
Excellent commonplaces, but not very safe ones. Unluckily for the
allies, to attend each to his own affairs when the enemy was upon them,
and to reckon firmly upon a king who thought it furious madness to
resist the enemy, was hardly the way to avert the danger. A fortnight
later, the man who thought it possible to resist, and time to resist,
before the net was over every head, replied to the Secretary by a picture
of the Spaniards' progress.
"Since your letter," he said, "you have seen the course of Spinola with
the army of the King and the Archdukes. You have seen the Prince-
Palatine of Neuburg with his forces maintained by the Pope and other
members of the Papistical League. On the 29th of August they forced
Aachen, where the magistrates and those of the Reformed religion have
been extremely maltreated. Twelve hundred soldiers are lodged in the
houses there of those who profess our religion. Mulheim is taken and
dismantled, and the very houses about to be torn down. Duren, Castre,
Grevenborg, Orsoy, Duisburg, Ruhrort, and many other towns, obliged
to receive Spanish garrisons. On the 4th of September they invested
Wesel. On the 6th it was held certain that the cities of Cleve, Emmerich,
Rees, and others in that quarter, had consented to be occupied. The
States have put one hundred and thirty-five companies of foot (about

14,000 men) and 4000 horse and a good train of artillery in the field,
and sent out some ships of war. Prince Maurice left the Hague on the
4th of September to assist Wesel, succour the Prince of Brandenburg,
and oppose the hostile proceedings of Spinola and the Palatine of
Neuburg . . . . Consider, I pray you, this state of things, and think how
much heed they have paid to the demands of the Kings of Great Britain
and France to abstain from hostilities. Be sure that without our strong
garrison in Julich they would have snapped up every city in Julich,
Cleve, and Berg. But they will now try to make use of their slippery
tricks, their progress having been arrested by our army. The Prince of
Neuburg is sending his chancellor here 'cum mediis componendae
pacis,' in appearance good and reasonable, in reality deceptive . . . . If
their Majesties, My Lords the States, and the princes of the Union, do
not take an energetic resolution for making head against their designs,
behold their League in full vigour and ours without soul. Neither the
strength nor the wealth of the States are sufficient of themselves to
withstand their ambitious and dangerous designs. We see the
possessory princes treated as enemies upon their own estates, and many
thousand souls of the Reformed religion cruelly oppressed by the
Papistical League. For myself I am confirmed in my apprehensions and
believe that neither our religion nor our Union can endure such
indignities. The enemy is making use of the minority in France and the
divisions among the princes of Germany to their great advantage . .