The Revolt of The Netherlands, book 4 | Page 3

of the Gueux was drunk, while with
the holy oil they rubbed their shoes. The very tombs were opened, and
the half-decayed corpses torn up and trampled on. All this was done
with as much wonderful regularity as if each had previously had his
part assigned to him; every one worked into his neighbor's hands; no
one, dangerous as the work was, met with injury; in the midst of thick
darkness, which the tapers only served to render more sensible, with
heavy masses falling on all sides, and though on the very topmost steps
of the ladders, they scuffled with each other for the honors of
demolition--yet no one suffered the least injury. In spite of the many
tapers which lighted them below in their villanous work not a single
individual was recognized. With incredible rapidity was the dark deed
accomplished; a number of men, at most a hundred, despoiled in a few
hours a temple of seventy altars--after St. Peter's at Rome, perhaps the
largest and most magnificent in Christendom.
The devastation of the cathedral did not content them; with torches and
tapers purloined from it they set out at midnight to perform a similar
work of havoc on the remaining churches, cloisters, and chapels. The
destructive hordes increased with every fresh exploit of infamy, and
thieves were allured by the opportunity. They carried away whatever
they found of value--the consecrated vessels, altar-cloths, money, and

vestments; in the cellars of the cloisters they drank to intoxication; to
escape greater indignities the monks and nuns abandoned everything to
them. The confused noises of these riotous acts had startled the citizens
from their first sleep; but night made the danger appear more alarming
than it really was, and instead of hastening to defend their churches the
citizens fortified themselves in their houses, and in terror and anxiety
awaited the dawn of morning. The rising sun at length revealed the
devastation which had been going on during the night; but the havoc
did not terminate with the darkness. Some churches and cloisters still
remained uninjured; the same fate soon overtook them also. The work
of destruction lasted three whole days. Alarmed at last lest the frantic
mob, when it could no longer find anything sacred to destroy, should
make a similar attack on lay property and plunder their ware houses;
and encouraged, too, by discovering how small was the number of the
depredators, the wealthier citizens ventured to show themselves in arms
at the doors of their houses. All the gates of the town were locked but
one, through which the Iconoclasts broke forth to renew the same
atrocities in the rural districts. On one occasion only during all this time
did the municipal officers venture to exert their authority, so strongly
were they held in awe by the superior power of the Calvinists, by
whom, as it was believed, this mob of miscreants was hired. The injury
inflicted by this work of devastation was incalculable. In the church of
the Virgin it was estimated at not less than four hundred thousand gold
florins. Many precious works of art were destroyed; many valuable
manuscripts; many monuments of importance to history and to
diplomacy were thereby lost. The city magistrate ordered the plundered
articles to be restored on pain of death; in enforcing this restitution he
was effectually assisted by the preachers of the Reformers, who
blushed for their followers. Much was in this manner recovered, and
the ringleaders of the mob, less animated, perhaps, by the desire of
plunder than by fanaticism and revenge, or perhaps being ruled by
some unseen head, resolved for the future to guard against these
excesses, and to make their attacks in regular bands and in better order.
The town of Ghent, meanwhile, trembled for a like destiny.
Immediately on the first news of the outbreak of the Iconoclasts in
Antwerp the magistrate of the former town with the most eminent
citizens had bound themselves to repel by force the church spoilers;

when this oath was proposed to the commonalty also the voices were
divided, and many declared openly that they were by no means
disposed to hinder so devout a work. In this state of affairs the Roman
Catholic clergy found it advisable to deposit in the citadel the most
precious movables of their churches, and private families were
permitted in like manner to provide for the safety of offerings which
had been made by their ancestors. Meanwhile all the services were
discontinued, the courts of justice were closed; and, like a town in
momentary danger of being stormed by the enemy, men trembled in
expectation of what was to come. At last an insane band of rioters
ventured to send delegates to the governor with this impudent message:
"They were ordered," they said, "by their chiefs to