The Revolt of The Netherlands, book 4 | Page 5

spoken more
freely than your courtiers you have closed your princely ear to me,
which has been open only to pernicious suggestions." The regent
allowed that she had been in fault, and had been blinded by an
appearance of probity; but that she was now driven by necessity. "Are
you resolved," answered Viglius, "resolutely to insist upon obedience
to the royal commands?" "I am," answered the duchess. "Then have
recourse to the great secret of the art of government, to dissimulation,
and pretend to join the princes until, with their assistance, you have
repelled this storm. Show them a confidence which you are far from
feeling in your heart. Make them take an oath to you that they will
make common cause in resisting these disorders. Trust those as your
friends who show themselves willing to do it; but be careful to avoid
frightening away the others by contemptuous treatment." Viglius kept
the regent engaged in conversation until the princes arrived, who he
was quite certain would in nowise consent to her flight. When they
appeared he quietly withdrew in order to issue commands to the town
council to close the gates of the city and prohibit egress to every one
connected with the court. This last measure effected more than all the
representations had done. The regent, who saw herself a prisoner in her
own capital, now yielded to the persuasions of the nobles, who pledged
themselves to stand by her to the last drop of blood. She made Count
Mansfeld commandant of the town, who hastily increased the garrison
and armed her whole court.
The state council was now held, who finally came to a resolution that it
was expedient to yield to the emergency; to permit the preachings in
those places where they had already commenced; to make known the
abolition of the papal Inquisition; to declare the old edicts against the
heretics repealed, and before all things to grant the required indemnity
to the confederate nobles, without limitation or condition. At the same
time the Prince of Orange, Counts Egmont and Horn, with some others,

were appointed to confer on this head with the deputies of the league.
Solemnly and in the most unequivocal terms the members of the league
were declared free from all responsibility by reason of the petition
which had been presented, and all royal officers and authorities were
enjoined to act in conformity with this assurance, and neither now nor
for the future to inflict any injury upon any of the confederates on
account of the said petition. In return, the confederates bound
themselves to be true and loyal servants of his majesty, to contribute to
the utmost of their power to the re-establishment of order and the
punishment of the Iconiclasts, to prevail on the people to lay down their
arms, and to afford active assistance to the king against internal and
foreign enemies. Securities, formally drawn up and subscribed by the
plenipotentiaries of both sides, were exchanged between them; the
letter of indemnity, in particular, was signed by the duchess with her
own hand and attested by her seal. It was only after a severe struggle,
and with tears in her eyes, that the regent, as she tremblingly confessed
to the king, was at last induced to consent to this painful step. She
threw the whole blame upon the nobles, who had kept her a prisoner in
Brussels and compelled her to it by force. Above all she complained
bitterly of the Prince of Orange.
This business accomplished, all the governors hastened to their
provinces; Egmont to Flanders, Orange to Antwerp. In the latter city
the Protestants had seized the despoiled and plundered churches, and,
as if by the rights of war, had taken possession of them. The prince
restored them to their lawful owners, gave orders for their repair, and
re-established in them the Roman Catholic form of worship. Three of
the Iconoclasts, who had been convicted, paid the penalty of their
sacrilege on the gallows; some of the rioters were banished, and many
others underwent punishment. Afterwards he assembled four deputies
of each dialect, or nations, as they were termed, and agreed with them
that, as the approaching winter made preaching in the open air
impossible, three places within the town should be granted then, where
they might either erect new churches, or convert private houses to that
purpose. That they should there perform their service every Sunday and
holiday, and always at the same hour, but on no other days. If, however,
no holiday happened in the week, Wednesday should be kept by them
instead. No religious party should maintain more than two clergymen,

and these must be native Netherlanders, or at least have received
naturalization from some considerable town of the provinces. All
should take an oath to