The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1566 part 2

The Rise of the Dutch Republic,
1566 part 2

The Project Gutenberg EBook Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1566
#12 in our series by John Lothrop Motley Copyright laws are changing
all over the world. Be sure to check the copyright laws for your country
before downloading or redistributing this or any other Project
Gutenberg eBook.
This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project
Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the
header without written permission.
Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the
eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is
important information about your specific rights and restrictions in how
the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a
donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved.
**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts**
**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since
1971**
*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers*****
Title: The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1566
Author: John Lothrop Motley
Release Date: January, 2004 [EBook #4812] [Yes, we are more than
one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 19,
2002]

Edition: 10
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE
DUTCH REPUBLIC, 1566 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger

[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the
file for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making
an entire meal of them. D.W.]

MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, PG EDITION,
VOLUME 12.
THE RISE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC
By John Lothrop Motley
1855
VOLUME 2, Book 1., 1566
1566 [
CHAPTER VIII
.]
Secret policy of the government--Berghen and Montigny in Spain--
Debates at Segovia--Correspondence of the Duchess with Philip--
Procrastination and dissimulation of the King--Secret communication
to the Pope--Effect in the provinces of the King's letters to the
government--Secret instructions to the Duchess--Desponding
statements of Margaret--Her misrepresentations concerning Orange,
Egmont, and others--Wrath and duplicity of Philip--Egmont's exertions
in Flanders--Orange returns to Antwerp--His tolerant spirit--Agreement
of 2d September--Horn at Tournay--Excavations in the
Cathedral--Almost universal attendance at the preaching-- Building of
temples commenced--Difficult position of Horn--Preaching in the

Clothiers' Hall--Horn recalled--Noircarmes at Tournay-- Friendly
correspondence of Margaret with Orange, Egmont, Horn, and
Hoogstraaten--Her secret defamation of these persons.
Egmont in Flanders, Orange at Antwerp, Horn at Tournay;
Hoogstraaten at Mechlin, were exerting themselves to suppress
insurrection and to avert ruin. What, meanwhile, was the policy of the
government? The secret course pursued both at Brussels and at Madrid
may be condensed into the usual formula--dissimulation,
procrastination, and again dissimulation.
It is at this point necessary to take a rapid survey of the open and the
secret proceedings of the King and his representatives from the moment
at which Berghen and Montigny arrived in Madrid. Those ill-fated
gentlemen had been received with apparent cordiality, and admitted to
frequent, but unmeaning, interviews with his Majesty. The current upon
which they were embarked was deep and treacherous, but it was
smooth and very slow. They assured the King that his letters, ordering
the rigorous execution of the inquisition and edicts, had engendered all
the evils under which the provinces were laboring. They told him that
Spaniards and tools of Spaniards had attempted to govern the country,
to the exclusion of native citizens and nobles, but that it would soon be
found that Netherlanders were not to be trodden upon like the abject
inhabitants of Milan, Naples, and Sicily. Such words as these struck
with an unaccustomed sound upon the royal ear, but the envoys, who
were both Catholic and loyal, had no idea, in thus expressing their
opinions, according to their sense of duty, and in obedience to the
King's desire, upon the causes of the discontent, that they were
committing an act of high treason.
When the news of the public preaching reached Spain, there were
almost daily consultations at the grove of Segovia. The eminent
personages who composed the royal council were the Duke of Alva, the
Count de Feria, Don Antonio de Toledo, Don Juan Manrique de Lara,
Ruy Gomez, Quixada, Councillor Tisnacq, recently appointed President
of the State Council, and Councillor Hopper. Six Spaniards and two
Netherlanders, one of whom, too, a man of dull intellect and thoroughly
subservient character, to deal with the local affairs of the Netherlands
in a time of intense excitement! The instructions of the envoys had
been to represent the necessity of according three great

points--abolition of the inquisition, moderation of the edicts, according
to the draft prepared in Brussels, and an ample pardon for past
transactions. There was much debate upon all these propositions. Philip
said