The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1577 part 1 | Page 7

of
deceiving him, and then laying the despatches before his Majesty for
correction and enlargement. To complete the picture, the monarch and
his minister are seen urging the necessity of murdering the foremost
man of the age upon the very dupe who, within a twelvemonth, was
himself to be assassinated by the self-same pair; while the arch-plotter
who controls the strings of all these complicated projects is equally
false to King, Governor, and Secretary, and is engaging all the others in
these blind and tortuous paths, for the accomplishment of his own
secret and most ignoble aims.
In reply to the letters of Perez, Don John constantly expressed the
satisfaction and comfort which he derived from them in the midst of his
annoyances. "He was very disconsolate," he said, "to be in that hell,
and to be obliged to remain in it," now that the English plot had fallen
to the ground, but he would nevertheless take patience, and wait for a
more favorable conjuncture.
Escovedo expressed the opinion, however, notwithstanding all the
suggestions of Perez, that the presence of Don John in the provinces
had become entirely superfluous. "An old woman with her distaff,"
suggested the Secretary, "would be more appropriate; for there would
be nothing to do, if the states had their way, save to sign everything
which they should command. "If there should be war, his Highness
would, of course, not abandon his post; even if permitted to do so; but
otherwise, nothing could be gained by a prolonged residence. As to the
scheme of assassinating the Prince of Orange, Escovedo prayed Perez
to believe him incapable of negligence on the subject. "You know that
the finishing of Orange is very near my heart," wrote the poor dupe to
the man by whom he was himself so soon to be finished. "You may
believe that I have never forgotten it, and never will forget it, until it be
done. Much, and very much artifice is, however, necessary to
accomplish this object. A proper person to undertake a task fraught
with such well-known danger, is hard to find. Nevertheless, I will not

withdraw my attention from the subject till such a person be procured,
and the deed be done."
A month later, Escovedo wrote that he was about to visit Spain. He
complained that he required rest in his old age, but that Perez could
judge how much rest he could get in such a condition of affairs. He was,
unfortunately, not aware, when he wrote, how soon his correspondent
was to give him a long repose. He said, too, that the pleasure of visiting
his home was counterbalanced by the necessity of travelling back to the
Netherlands; but he did not know that Perez was to spare him that
trouble, and to send him forth upon a much longer journey.
The Governor-General, had, in truth, not inspired the popular party or
its leader with confidence, nor did he place the least reliance upon them.
While at Louvain, he had complained that a conspiracy had been
formed against his life and liberty. Two French gentlemen, Bonnivet
and Bellangreville, had been arrested on suspicion of a conspiracy to
secure his person, and to carry him off a prisoner to Rochelle. Nothing
came of the examination which followed; the prisoners were released,
and an apology was sent by the states-general to the Duke of Alencon,
as well for the indignity which had been offered to two of his servants,
as for the suspicion which had been cast upon himself, Don John,
however, was not satisfied. He persisted in asserting the existence of
the conspiracy, and made no secret of his belief that the Prince of
Orange was acquainted with the arrangement. As may be supposed,
nothing was discovered in the course of the investigation to implicate
that astute politician. The Prince had indeed secretly recommended that
the Governor should be taken into custody on his first arrival, not for
the purpose of assassination or personal injury, but in order to extort
better terms from Philip, through the affection or respect which he
might be supposed to entertain for his brother. It will be remembered
that unsuccessful attempts had also been made to capture the Duke of
Alva and the Commander Requesens. Such achievements comported
with the spirit of the age, and although it is doubtful whether any
well-concerted plot existed against the liberty of the Governor, it is
certain that he entertained no doubt on the subject himself. In addition
to these real or suspected designs, there was an ever-present
consciousness in the mind of Don John that the enthusiasm which
greeted his presence was hollow, that no real attachment was felt for his

person, that his fate was leading him into a false position, that the
hearts of the people were