The Rise of the Dutch Republic, 1577 part 2 | Page 9

breast. The affrighted lady threw her arms about his neck; shrieking
that they were betrayed, but the Prince, perceiving that the supposed
shot was but a wad from one of the cannon, which were still roaring
their welcome to him, soon succeeded in calming her fears. The
carriage passed lowly through the streets, attended by the vociferous
greetings of the multitude; for the whole population had come forth to
do him honor. Women and children clustered upon every roof and
balcony, but a painful incident again marred the tranquillity of the
occasion. An apothecary's child, a little girl of ten years, leaning
eagerly from a lofty balcony, lost her balance and fell to the ground,
directly before the horses of the Prince's carriage. She was killed stone
dead by the fall. The procession stopped; the Prince alighted, lifted the
little corpse in his arms, and delivered it, with gentle words and looks
of consolation, to the unhappy parents. The day seemed marked with
evil omens, which were fortunately destined to prove fallacious. The
citizens of Utrecht became more than ever inclined to accept the
dominion of the Prince, whom they honored and whom they already
regarded as their natural chief. They entertained him with banquets and
festivities during his brief visit, and it was certain before he took his
departure that the treaty of "Satisfaction" would not be long delayed. It
was drawn up, accordingly, in the autumn of the same year, upon the
basis of that accepted by Harlem and Amsterdam--a basis wide enough
to support both religions, with a nominal supremacy to the ancient

Church.
Meantime, much fruitless correspondence had taken place between Don
John and the states Envoys; despatched by the two parties to each other,
had indulged in bitterness and recrimination. As soon as the Governor,
had taken: possession of Namur Castle, he had sent the Seigneur, de
Rassinghem to the states-general. That gentleman carried with him
copies of two anonymous letters, received by Don John upon the 19th
and 21st of July, 1577, in which a conspiracy against his life and liberty
was revealed. It was believed by the Governor that Count Lalain, who
had secretly invited him to a conference, had laid an ambush for him. It
was known that the country was full of disbanded soldiers, and the
Governor asserted confidently that numbers of desperadoes were lying
in wait for him in every village alehouse of Hainault and Flanders. He
called on the states to ferret out these conspirators, and to inflict
condign punishment upon their more guilty chiefs; he required that the
soldiers, as well as the citizens, should be disarmed at Brussels and
throughout Brabant, and he justified his seizure of Namur, upon the
general ground that his life was no longer safe, except in a fortress.
In reply to the letter of the Governor, which was dated the 24th of July,
the states despatched Marolles, Archdeacon of Ypres, and the Seigneur
de Bresse, to Namur, with a special mission to enter into the whole
subject of these grievances. These gentlemen, professing the utmost
devotion to the cause of his Majesty's authority and the Catholic
religion, expressed doubts as to the existence of the supposed
conspiracy. They demanded that Don John should denounce the
culprits, if any such were known, in order that proper chastisement
might be instantly inflicted. The conversation which ensued was
certainly unsatisfactory. The Governor used lofty and somewhat
threatening language, assuring Marolles that he was at that moment in
possession, not only of Namur but of Antwerp citadel; and the deputies
accordingly departed, having accomplished very little by their journey.
Their backs were scarcely turned, when Don John, on his part,
immediately appointed another commission, consisting of Rassinghem
and Grobbendonck, to travel from Namur to Brussels. These envoys
carried a long letter of grievances, enclosing a short list of demands.
The letter reiterated his complaints about conspiracies, and his
protestations of sincerity. It was full of censure upon the Prince of

Orange; stigmatized his intrigues to obtain possession of Amsterdam
without a proper "Satisfaction," and of Utrecht, to which he had no
claim at all. It maintained that the Hollanders and Zealanders were bent
upon utterly exterminating the Catholic religion, and that they avowed
publicly their intention to refuse obedience to the assembly-general,
should it decree the maintenance of the ancient worship only. His chief
demands were that the states should send him a list of persons qualified
to be members of the general assembly, that he might see whether there
were not individuals among them whom he might choose to reject. He
further required that, if the Prince of Orange did not instantly fulfil the
treaty of Ghent, the states should cease to hold any communication
with him. He also summoned the states to provide him forthwith with