History of the United Netherlands, 1590-1599, Vol. III. Complete

and character of Phi

ntest for the French

f Mayenne-Escape of

ons for the marriage o

Grounds of Philip's pr

he Duke of Parma malig

to the king-View of

Duke of Mayenne and t

on of the French pol

iar commercial pursu

ance-Treachery of Phil

duke to Spain-His

, paternally or otherwise, by an accidental selection from its own species, which by some mysterious process has shot up much

be distinguished, at great epochs of the world's hi

pecially during the time that followed hard upon the decease of that embodiment of royalty-its axis must have ceased to turn for a long succession of years. The Bearnese was at least alive, and a man. He played h

nquisition no material prosperity was possible on earth, nor any entrance permitted to the realms of bliss beyond the grave. Had every Netherlander consented to burn his Bible, and to be burned himself should he be found listening to its holy precepts if read to him in shop, cottage, farm-house, or castle; and had he furthermore consented to renounce all the liberal institutions which his ancestors had earned, in the struggle of centuries, by the sweat of their brows and the blood of, their hearts; his benignant proprietor and master, who lived at the ends of the earth, would have consented at almost any moment to peac

us trench-where human beings, even if communing only by bullets and push of pike, were at least dealing truthfully with each other-a

tury presents to every imagination? Maurice of Nassau-excellent soldier and engineer as he had already proved himself-had certainly not developed much of the heroic element, although thus far he was walking straightforward like a man, in the path of duty, with the pithy and substantial Lewis William ever at his side. Olden-Barneveld-tough burgher-statesman, hard-headed, indomitable man of granite-was doing more work, and doing it more thoroughly, than any living politician, but he

somewhat repulsive phenomenon. It became odious and dangerous when by the blows it could deal in battle, the logic it could chop in council, it indicated a

heresy should gain ground that the People was at least as wise, honest, and brave as its masters? What if it should become a recognised fact that the great individuals and castes, whose wealth and station furnished them with ample time and means for perfecting themselves in the science of government, were rather devoting their leisure to

world's movements, one must ponder the secret thoughts, purposes, aspirations, and baffled attempts of the few dozen individuals who once claimed that world in fee-simple. Such researches are not in

, which grouped themselves about the contest for the French throne, as the central

cerned-for that vacant throne. Philip, Mayenne, Henry of Navarre, with all

vain, if the reader has not obtained from irrefragable testimony-the monarch's own especially-a

also one of the most fa

of his brother the Balafre, ostensible leader of the Le

ed for the thro

ting the King of Spain

dull, dumb, but not ineffecti

uld seem to indicate an elasticity of principle and

s to prove them futile or judicious. It is sufficient for us now, that when those vanished days constituted the Present-the vital atmosphere of Christendom-the world's af

an Church, or to vindicate, to a certain extent, liberty of conscience, through the establishment of a heterodox organisation, that all t

low fighter as he was, he was a most nimble intriguer. As for his private character, it was notoriously stained with every vice, nor was there enough of natural intelligence or superior acquirement to atone for his, crapulous; licentious, shameless life. His military efficiency at important emerg

ge of the fishwomen and the butchers' halls. The constitution of the country in that age making a People impossible, the subtle connection between a

istocracy; at the moment when Politica was taking the place of Madam League in his secret affections. Nevertheless, so long as there seemed a chance, he was disposed to work the mines for his own benefit. His position as lieutenant-general gave him an immense a

s wont to play with the soldiers of the guard, as a solace to the tediousness of confinement. One day he hopped and skipped up the staircase with a rapidity which excited the admiration of the companions of his sport, slipped into his room, slammed and bolted the doors, and when the guard, after in vain waiting a considerable tine for him to return and resume the game, at last forced an entrance, they found the bird flown out of window. Rope-ladders, confederat

his uncle there stood, as we know, an insuperable obstacle in the shape of the Duchess of Mayenne. Should it come to this at last, it was certain that the Duke would make any and every combination to frustrate such a scheme. Meantime he kept

inhabitants as the property of his daughter. The Salic law was simply a pleasantry, a bit of foolish pedantry, an absurdity. If Clara Isabella, as daughter of Isabella of France, as grandchild of Henry II., were not manifestly the owner of France-queen-proprietary, as the Spanish doctors called

ays so clear who that individual was. This doubt gave much work and comfortable fees to the lawyers. There was much learned lore concerning statutes of descent, cutting off of entails, actions for ejectment, difficulties of enforcing processes, and the like, to occupy

arth were maintained-affected a comparative indifference as to whether he should put the crown of St. Louis and of Hugh Capet upon his own grey head or wh

a special dispensation. Such a marriage, between parties too closely related to be usually united in wedlock, might otherwise shock the prejudices of the orthodox. His late niece and wife was dead, so that there was no inconvenience on that score, should the interests of his dynasty, his family, and, above all, of

d me to be true, and that both his ambassador from Venice writ to him and Monsieur de Luxembourg from Rome, that the Count Olivarez had made a great

the conflicting claims of father and daughter to the proprietorship of France would be ingeniously adjusted, and the children of so well assorted a marriage might reign in undisputed legitimacy over France and Spain, and the rest of

mind upon anything-to select his nephew the Archduke Ernest, brother of the Emperor Rudolph, for his son-in-law. But it was not necessary to make an immediate choice. His quiver was full of archdukes, any on

ience, as it has from time to time exhibited itself on this planet of ours, is a powerful agent in controlling political combinations; but the instances are unfortunately not rare, so far as sublunary progress is concerned, in which the absence of this dominant influence permits a prosperous rapidity to individual careers. Eternal honour to the noble beings, true chieftains among men, who have forfeited worldly power or sacrificed life itself at the

urch might or might not be strengthened by the re-conversion of the legitimate heir of France, but it was certain that the claims of Philip and the Infanta to the proprietorship of that kingdom would be weakened by the process. While the S

as supposed capable of becoming orthodox whenever the Pope would accept his

speaking of gout, or typhus, or any other recognised disorder. Clement VIII. (Aldobrandini) was elected 30th January, 1592. He was no lover of Henry, and lived in mortal fear of Philip, while it must be conceded that the Spanish ambassador at Rome was much given to brow-beating his Holiness. Should he dare to grant that absolution which was the secret object of the Bearnese, there was no vengeance, hint

eretics. Neither England, nor Holland, nor Protestant Germany, could renounce him, even should he renounce "the religion." Nor could the French Hugu

, purged as with hyssop and washed whiter than snow, it should go hard with him if Philip, and Farnese, and Mayen

f, instead of having been a professor both of the Calvinist and Catholic persuasion, and having relapsed from both, he had been s

the most powerful party in the country was in favour of his claims, provided he would pay the voters liberally enough for their support, and that if the worst came to the worst it w

uld establish in France the Inquisition, the council of Trent, and other acceptable institutions, b

, to be respectively under command of the duke himself and of Alexander Farnese, and regularly to pay for them. These propositions, as has been seen, we

y persons, without at the same time dissipating the greatness from which all these members depended. Pepin and Charlemagne," said the memorialists, "who were foreigners and Saxons by nation, did as much in order to get possession of a kingdom to which they had n

Mayenne and friends, "it would be a great help. But it being perilous to ask for that as

in from the secret instructions given by Philip to his envoys, Don Bernardino de Mendoza, John Baptist de Tassis, an

being as he was a heretic, obstinate and confirmed, who had sucked heresy with his mother's milk." The legate

ucive to that end would be most agreeable to him. "As it is however desirable, in order to arrange matters, that you should be informed of everything," said his Majesty, "it is proper that you should know that I have two kinds of right to all

king's desire for the establishment of the Catholic religion must have be

said Philip, "my eldest daughter, the Infanta, has two other rights; one to all the states which as dower-property are joined by matrimony and through females to this cro

or otherwise was not stated but also of the usurping houses themselves, by whose intrusion those earlier dynasties had been ejected, being the eldest male

rch, he was, if reduced to extremities, willing to forego his own individual rights-when it should appear that th

n, "that I know how, for the sake of the public

ight of blood the crown belongs to them, and hence is derived the pretension made by the Prince of Bearne; but if there were wanting other very sufficient causes to prevent this claim-which however are not wanting-it is quite enough that he is a relapsed heretic, declared to be such by the Apostolic See, and pronounced incompetent, as well as the other members of his house, all of them, to say the least, encouragers of heresy; so that not one of them can

of, Philip then again alluded with his usual minuteness to the various combinations which he had formed

rolls by, leaves the wrecks of many a stranded reputation to bleach in the sunshine of after-ages. It is sometimes as profitable to learn what was not done by the great ones of the earth, in spite of all their efforts, as to

ior being. Let us consider whether he was so potent as his fellow mortals believed, or whether his greatness was merely their littleness; whether it was carved out, of the inexhaustible but artificial quarry of human degradation. Let us see whet

e marshalled, so many ducats expended, so many falsehoods told, to prove a bubble after all? Time was to show. Meantime wise men of the day who, like the sages of every generation, read the future like a printed scroll, we

asonable than the language of the

princes aspiring to the crown, I reply, as you will see by the copy herewith sent. You will observe that after not refusing myself to that which may be the will of our Lord, should there be no other mode of servi

tic to Spain to make over the sovereignty of this province to the Infanta. Philip directed that the utmost secrecy should be observed in regard to this transaction with t

lf or for his daughter were unsuccessful-to dismember France, with the assistance o

kingdom (of France) has to come to separation and to be divided into many hands; in this case we must propose to the Duke of Mayenne to assist him in gettin

rs to assist each other very thoroughly, while they detested each

it, but with the sole purpose of making himself king. As to any of the House of Lorraine obtaining the hand of the

g use of the duke. Both were indefatigable therefore in ex

hful, unscrupulous, and dexterous servant. Remonstrating, advising, but still obeying-entirely without conscience, unless it were conscience to carry out his master's comman

in maligning his every motive and action, and greedily did the king in

uld now have the control over that kingdom which you desire. This is the opinion of friends and foes. I went to the Duke of Parma and made free to tell him that the whole world would blame him for the damage done to Christianity, since your Majesty had exonerated yourself by ordering him to go to the assistance of the Fre

erans, and hanging those veterans whom starving had made. mutinous, he was depicted, to the most suspicious and unforgiving mortal that ever wore a crown

not wishing to become greater than they are. This man here could strike a greater blow than all the rest of them put together. Remember that there is not a villain anywhere that does not

d to listen to propositions by which the sovereignty over the Netherlands was to be secured to himself, and how near h

in the mind of a king who fed upon suspicion as his daily bread. Yet nothing could be fouler or falser than the calumny which described Alexander

eo write to the principal secretary of state, Idiaquez, whose mind, as well as his

esty, only not all, referring you to Tassis, who, as a personal witness to many things, will have it in his power to undeceive his Majesty, I have seen ver

by means of the Duke of Pastrana, and looking at me he said: 'See here, seignior commander, no th

ers. But be certain that nobody in Flanders wishes well to these estates or to the Catholic cause, and the associates of the Duke o

royal mind was steadily drugged, day after day, by those to

ing and upon the duke. Moreo, Mendoza, and Tasais were placed about the go

with Mendoza, Tassis, and M

of Parma," wrote Philip to Mendoza, Tassis, and Moreo. And thus cordially

e had trusted them too much, for Farnese was very well aware of his i

r of the last falsehoods," said he to the secretary; "and this is but poor payment for my having neglected my family, my parents and children for so many years

h food, artillery, or munitions; and then he found himself slandered, ridiculed, his life's life lied away. 'Twas poor payment for his services, he exclaimed, if his Majesty should give ear to these calumniators, and should give him no chance of confronting his accusers and clearing hi

ied, and the gossips, of course, said it was of Farnese poison-but he had just discovered by documents that the commander had been steadily and constantly pouring these his calumnies into the monarch's ears. He denounced every charge as

honour. People have made more account of these calumnies than of my actions performed upon the theatre of the world. I complain, after all my toils and dangers in your Majesty's service, just when I stood with my soul in my mouth and death in my te

orner as a humble servant of the king, and leave a post which had made him so odious to all. Above al

his supposed enemies could produce no effect upon the royal mind, and coolly professed to have entirely forgotten having received any such

e least, seemed to have grown remarkably feeble. But the sequel will very soon show that he had kept the letters by him and pondered them to much purpose. To exp

e been sufficiently sketched in the preceding pages, but the meaning and motives of public affairs can be best understood by occasional glances behind the scenes. It is well for those who would maintain their faith

tively into the capital of his master's empire-it was his duty, of course, to represent as accurately as possible the true state of France. He submitted his actions to hi

s me satisfaction such as can't be exaggerated." Although there were difficulties in the way, Farnese thought that the two together with God's help might conquer them. "Certainly it is not impossible that your Majesty may succeed," he said,

Philip, together with the cities opposite the English coast. If they were obliged to make the duke king, as was to be feared, they should at any rate exclude the Prince of Bearne, and secu

possible-but if foiled, then as large a slice of it as Philip would give him as the price of hi

the inclination of the majority of the inhabitants, they could hardly be in the dark. They knew that the Bearnese was instinctively demand

the League with whom Bearnese came in contact in France, he did n

to be so entirely to your Majesty's profit, that all you are doing appears the fulfilment of a simple obligation. They are filled with fear, jealousy, and suspicion of your Majesty. They dread your acquiring power here. Whatever negotiations they pretend in regard to putting the kingdom or any of their cities under your protection, they have never had any real intention of doing it, but their only object is to keep up our vain hopes while they are carrying out their own ends. If to-day they seem to have agreed upon a

And at every step the absolutely puerile inadequacy of the means, employed by the king to accomplish his gigantic purposes became apparent. If the crime of subjugating or at least dismembering the great kingdom of France were to be attempted with any hope of success, at least it might have been expected that the man

of his party, and to conciliate the leaders generally with presents and promises, that perhaps they might not have softened. Perhaps interest and fear would have made that name agreeable which pleases them so little, n

ut an army; to purchase a rapacious nobility with an empty purse, were t

by the English off the Barbary coast, with an assorted cargo, the miscellaneous nature of which gives an idea of royal commercial pursuits at that period. Besides wine in large quantities there were fourteen hundred chests of quicksilver, an article indispensable to the working of the silver mines, and which no one but the king could, upon pain of death, send to America. He received, according to contract; for every pound of quicksilver thus delivered a pound of pure silver, weight for weight. The ship likewise contained ten cases of gilded mass-books and papal bulls. The bulls, tw

tes followed the Bearnese party, and Mayenne was entitled to credit for doing as well as he did. There was no pretence, however, that his creditable conduct was due to anything but the hope of being well paid. "If your Majesty should decide to keep Mayenne," said Alexander, "you can only do it with large: sums of money. He is a

elf and followers until those events should occur. Alexander not having that sum at his disposal was inclined to defer matters, but was more and more confirmed in his opinion that the Duke was a "man of truth, faith, and his word." He had

, but manifested as much commercial genius as the Fuggers themselves could have

he said, "in order that the name and memory of the Bearne and of all his family may be excluded at once and forever; for your Majesty must not doubt that the whole kingdom inclines to him, both because he is natural successor, to the

ether Henry, after spending the whole of his life as a pretender, was destined to bequeath the same empty part to his descendants, should they think it worth their while to play it. Meantime the sages smiled superior at his delusion; while Alexander Farnese, on the contrary, better understanding the chances of the great game which they were al

his mind to chill his uncle's hopes of the crown, and to speak a

in which he was engaged. "Money and again money is what is required," he said. "The principal matter is to be accomplished with money, and the particular individuals must be bought with money. The good will of every French city must be bought with money. Mayenne must be humoured. He is getting dissatisfied. V

ruin likely to come upon the whole enterprise. He had besought, remonstrated, reasoned with Philip-in vain. He assured his master that in the condition of weakness in which they found themselves, not very triumphant negotiations

anish army, the misery of the country, the ruin of the people, the discontent of the nobles, the rapid strides made by the republic, the vast improvement in its military organization, the rising

ter the left leg of the glorious apostle St. Philip, and the head of the glorious martyr St. Lawrence, to enrich his collection of re

inst the Bearnese, the government of his provinces w

ter was made to believe himself in danger of being poisoned or poniarded by the duke. He was perpetually wrangling with, importuning and insulting him in consequence, and writing malicious letters

against the republic, and to hold what was left of the Netherlands. But with a monthly allowance, and a military force not equal to his own estimates for t

could surpass Alexander in this skilful vivisection of political characters; and he soon sent the information that the Du

w, as we have seen, that elaborate, slanderous reports and protocols concerning him, sent with such regularity by the chivalrous Moreo and the other spies, had been totally disregarded, even if they had ever met his eye, he was quietly preparing-in the midst

ch distinguished him above all kings or chiefs of police that have ever existed. Had there been a murder at the end of the plot, as p

course the inditing of a most af

inty as to the manner in which all this business is to be managed, may see why the settlement of affairs in France is thus delayed, and what the state of things in Christendom generally is, and may consult with, you about an army which I am getting levied here, and about certain schemes now on foot in regard to the remedy for all this; all which makes me desire your presence here for some time, even if a short time, in order to re

, as had been the case so often before, instructing him to make use of the Marquis of Cerralbo, who

the reasons of your going away, you will give out that it is a decision of your own, founded on good cause

letter was 20th

xplicit enough upon that point, although they were wrapped in the usual closely-twis

ions with "the Islands;" but the main purport of his mission was to remove Alexander Farnese. Th

il and danger through which he had grow

u are," said the king, "to treat of the other two matters until the exact time arrives for the third, taking goo

casion of the arrival of the courier of 20th February, and will give with much secrecy the letter of

seen-then the marquis was to discuss with him the details of the journey, and comment upo

conceal and equivocate about the particulars of it, you can show him your letter number two, in which

the score of ill health, while the great credit which attached to this summons to consult with the king in such arduous affairs was to be duly enlarged upon. Should Count Mansfeld meantime die of old age, and should Farnese insist the more vehemently, on that account, upon leavin

uld then become necessary to tell him clearly, but secretly, that no excuse would be accepted, but that go he must; and that

business, and there begin his operations. Should he find at last all his private negotiations and coaxings of no avail, he was then to make use of his secret letters from the king to the

lexander. For if it came to open rupture, it would be necessary to have the cardinal ready to take the place. If the affair were arranged amicably, then the new governor might proceed more at leisure. The marquis was especially enjoined, in case the duke should be in France, and even if it should

lly from earliest youth. It was not possible to carry out the project immediately, for, as it has already been narrated, Farnese, after achieving, in spite of great o

imself to the waters of Spa. The Marquis de Cerralbo meanwhile had been superseded in his important secre

iving man could have gained with the means placed at his disposal-returned to drink the waters, previously to setting forth anew upon the task of achieving the impossible, he was made the mark of petty insults on the part of both the Mansfelds. Neither of them paid their respects to him; ill as he was, until four days after his arrival. When the duke subsequently called a council; Count Peter refused to attend it on account of having slept ill the night before. Champagny; who was one of, the chief mischief-makers, had been banished by Parma to his house in Burgundy. He became very much alarmed, and was afraid of losing his head. He tried to conciliate the duke, but finding it difficult he resolved to turn monk, and so went to the convent of Capuchins, and begged hard to be admitted a member. They refu

corated by Count Charles with caricatures, intending to i

ulous, in order to irritate Farnese; but thus it was. There was so much stir, about these works of art that Alexander transmitted copies of them to the king, whereupon Charles Mansfeld, being somewhat alarmed, endeavoured to prove that they had been entirely misunderstood. The venerable personage lying on the ground, h

ance. For with almost preterhuman malice Philip was employing the man whom he had doomed to disgrace, perhaps to death, and whom he kept under constant secret supervision, in th

and death with as heroic a front as he had ever manifested in the field to embattled Hollanders and Englishmen, or to the still more formidable array of learned pedants and diplomatists in the hall of negotiation

st moment, lifted into the saddle, he attended personally as usual to the details of his new campaign, and was dead before he would confess him

s were taken to Parma, and buried under the pavement of the little Franciscan church. A pompous funeral, in which the Italians and Spania

ut the supple slave of a master and the blind instrument of a Church, one might for a moment regret that so many gifts of genius and valour had been thrown away or at least lost to mankind. Could the light of truth ever pierce the atmosphere in which such men have their being; could the sad music of humanity ever penetrate to their ears; could visions of a world-on this earth or beyond it-not exclusively the property of kings and

ath the level of hist

bly calumnious repor

with which the secre

Champagny, the man by

e himself busy in com

e enemies of Farnese,

uch delight. According

enlightenment of the k

ation of the Nether

with the distributio

s, a beardless secreta

tue called Franceline,

ives and friends to pr

latter end of the duk

the finance department

in his master's frequ

ts upon the receiver-

d as an idiot who did

the finances fell int

e to be accepted, it w

ion dollars expende

an one hundred thousan

is is the estimate mad

cier and once chief o

tainly be thought to

ny was beside himsel