Rise of the Dutch Republic, the — Volume 15: 1568, part II eBook

The expedition under Aremberg had failed from two causes.  The Spanish force had been inadequate, and they had attacked the enemy at a disadvantage.  The imprudent attack was the result of the contempt with which they had regarded their antagonist.  These errors were not to be repeated.  Alva ordered Count Meghem, now commanding in the province of Groningen, on no account to hazard hostilities until the game was sure.  He also immediately ordered large reinforcements to move forward to the seat of war.  The commanders intrusted with this duty were Duke Eric of Brunswick, Chiappin Vitelli, Noircarmes, and Count de Roeulx.  The rendezvous for the whole force was Deventer, and here they all arrived on the 10th July.  On the same day the Duke of Alva himself entered Deventer, to take command in person.  On the evening of the 14th July he reached Rolden, a village three leagues distant from Groningen, at the head of three terzios of Spanish infantry, three companies of light horse, and a troop of dragoons.  His whole force in and about Groningen amounted to fifteen thousand choice troops besides a large but uncertain number of less disciplined soldiery.

Meantime, Louis of Nassau, since his victory, had accomplished nothing.  For this inactivity there was one sufficient excuse, the total want of funds.  His only revenue was the amount of black mail which he was able to levy upon the inhabitants of the province.  He repeated his determination to treat them all as enemies, unless they furnished him with the means of expelling their tyrants from the country.  He obtained small sums in this manner from time to time.  The inhabitants were favorably disposed, but they were timid and despairing.  They saw no clear way towards the accomplishment of the result concerning which Louis was so confident.  They knew that the terrible Alva was already on his way.  They felt sure of being pillaged by both parties, and of being hanged as rebels, besides, as soon as the Governor-general should make his appearance.

Louis had, however, issued two formal proclamations for two especial contributions.  In these documents he had succinctly explained that the houses of all recusants should be forthwith burned about their ears, and in consequence of these peremptory measures, he had obtained some ten thousand florins.  Alva ordered counter-proclamations to be affixed to church doors and other places, forbidding all persons to contribute to these forced loans of the rebels, on penalty of paying twice as much to the Spaniards, with arbitrary punishment in addition, after his arrival.  The miserable inhabitants, thus placed between two fires, had nothing for it but to pay one-half of their property to support the rebellion in the first place, with the prospect of giving the other half as a subsidy to tyranny afterwards; while the gibbet stood at the end of the vista to reward their liberality.  Such was the horrible position of the peasantry in this civil conflict.  The weight of guilt thus accumulated upon the crowned head which conceived, and upon the red right hand which wrought all this misery, what human scales can measure?