Title:  History of the United Netherlands, 1585

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4843] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 2, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK history United Netherlands, 1585 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger widger@cecomet.net

[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.]

HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year’s Truce—­1609

By John Lothrop Motley

MOTLEY’S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Volume 43

History United Netherlands, 1585

Chapter VI., Part 2.

Sir John Norris sent to Holland—­Parsimony of Elizabeth—­Energy of Davison—­Protracted Negotiations—­Friendly Sentiments of Count Maurice—­Letters from him and Louisa de Coligny—­Davison vexed by the Queen’s Caprice—­Dissatisfaction of Leicester—­His vehement Complaints—­The Queen’s Avarice—­Perplexity of Davison—­Manifesto of Elizabeth—­Sir Philip Sidney—­His Arrival at Flushing.

The envoys were then dismissed, and soon afterwards a portion of the deputation took their departure from the Netherlands with the proposed treaty.  It was however, as we know, quite too late for Saguntum.  Two days after the signing of the treaty, the remaining envoys were at the palace of Nonesuch, in conference with the Earl of Leicester, when a gentleman rushed suddenly into the apartment, exclaiming with great manifestations of anger: 

“Antwerp has fallen!  A treaty has been signed with the Prince of Parma.  Aldegonde is the author of it all.  He is the culprit, who has betrayed us;” with many more expressions of vehement denunciation.

The Queen was disappointed, but stood firm.  She had been slow in taking her resolution, but she was unflinching when her mind was made up.  Instead of retreating from her, position, now that it became doubly dangerous, she advanced several steps nearer towards her allies.  For it was obvious, if more precious time should be lost, that Holland and Zeeland would share the fate of Antwerp.  Already the belief, that, with the loss of that city, all had been lost, was spreading both in the Provinces and in England, and Elizabeth felt that the time had indeed come to confront the danger.

Meantime the intrigues of the enemy in the independent Provinces were rife.  Blunt Roger Williams wrote in very plain language to Walsingham, a very few days after the capitulation of Antwerp: