Title:  History of the United Netherlands, 1608(a)

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4881] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 15, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK history United Netherlands, 1608(a) ***

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, Vol. 81

History of the United Netherlands, 1608(a)

CHAPTER L.

Movements of the Emperor Rudolph—­Marquis Spinola’s reception at the Hague—­Meeting of Spinola and Prince Maurice—­Treaty of the Republic with the French Government—­The Spanish commissioners before the States-General—­Beginning of negotiations—­Stormy discussions—­Real object of Spain in the negotiations—­Question of the India trade—­ Abandonment of the peace project—­Negotiations for a truce—­ Prolongation of the armistice—­Further delays—­Treaty of the States with England—­Proposals of the Spanish ambassadors to Henry of France and to James of England—­Friar Neyen at the court of Spain—­ Spanish procrastination—­Decision of Philip on the conditions of peace—­Further conference at the Hague—­Answer of the States-General to the proposals of the Spanish Government—­General rupture.

Towards the close of the year 1607 a very feeble demonstration was made in the direction of the Dutch republic by the very feeble Emperor of Germany.  Rudolph, awaking as it might be from a trance, or descending for a moment from his star-gazing tower and his astrological pursuits to observe the movements of political spheres, suddenly discovered that the Netherlands were no longer revolving in their preordained orbit.  Those provinces had been supposed to form part of one great system, deriving light and heat from the central imperial sun.  It was time therefore to put an end to these perturbations.  The emperor accordingly, as if he had not enough on his hands at that precise moment with the Hungarians, Transylvanians, Bohemian protestants, his brother Matthias and the Grand Turk, addressed a letter to the States of Holland, Zeeland, and the provinces confederated with them.