“Oh! monseigneur, you know it now, or you are, in truth, a worse politician than I thought you.  Who counseled you to take Antwerp?—­the Prince of Orange.  Who disappeared at the moment of taking the field?—­the Prince of Orange.  Who, while he made your highness Duke of Brabant, reserved for himself the lieutenant-generalship of the duchy?—­the Prince of Orange.  Whose interest is it to ruin the Spaniards by you, and you by the Spaniards?—­the Prince of Orange.  Who will replace you, who will succeed, if he does not do so already?—­the Prince of Orange?  Oh! monseigneur, in following his counsels you have but annoyed the Flemings.  Let a reverse come, and all those who do not dare to look you now in the face will run after you like those timid dogs who run after those who fly.”

“What! you imagine that I can be beaten by wool-merchants and beer-drinkers?”

“These wool-merchants and these beer-drinkers have given plenty to do to Philippe de Valois, the Emperor Charles V., and Philippe II., who were three princes placed sufficiently high, monseigneur, for the comparison not to be disagreeable to you.”

“Then you fear a repulse?”

“Yes, monseigneur, I do.”

“You will not be there, M. de Joyeuse.”

“Why not?”

“Because you can hardly have such doubts of your own bravery as already to see yourself flying before the Flemings.  In any case, reassure yourself, these prudent merchants have the habit, when they march to battle, of cumbering themselves with such heavy armor that they would never catch you if you did run.”

“Monseigneur, I do not doubt my own courage.  I shall be in the front, but I shall be beaten there, as the others who are behind will be.”

“But your reasoning is not logical, M. de Joyeuse; you approve of my taking the lesser places.”

“I approve of your taking those that do not defend themselves.”

“And then I am to draw back from the great city because she talks of defending herself?”

“Better than to march on to destruction.”

“Well, I will not retreat.”

“Your highness must do as you like; and we are here to obey.”

“Prove to me that I am wrong.”

“Monseigneur, see the army of the Prince of Orange.  It was yours, was it not?  Well, instead of sitting down before Antwerp with you, it is in Antwerp, which is very different.  William, you say, was your friend and counselor; and now you not only do not know where he is, but you believe him to be changed into an enemy.  See the Flemings—­when you arrived they were pleased to see you; now they shut their gates at your sight, and prepare their cannon at your approach, not less than if you were the Duc d’Alva.  Well!  I tell you, Flemings and Dutch, Antwerp and Orange, only wait for an opportunity to unite against you, and that opportunity will be when you order your artillery to fire.”

“Well, we will fight at once Flemings and Dutch, Antwerp and Orange.”