closely—­Cruelties practised upon the country people—­Courage of the inhabitants—­Remonstrance to the Knights of the Fleece—­Conduct of Brederode—­Orange at Amsterdam—­New Oath demanded by Government—­ Orange refuses—­He offers his resignation of all offices—­Meeting at Breda—­New “Request” of Brederode—­He creates disturbances and levies troops in Antwerp—­Conduct of Hoogstraaten—­Plans of Brederode—­Supposed connivance of Orange—­Alarm at Brussels—­ Tholouse at Ostrawell—­Brederode in Holland—­De Beauvoir defeats Tholouse—­Excitement at Antwerp—­Determined conduct of Orange—­Three days’ tumult at Antwerp suppressed by the wisdom and courage of Orange.

It is necessary to allude to certain important events contemporaneous with those recorded in the last chapter, that the reader may thoroughly understand the position of the leading personages in this great drama at the close of the year 1566.

The Prince of Orange had, as we have seen, bean exerting all his energies faithfully to accomplish the pacification of the commercial metropolis, upon the basis assented to beforehand by the Duchess.  He had established a temporary religious peace, by which alone at that crisis the gathering tempest could be averted; but he had permitted the law to take its course upon certain rioters, who had been regularly condemned by courts of justice.  He had worked day and night—­notwithstanding immense obstacles, calumnious misstatements, and conflicting opinions—­to restore order out of chaos; he had freely imperilled his own life—­dashing into a tumultuous mob on one occasion, wounding several with the halberd which he snatched from one of his guard, and dispersing almost with his single arm a dangerous and threatening insurrection—­and he had remained in Antwerp, at the pressing solicitations of the magistracy, who represented that the lives of not a single ecclesiastic would be safe as soon as his back was turned, and that all the merchants would forthwith depart from the city.  It was nevertheless necessary that he should make a personal visit to his government of Holland, where similar disorders had been prevailing, and where men of all ranks and parties were clamoring for their stadholder.

Notwithstanding all his exertions however, he was thoroughly aware of the position in which he stood towards the government.  The sugared phrases of Margaret, the deliberate commendation of the “benign and debonair” Philip, produced no effect upon this statesman, who was accustomed to look through and through men’s actions to the core of their hearts.  In the hearts of Philip and Margaret he already saw treachery and revenge indelibly imprinted.  He had been especially indignant at the insult which the Duchess Regent had put upon him, by sending Duke Eric of Brunswick with an armed force into Holland in order to protect Gouda, Woerden, and other places within the Prince’s own government.  He was thoroughly conversant with the general tone in which