Antwerp, Utrecht, and other cities—­Religious Peace enforced by Orange—­ Philip Egmont’s unsuccessful attempt upon Brussels—­Siege of Maestricht—­Failure at the Tongres gate—­Mining and countermining—­ Partial destruction of the Tongres ravelin—­Simultaneous attack upon the Tongres and Bolls-le-Duo gates—­The Spaniards repulsed with great loss—­Gradual encroachments of the besiegers—­Bloody contests —­The town taken—­Horrible massacre—­Triumphal entrance and solemn thanksgiving—­Calumnious attacks upon Orange—­Renewed troubles in Ghent—­Imbue and Dathenus—­The presence of the Prince solicited—­ Coup d’etat of Imbue—­Order restored, and Imbue expelled by Orange

The political movements in both directions were to be hastened by the military operations of the opening season.  On the night of the 2nd of March, 1579, the Prince of Parma made a demonstration against Antwerp.  A body of three thousand Scotch and English, lying at Borgerhout, was rapidly driven in, and a warm skirmish ensued, directly under the walls of the city.  The Prince of Orange, with the Archduke Matthias, being in Antwerp at the time, remained on the fortifications; superintending the action, and Parma was obliged to retire after an hour or two of sharp fighting, with a loss of four hundred men.  This demonstration was, however, only a feint.  His real design was upon Maestricht; before which important city he appeared in great force, ten days afterwards, when he was least expected.

Well fortified, surrounded by a broad and deep moat; built upon both sides of the Meuse, upon the right bank of which river, however, the portion of the town was so inconsiderable that it was merely called the village of Wyk, this key to the German gate of the Netherlands was, unfortunately, in brave but feeble hands.  The garrison was hardly one thousand strong; the trained bands of burghers amounted to twelve hundred more; while between three and four thousand peasants; who had taken refuge within the city walls, did excellent service as sappers and miners.  Parma, on the other hand, had appeared before the walls with twenty thousand men; to which number he received constant reinforcements.  The Bishop of Liege, too, had sent him four thousand pioneers—­a most important service; for mining and countermining was to decide the fate of Maestricht.

Early in January the royalists had surprised the strong chateau of Carpen, in the neighbourhood of the city, upon which occasion the garrison were all hanged by moonlight on the trees in the orchard.  The commandant shared their fate; and it is a curious fact that he had, precisely a year previously, hanged the royalist captain, Blomaert, on the same spot, who, with the rope around his neck, had foretold a like doom to his destroyer.

The Prince of Orange, feeling the danger of Maestricht, lost no time in warning the states to the necessary measures, imploring them “not to fall asleep in the shade of a peace negotiation,” while meantime Parma threw two bridges over the Meuse, above and below the city, and then invested the place so closely that all communication was absolutely suspended.  Letters could pass to and fro only at extreme peril to the messengers, and all possibility of reinforcing the city at the moment was cut off.