CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
EVENTS IN ANTWERP.
Once more we were in Antwerp. We stayed there, however, but a shorttime, to confer with Master Clough on various financial and commercialmatters. I should mention that an attempt was made by the Papists tostir up enmity against the new Queen of England among the people ofAntwerp, in order, if possible, to prevent Sir Thomas Gresham fromobtaining the point he required. For this purpose a friar was engagedto preach a sermon. He furiously attacked the Queen, abused her as aheretic and a heathen, who cared not for God nor religion, and whosegreat object was to make all her people heathens, telling his hearersthat any Catholic would be justified in putting her to death; not onlythat, but he would thereby perform a meritorious work, highly pleasingto the Church and to God. The indignation, however, of the people ofAntwerp on hearing this sermon was very great, for at that time therewere fully fifty thousand professed Protestants in that city, besidesmany more who secretly approved of their principles. Had the friarventured abroad, there would have been little doubt that he would havebeen well bastinadoed by the populace. He must have suspected that suchwould be his fate if he showed himself.
The following day Sir Thomas received a visit from Master LazarusTucker. He came, he said, on the part of the friar to request that SirThomas would throw his protection over him, to save him from thetreatment he was likely to receive. I had seldom seen my patron soamused.
"By my troth," he answered, "this is impudence! Here is a villainousfellow who preaches black treason in the name of religion, and thensends to me, the envoy of the Queen's Majesty, to protect him! No, no!let him go forth if he lists, and if he is well bastinadoed by thepeople, he will only obtain his desert."
The friar, however, remained shut up in his house, but shortlyafterwards, through the aid of Cardinal Granvelle, secretly left thecity, and took refuge in Brussels. No man in authority was more hatedat that time in the Netherlands than was Cardinal Granvelle. WhenPhilip went to Spain, he had been left behind in Flanders. His ambitionhad procured for him a cardinal's hat, and, by his insolent andimperious bearing, he soon incurred such deep hatred, that the firstnoblemen of the country conspired against him, and vowed to effect hisruin.
I was present on one occasion when the spirit which was abroad, evenamong people of the highest rank, exhibited itself. When at Brussels,our old friend Jasper Schetz, now Lord of Grobbendonck, invited SirThomas to a banquet. A large party of Flemish nobles were collected,among whom I felt myself a very humble person. The conversation turnedupon the thoroughly hated Cardinal Granvelle, his luxurious style ofliving, and the air of haughty superciliousness with which he treatedall who approached him. As the wine circulated, the abuse of theCardinal became more vehement. His magnificent equipages, liveries, andthe arrangements of his household, excited their derision; the way helived, and the tinsel and glitter in which the prelate pranked himself,were contrasted with the simple habits and garments of the nobles ofGermany.
At length it was proposed that the plainest possible livery should beadopted for the servants of all present, as unlike as possible to thatworn by the menials of the Cardinal. Some one also proposed that asymbol should be added to the livery, to show the universal contempt forGranvelle. By whom should it be designed? was the question. It wasagreed that the matter should be decided by lot. Dice were called for.Count Egmont won. A few days afterwards his retainers appeared indoublet and hose of the coarsest grey, long hanging sleeves, such aswere worn by the humblest classes, the only ornament being a monk'scowl, or a fool's cap and bells, embroidered on the sleeves. The othernobles, who had been present at the dinner, ordered all their servantsto appear in the same costume, which now became so popular, that all thetailors in Brussels could scarcely furnish those in demand. Many ofthem, indeed, wore in front of their dress a fool's head with acardinal's hat upon it.
The Regent, Margaret of Parma, at first laughed with the rest at thisproceeding, as she had no love for Granvelle. She induced the nobles toomit the fool's cap from the livery, and to substitute a bundle ofarrows, or a wheatsheaf. The Cardinal, who was soon after thisrecalled, took care to avenge himself on those who had thus mocked him.He represented to Philip, that though he could easily forgive the fools'caps and cowls, yet the wheatsheaf and the bundle of arrows betokenedthe existence of a conspiracy against the authority of the Princehimself; and probably on that very occasion the death of Count Egmontwas determined on by Philip and the Cardinal. They had, however, toabide their time.
Fearful was the vengeance the Cardinal took, not only on the nobles, buton all the people of this unhappy country. But I am anticipating.
The most terrible and remorseless instrument employed for this purposewas Peter Titelmann, Inquisitor General. Throughout the whole ofFlanders, Douay, and Tournay, the most populous portions of theNetherlands, he proceeded at a rapid pace, spreading dismay far andwide, dragging suspected persons from their firesides or beds, andthrusting them into dismal dungeons: arresting, torturing, strangling,burning, with hardly the shadow of warrant, information, or process.
My heart sickens as I contemplate the dreadful scenes I was oftencompelled to witness, and I think of the number of those simply accusedof reading the Bible who were hurried to the flames. Even the RomanCatholics, who had hitherto looked on with indifference, were nowaroused, and representations were made to the Regent of the fearfulproceedings of Peter Titelmann, the Inquisitor.
Still the Protestant faith was not put down, and Philip, maddened by theopposition he met with, at length issued a decree condemning to deaththe whole of his subjects who would not conform to the Church of Rome.The Prince of Orange, a moderate man, and one who never spoke withoutweighing his words, declared that, at this time, fifty thousand personsin the provinces had been put to death in obedience to the edicts.
Philip declared, that as his father had chastised his people with ascourge, he would make them feel the effect of a whip of scorpions. Theedicts were enforced, therefore, with renewed vigour; and, as may besupposed, all who could escape fled out of this doomed land as soon aspossible. The tide of commerce was completely changed, and whereasformerly manufactures were sent from Antwerp to England, now every weekvessels came from Sandwich to Antwerp laden with silk, satin, and clothmanufactured in England.
My sagacious patron had long seen the course events were taking. I maystate now that, for some years past, he had been busily employed inpurchasing gunpowder, arquebuses, cannon, and all sorts of munitions ofwar, as well as cordage, and all naval stores required for fitting outships. He had urged the English Government also to increase theirmilitary forces, and to prepare and fit out as many large ships as couldpossibly be built. He had agents in all parts of Europe, and by theirmeans had kept himself thoroughly well acquainted with all that wasgoing forward. The plots for the destruction of the life of the Queenof England were soon made known to him, and by his means communicated toSir William Cecil. As long as King Philip hoped to gain the hand ofQueen Elizabeth, and thereby to recover an influence in England, hepretended amity to the English. It was also Cecil's policy to remain atpeace, that he might be better prepared for war, when that inevitabletime should arrive.
The great object of the Pope of Rome, and of all whom he couldinfluence, was to destroy England, because it was evident by this timethat England had become, in most part, a Protestant country, and wouldnever, while she remained free and independent, again yield to the Papalpower. Queen Mary by her burnings in Smithfield, and King Philip andhis father by the wholesale murders of their subjects in theNetherlands--the latter thereby driving thousands of Protestants intoEngland--had done more to destroy the power of Romanism in that landthan all the cardinals and bishops and the most talented preachers couldever repair.
My patron, in writing to the Government at home, had to be very carefulin the expressions he used, lest his letters might be seen, and those heemployed brought into trouble. This shipment of warlike stores wascontrary to the laws
of the Netherlands, consequently, when we wereshipping gunpowder, we always used the words _velvet_ and _silks_:_damasks_ and _satins_ were employed to signify very different articles.The authorities evidently suspected what was going forward, and gaveorders to the custom-house officers to search all ships loading forEngland. However, as these custom-house officers were ill-paid by theirGovernment, there was no great difficulty in inducing them to closetheir eyes during their searches, and to declare that certain casks onboard the vessels, however suspicious might have been their appearance,contained the pieces of velvet mentioned in the bill of lading.
The Golden Grasshopper: A story of the days of Sir Thomas Gresham Page 14
