The Golden Grasshopper: A story of the days of Sir Thomas Gresham
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CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
THE DUKE OF ALVA.
I was so deeply interested in the public events I have described, that Ifound little space in my journal for an account of my own proceedings.In truth, while at Antwerp, I was engaged the greater part of the day inmy official duties, and have therefore little to tell about myself.Although order was restored in Antwerp, the city was full of mourning,especially among the lower classes, so many had lost relatives in thelate fight. The person for whom I could not help feeling the mostcompassion was the young widow of the brave Tholouse. For some days shewould not believe that he was among the slain, until one of the men who,though desperately wounded, had escaped death, was brought before her.He described how the young captain, though surrounded by foes, fought tothe last, till he was struck down and cut to pieces. After the enemyhad retired, we went out to the scene of the conflict. I had neverwitnessed so sad and horrible a sight. The ground in the camp wasstrewn with dead bodies. There was one pile of slain larger than therest. Within it was found the hilt of the broken sword of the younghero, his helmet cleft in twain, and a corpse, covered with a hundredwounds, which those who knew him best declared was his. This seemed buta disastrous commencement of an attempt to establish liberty. Manyabandoned all hope of their country's freedom. But bolder spirits hopedagainst hope; among them, even at that time, was William of Orange, orthe Silent William, as he was called. He could speak, however, as Ihave already described. He gained the name, not so much because he wassilent, as far as words were concerned, but because he kept his moreimportant and deeper thoughts hidden in his own bosom.
It became known at this time that the Duke of Alva, the most celebratedgeneral of his day, was marching with a Spanish army towards theNetherlands; and by the middle of August he reached Thionville, on theLuxembourg frontier.
Count Egmont and several other nobles rode forth to meet the Duke.Though at first Alva treated Egmont somewhat coldly, in a short time heappeared to be on the most friendly terms with him, and the two wereseen riding side by side at the head of the forces. Of course theDuchess Margaret was very indignant at the appearance of Alva, who hadcome to supersede her. She at length consented to receive him withoutany of his attendants. But when he appeared in the courtyard with hisbody-guard, the archers of the Regent's household showed a dispositionto prevent their entrance, and a scene of bloodshed seemed on the pointof being enacted. At length he was allowed to pass, and the Duchessreceived him standing in the centre of her reception-room with the mostchilling manner. Behind her stood the Count Egmont and other nobles.Alva, however, must have known how completely they were all in hispower, and had thus less difficulty in suppressing his anger. It wassaid that the Prince of Orange again and again warned Counts Egmont andHorn, as well as several others, on no account to put themselves in thepower of Alva. He showed his opinion of the character of that person byresigning all his offices, and retiring to his paternal estate ofDillenburg.
Alva having superseded the Regent, the country soon felt the effects ofhis presence. He forthwith distributed his well-trained troops throughBrussels, Ghent, Antwerp, and other chief cities, and ordered themunicipalities to transfer their keys to his keeping. A deep gloomsettled down over the whole land. The day of vengeance with which theyhad long been threatened was now to overtake them. The peopleeverywhere were oppressed with a feeling of hopeless dismay. They knewthat they had no power to resist the force which had arrived to keepthem down. Those who had a possibility of escaping made their way outof the ill-fated land across the frontier. Foreign merchants desertedthe great marts, and the cities had the appearance of being stricken bythe plague.
The Duke of Alva established a new court, for the trial of crimescommitted during the recent period of troubles. It was called theCouncil of Troubles, but it soon acquired the terrible name of the BloodCouncil. It superseded all other institutions. All other courts wereforbidden to give judgment on any case growing out of the latedisturbances.
A reign of terror commenced, which exceeded anything that had beforetaken place. The Blood Council made rapid work wherever they went. Inone day eighty-four of the inhabitants of Valenciennes were put todeath; on another, forty-six persons in Malines. Ninety-five peoplecollected from various towns were burned or strangled together at oneplace. But I sicken as I write of the horrible cruelties practised byAlva. He had come for the express purpose of destroying all the leadersof the popular movement. In spite of their high rank and the servicethey had rendered their King, they were condemned to death. Egmont hadproved himself too faithful in carrying out the wishes of Philip, by thecruelties he exercised at Valenciennes and elsewhere, to deserve muchpity.
It was at this juncture that William of Orange came forward. Hepublished a manifesto, clearing himself of all the accusations broughtagainst him, and declaring that he was about to make war, not againstthe King, but against those who had usurped his power and authority inthe country. He immediately set to work to raise funds and troops. Hesold all his jewels, plate, tapestry, and every other possession ofvalue. Other nobles subscribed large sums. Count John of Nassaupledged his estates to raise funds for the cause.
The plan of the campaign was drawn out. The provinces were to beattacked simultaneously in three places. An army of Huguenots was toenter Artois on the frontier of France. A second, under Hoogstraaten,was to operate between the Rhine and the Meuse; while Louis of Nassauwas to raise the standard of revolt in Freesland. A fourth force, underthe Seigneur de Cocqueville, consisting of 2,500 men, also enteredArtois. He was immediately attacked, and almost cut to pieces. All theNetherlanders who were taken prisoners were given up to the Spaniards,and, of course, hanged. A similar fate befel the force of CountHoogstraaten. Louis of Nassau, however, was more successful.
His was the first victory gained by the patriot forces. It was seldom,that, ill-equipped and ill-disciplined, they were able to competesuccessfully with the well-trained troops of Spain. As yet, unhappily,there seemed but little prospect of the cause of liberty beingtriumphant. It was not man's arm which was to win the day. It was saidthat Alva's rage was almost uncontrollable when he heard of the defeatof his troops. In revenge, he immediately put to death eighteenprisoners of distinction, including the two Barons Batenburg, MaximilianKock, Blois de Treslong, and others, who were executed in Brussels.Soon afterwards, the pretended trial of Egmont and Horn being concluded,those nobles were also executed in the same place. The events connectedwith their death are too well-known to require repetition. Though theydid not die on account of their religion, for they were both staunchRomanists, yet their execution contributed greatly to forward the causeof the Protestants, as many other persons who might have remained trueto Philip were induced to side with the patriots, lest they should betreated in a similar manner.
Nothing could be more deplorable than the condition of the Netherlandsat this time. Every family was mourning for some of its dearestrelatives. The death-bell tolled hourly in every village, while thesurvivors almost apathetically awaited the time when they themselvesmight be called to suffer in the same way.
Columns and stakes were to be seen in every street. The door-posts ofprivate houses, even the fences in the fields, and the trees inorchards, were laden with human carcases, strangled, burnt, or beheaded.New scaffolds, gallows, and stakes were erected everywhere, ready forthose devoted to destruction. All those who could escape had fled; andhad it not been for the strict way in which the gates were guarded,nearly every town in the Netherlands would have been depopulated. InAntwerp, as well as in other great manufacturing and mercantile towns,once so full of industrial life, silence and despair now reigned. PoorAntwerp! it was my native city. I had known it for the greater part ofmy life. I had seen it once at the height of prosperity. Its commerceand industry were now well-nigh destroyed.