beloued of all these Sectes that in the end they might benefite themselues by that which most preuailed Wherupon in the Moneth of April in the yeare of our Lord 1566. in the Towne of Bruxells they exhibited vnto the Lâ— Margaret aforsaid a supplication wherin they requyred a repeale or moderation of all rigorous Placartes or Lawes made concerning Religion Let now any man of reason or iudgment consider of the lawfullnes of this demaund and whether themselues that demaunded it could with good conscience moue the same the very mouing of the demaund it selfe plainely arguing little respect or conscience in the demaunders declaring plainely that the thing they sought was for their owne endes and that taking part at the last with that Sect which came to domimere aboue the rest as in the end one must needes doe they might sticke thereunto and so by flatte and open rebellion make vp their mouthes by the ouerthrowe of the ancient Clergy that was in possession of good 〈◊〉 and huinges to which all these new Sects did beare equal hatred albeit ech or them did neuerthelesse hate one another This request being as is aforesayd presented vnto the Lady Margaret in the moneth of April she promised them to send it into Spaine and to require from thence resolution and answere tâ—ereof The request she sent but the answere they attended not but gaue fâ—â—thwith such hart and encouragment vnto the Sectaryes that within few weeks after the request was sent away they began to preach publikely in sundry Townes and Cittyes vpon a selfe assumed authority euen in despite of all Lawes and Magistrates and thereupon fell to robbing and spoyling of Churches throughout al the Countrey Vpon this the King of Spayne as a Prince most carefull of his Oath and of the good of his subiects was enforced to send into these Netherlands the Duke of Alua to take vpon him the generall gouernment which in so troublesome a world was too great a charge to be menaged by a woman This Duke ariuing in these partes in the moneth of August in the yeare 1â—67 which was the yeare following the Lady Margaret resigned vnto him the gouernement and departed out of the Countrey The Duke now being placed in the gouernement began to learne out and informe himselfe what persons they were that had conspired togeather in this busines and had giuen the onset and countenance vnto these rebellious Sectaryes and Sacrilegious Church-robbers finding the Earles of Egmont and Horne and some other Gentlemen to be culpable of this crime they were apprehended and beheaded in Bruxels But VVilliam of Nassaw Prince of Orange the chiefest Ring leader of this sedition so soone as he heard of the ariuall of the Duke got him away into Germany and by his flight declared himselfe to be guilty as by experience afterward it proued Heere now it is to be considered whether in the sight and iudgement of the whole World the King of Spaine had not all right and reason on his side to vse such meanes as he did for the punishment of such capitall offenders and to imploy the subiects of one Countrey for the chastisement of the Rebells of another when he had no other remedy And whether any King or Prince liuing in the world could in honour or iustice winke at put vp such great and capital crymes and insolencyes committed by his subiects as is a generall and publique sacrilegious Church-robbery and the spoyling of the Clergy for the preseruation of whose priuiledges he had so solemnely taken his oath and to suffer the dooers quietly to passe vnpunished to let euery man openly professe follow such new and neuer heard of doctrine as his owne fancy should inuent or of his owne choice he should best like which euen those themselues that are at this day the successours of these first rebells in some of these Netherlands doe find so inconuenient for gouernement that notwithstanding their first profession that euery man ought to haue his free exercise or Religion according to his owne conscience they do prohibite to such as they like not The Duke of Alua hauing caused iustice to be executed first vpon some of the principall conspiratours and after vpon other inferiour offenders did at last in the yeare of our Lord 1570. by order from the King of Spaine cause a general pardon to be proclaimed wherof if VVilliam of Nassaw Prince of Oâ—ange and his adherents had taken the offered benefite all further troubles had ceased but to the contrary they laboured both by secret seditious preachers as by other such like agents to spread abroad that the King of Spayne had broken the Countrey priuiledges as thogh the Countrey had had priuiledges that churches might forsooth be robbed no man called in question for it that euery man might professe what religion he listed were it neuer so naught or new the prohibiting whereof and the conseruation of Ecclesiasticall priuiledges to which the King was sworne being the only cause as to all the world was apparent why the sayd King was constrayned to send the Duke of Alua and Spaniardes into the Countrey which els had neuer beene thought of So as the true blame which the King of Spayne hath deserued is not for breach of priuileges but for seeking to restore priuiledges which his disobedient subiects had broken the which if he had not done then might he haue beene thought negligent and carelesse of his Oath but this the equity of his conscience would neuer permit I am not ignorant that some fooles haue made other fooles belieue that the King of Spayne at his departure out of these Netherlands did promise euery seauen yeare to returne thither againe and that the breach of his promise gaue cause sufficient for these his subiects to rebell This foolish allegation deserneth no answere Yet least some wiser people might be abused by fooles I â—ill leaue them to consider that there was no cause why his Maiesty should bind himselfe to any such condition his predecessors before him hauing beene free and the Countrey comming vnto him by right of succession as it did to them Experience hauing also shewed the inclination of the people to rebellion being grown proud by reason of their Wealth and new-fangled also by reason of the choyce of Religions in so much that the Duke of Alua saw it necessary to mayntayne certayne garisons of soldiers in castles conuenient fortifyed frontier places in the Countrey which he made known vnto the King of Spayne sent vnto him for prouision of money because he found the sayd King vnwilling to haue his subiects of this Countrey burdened with any more taxations thereabout But what successe heereof ensued shall appeare in the next Chapter CHAP. II. How dishonourable it was for Queene Elizabeth of England to take the HollaÌ„ders parts against the King of Spayn How she oppressed and impouerished her subiects for their sakes and endangered her owne Crowne and Kingdome BEFORE I
begin to speake of Queen Elizabeth of England her assisting the rebelled subiects of Holland against the King of Spayne it is not impertinent to the purpose to call to mind whether there were any cause of emnity giuen vnto her by meanes of any wronges or iniuryes offred her by the King of Spayne in former tyme in regard wherof she might now take the oportunity of reuenge This King Philip the second of Spayne hauing beene maryed in England to Queen Mary was neuer known to haue beene disaffected to the Lady Elizabeth for so was she then called but coÌ„trary wise did shew himself to be the greatest freind â—he had in the world which heeâ—e in briefe to declare you must nore that this Lady Eâ—izabeth being then a subiect vnto her sayd sister Queen Mary chaunced to fall into sundry troubles for which she was imprisoned in the Tower of â—onâ—on and retayned in durance at Woodstoâ—k and other places M. Fox the Author of the English Protestant Martyrologe wryting of this Ladies inprisonment declareth not any cause why but because he putteth her in his history of others that suffred for protestant religioÌ„ he intendeth to haue his reader imagine her to haue suffred some persecutioÌ„ also for the same cause whereby he thinketh not a little to honour her But had her troubles beene for Religion indeed Fox would then neuer haue omitted to set down her examinations about the same and her answeres thereunto in defence of some such poinâ—s as are in controuersy betwen Catholiks Protestanâ—s as about the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament or about prayer to Saints or prayer for the Dead or some one or other point as wel as he hath set down the examinations and answeres of so many others to their great glory as he takes it but heer is nothing found Fox in this in silent and leaues his reader to imagine of himself that it was for religioÌ„ For something it was but that it was for religioÌ„ be could not make manifest for that this Lady in al the tyme of the raigne or her sister dayly did heare Masse went vsually to Confession and in all points shewed her selfe a Catholike yea three weekes after she was proclaymed Queene she had Masse in her own Chappell in the Court and permitted it to be sayd in all Churches throughout the whole realme for the space of seauen monethes after which is no signe of being so resolue da Protestant as that she would suffer imprisonment for that religion Her troubles in very deed were for sundry offences against Queene Mary her sister which being found to be such as might perhaps haue cost her her life if they had come vnto publique triall of Iustice the King of Spayne was so greatly her freind that he stayed the proceeding thereof and so not only saued her life but quit her also from the publike blot and stayne of treason and heerin he was so earnest that on a time when she was to haue come to her answere he did so importune Queene Mary his wyfe to let the matter passe in sylence that she sayd vnto him My Lord You speake very earnestly now for her but I pray God she do not one day make you repent it A certaine Spainsh Author wryteth that the King was therevnto also moued vpon some consideration of state for Queen Mary of Scotland being then maryed vnto the french king Francis the second if the Lady Elizabeth had dyed there had in apparence byn great possibility that the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Irâ—land might come to haue beene annexed vnto France the sayd Queene of Scotland being the next heyre in bloud vnto them all Queene Mary of England at last hapning to dy King Philip her husband notwithstanding the caueat giuen him by his late deceased Queen did so coÌ„tinue his good affection vnto the now Queene Elizabeth that being then in the Netherlands he sent ouer vnto her Monsieur de Assonuile to congratulate her aduancement and to signify his gift vnto her of all Queen Maries Iewells which being his owne he might iustly haue detayned vnto himselfe if he would These Iewells she seemed very thankfully to receaue and sayd vnto this Monsieur de Assonuile that she thought her brother the King of Spayne might thinke much in her for change of religion but quoth she there is but little difference betweene his religion and ours almost all that he hath in Latin we haue in English and we do not as others do for we mayntayne a clergy of Bishops and other Prelates so vs we are in effect as before And whereas there was held a treaty of peace between the Spanish French Kings vpon the taking of S. Quintins the king of Spayn would yield vnto no agreement with the French vnlesse it were also conditioned that Callis should be restored backe vnto Queen Elizabeth of England and heerin were his commissioners that treateâ— with the French so earnest that in the end the french to be rid of their importunity were faygne to confesse vnto them that they knew that they tooke more paynes then they were desyred to do for that the English had playnly told them that they had not set them on work in any such busynes which was a signe that they desired not to be beholding vnto the king their maister Of which wheÌ„ the king had knowledg he stood no more vpon the rendring of Callis but concluded his peace with the french without it which as thinges did afterward fall out proued a happy turne to himself These proofes of this Kings good will vnto Queene Elizabeth being thus made manifest to the world who would haue thought that she would not only haue omitted all signes of gratitude but within a litle after become an enemy to such a friend yea and so great and capitall a one as seldome any History can giue witnes of the like Seeing then that no acts of gratitude are to be sought after let vs then see what effectes of emnity ensued insteed thereof First then to begin withall omitting her refusall of the King of Spaynes kind endeauours for getting the French to restore vnto her the Towne of Callis we will returne vnto the duke of Alua his expected prouisioÌ„ of money from Spayne mentioned in the former Chapter This prouision beâ—ng the summe of six hundred thoâ—sand Ducates comming out of Spayne 〈◊〉 the Netherlands in the moneth of Dâ—cember in the yeare 15â—1 was on the West coast of â—ngland seized vpon and aâ—rested by the English By meanes of which wrongfully detayning this money of the King of Spaynes the Dâ—ke of Alua was forced to demaund the tenth pennv of euery mans goods that was of ability for his supply â—ut this demand of his caused chiefly thorough the said English arrest was cause of a far greater detriment vnto the King of Spayne then that wrongfully detaâ—ned money came vnto so as the one great wrong was the cause of another far greater For heereupon
was yet Catholike To this was alleaged that if he should so do by fauouring all opposite to the Catholikes the Catholikes would therfore disfauour him seeing the other through his fauour would insult vpon them and so might there be danger of their returning to the obedience of the King of Spayne whom thev were sure was of their religion and would mayntayne them in it All which considered it was not thought fitting for him to declare himself to be a Catholike To declare himself a Lutheran was also thought vnsit because the Duke of Saxony albeit a Lutheran was yet a freind vnto the Emperour and the howse of Austria and besides the Lutherans were but flegmatike cold fellowes and too farre offto giue him assistance if need should require To declare himselfe an Anabaptist was held lesse fitting for albeit they had shewed more heat of zeale in their greater number that had suffred for their religion then any of the others yet were they but of the meaner sort of people not hauing any potent persons among them nor any forrayne Prince or State to take their partes In fine it was resolued that it was most conuenient for him to declare himself a Caluinist in regard of their stirring spirits whereof they had giuen greater proof then any of the others that there was apparence of assistance from England and of good correspondence with the Huguenots of France Vpon this resolution followed straight-wayes the conuersion of this Prince of Orange vnto Caluinian-Protestant religion and his new gayned greatest friendes so bestirred themselues that Town vpon Town rebelled especially after he had by solemne Oath sworne to mayntayne the Catholike Clergy in all their rights and priuiledges and in publike exercise of their Religion about which point yet the town of Amsterdam amongst others very precysely capitulated with him and he very seriously also protested and swore performance of the conditions which Oath notwithstanding he made no more conscience soone after to breake then he had done sundry oathes before as the great and solemne Oath which he tooke of Fidelity to the King of Spayne when he receaued the Order of Knight-hood of the golden Fleece the Oath of fidelity which he also tooke at the sayd Kings making him Lieftenant Gouernour of Holland c. besydes his sundry other perfidious breaches both of oaths and promises And because there is not any fidelity or honest dealing to be expected where there is layd no ground of Religion and vertue it is the lesse wonder that this irreligious Noble Man so caryed himself in choyce of religion Certayne it is that he was at the first a Catholike and notwithstanding that his malice had transported him so farre as to protect and shelter some most sacrylegious Church-robbers yet vpon the aryuall of the Duke of Alua and before his flight into Germany he sent for his eldest some Philip who was Prince of Orange next after him at that tyme a student in the Vniuersity of Louayne and most straightly charged him to liue and dye in the Catholike Roman Religion as the sayd Prince hath at sundry tymes to diuers persons yet lyuing protested wherby it may seem that at that tyme he had yet retayned some regard of religion and holding that for the best commaunded his sonne to remayne still therin Foure wyues he had the first was a Catholyke the second was a Lutheran the third and fourth were Caluinists which perchance was because he found no noble woman fit for him to match withall that was an Anabaptist that so he might haue had foure wyues of foure seuerall Religions yet to shew his great good wil vnto the Anabaptists albeit he could not match amongst them he gaue them vnder his hand wryting the priuiledge freedome for exercise of their religion in their own howses which they yet in Holland enioy When I consider the life and actioÌ„s of this man I wonder in my self that the blyndnes of the popular multitude could be so great as to honor and extol him so highly and to accompt him the great Patron and Protectour of their Country that was the greatest enemy therof that euer it had and who was the cause of spilling so much bloud aswell of the people of his owne Country as of other Nations and such an one as was the betrayer transporter also thereof vnto another Nation as much as in him lay who had no right or clay me thereunto To come now to touch the end of this man when I coÌ„sider I say what it was there commeth to my remembrance this saying of a Pagan Poet Tyraennous Lords that cause Landes to rebell VVithout some blow can hardly come to Hell About some foure yeares before the death of this Prince he was for his offences depriued by the sayd King of Spayne his soueraigne Lord of all the authority and power which in former tymes the sayd King had giuen him proclaymed for a publike enemy vnto the King the peace and Weal-publike of the Countrey and his goods person exposed to open violence by publique sentence In the end after some attempts to that effect the Prince perceauing what victorious successe the Duke of Parma that then vnder the King of Spayne commanded in the Netherlands now began to haue in Flaunders and Brabant he fled secretly from Antwerp where he had layne lurcking for a time vnto Delft in Holland in his Armour for it was the greatest prayse forsooth that this valiant Captayne atchieued in these warres that he did commonly put on his Armour when he was eight or ten leagues from any place of danger Being arriued at Delft where he thought himselfe in greatest safety he was vpon the tenth day of Iuly in the same yeare 1584. slayne with the shot of a Pistoll by one Ealtazar Gerard aliâs Serach a Burgundian of the age of fiue and twenty yeares a moneth after that the Duke of Alancon dyed at Chasteau-Theiry for the Duke dyed on the tenth of Iune this Prince was slayne on the tenth of Iuly next following as though his life had beene limitted by lease to last but iust one moneth after the death of the other The next of the greatest Actors in this rebellious Tragedy was Robert Dudley Earle of â—eycester who after he had beene the chiefe Commaunder of Holland in these broyles in which waâ— slaine his sisters Sonne Syr Philip Sidney a Knight worthy to haue deserued more Honour if he had serued in an honourable cause he grew weary of the Hollanders and they of him in so much that by a iustification of his worthlesse actions published in Print he was driuen to accuse blame them of breach of promise and performance of couenants made vnto him that so by laying the fault vpon theÌ„ he might repaire his owne reputation and excuse of gayning so little honour among them as he had Returning therefore with great discontentment into England he soone after sickned and dyed and as it is reported was