History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain Part 79 (1/2)

In addition to the above authorities, I regret it is not in my power to cite a volume published by M. Gachard since the present chapter was written. It contains the correspondence of Alva relating to the invasion by Louis.

[1104] Viglii, Epist. ad Hopperum, p. 481.--The sentence of the prince of Orange may be found in the Sententien van Alba, p. 70.

[1105] Ibid.--Strada, De Bello Belgico, tom. I. p. 373.--Vera y Figueroa, Vida de Alva, p. 101.

The Hotel de Culemborg, so memorable for its connection with the early meetings of the Gueux, had not been long in possession of Count Culemborg, who purchased it as late as 1556. It stood on the Place du Pet.i.t Sablon. See Reiffenberg, Correspondance de Marguerite d'Autriche, p. 363.

[1106] ”His tamen Alba.n.u.s facile contemptis, quippe a diuterna rerum experientia suspicax, et suopte ingenio ab aliorum consiliis, si ultr praesertim offerrentur aversus.” Strada, De Bello Belgico, tom. I. p.

386.

[1107] Ibid., ubi supra.--Guerres Civiles du Pays-Bas, p. 171.--Meteren, Hist. des Pays-Bas, fol. 57.

The third volume of the Archives de la Maison d'Orange-Na.s.sau contains a report of this execution from an eye-witness, a courier of Alva, who left Brussels the day after the event, and was intercepted on his route by the patriots. One may imagine the interest with which William and his friends listened to the recital of the tragedy; and how deep must have been their anxiety for the fate of their other friends,--Hoorne and Egmont in particular,--over whom the sword of the executioner hung by a thread. We may well credit the account of the consternation that reigned throughout Brussels. ”Il affirme que c'estoit une chose de l'autre monde, le crys, lamentation et juste compa.s.sion qu'aviont tous ceux de la ville du dit Bruxelles, n.o.bles et ign.o.bles, pour ceste barbare tyrannie, mais que non.o.bstant, ce cestuy Nero d'Alve se vante en ferat le semblable de tous ceulx quy potra avoir en mains.” P. 241.

[1108] If we are to believe Bentivoglio, Backerzele was torn asunder by horses. ”Da quattro cavalli fu smembrato vivo in Brusselles il Casembrot gia segretario dell'Agamonte.” (Guerra di Fiandra, p. 200.) But Alva's character, hard and unscrupulous as he may have been in carrying out his designs, does not warrant the imputation of an act of such wanton cruelty as this. Happily it is not justified by historic testimony; no notice of the fact being found in Strada, or Meteren, or the author of the Guerres Civiles du Pays-Bas, not to add other writers of the time, who cannot certainly be charged with undue partiality to the Spaniards.

If so atrocious a deed had been perpetrated, it would be pa.s.sing strange that it should not have found a place in the catalogue of crimes imputed to Alva by the prince of Orange. See, in particular, his letter to Schwendi, written in an agony of grief and indignation, soon after he had learned the execution of his friends. Archives de la Maison d'Orange-Na.s.sau, tom. III. p. 244.

[1109] Bor, the old Dutch historian, contemporary with these events, says that, ”if it had not been for the countess-dowager, Hoorne's step-mother, that n.o.ble would actually have starved in prison from want of money to procure himself food!” Arend, Algemeene Geschiedenis des Vaderlands, D. II. St. v. bl. 37.

[1110] ”Ce dernier fait chaque jour des aveux, et on peut s'attendre qu'il dira des merveilles, lorsqu'il sera mis a la torture.”

Correspondance de Philippe II., tom. I. p. 589.

[1111] Vandervynckt, Troubles des Pays-Bas, tom. II. p. 247.

[1112] The _Interrogatoires_, filling nearly fifty octavo pages, were given to the public by the late Baron Reiffenberg, at the end of his valuable compilation of the correspondence of Margaret. Both the questions and answers, strange as it may seem, were originally drawn up in Castilian. A French version was immediately made by the secretary Pratz,--probably for the benefit of the Flemish councillors of the b.l.o.o.d.y tribunal. Both the Castilian and French MSS. were preserved in the archives of the house of Egmont until the middle of the last century, when an unworthy heir of this ancient line suffered them to pa.s.s into other hands. They were afterwards purchased by the crown, and are now in a fitting place of deposit,--the Archives of the Kingdom of Holland. The MS. printed by Reiffenberg is in French.

[1113] Correspondance de Philippe II., tom. II. p. 14.

[1114] Supplement a Strada, tom. I. p. 244.

[1115] Ibid., p. 219.--Correspondance de Philippe II., tom. I. p. 588.

[1116] ”La suppliant de prendre en cette affaire la determination que la raison et l'equite reclament.” Ibid., p. 607.

[1117] Ibid., p. 614.

[1118] Ibid., p. 599.

[1119] ”Le Comte d'Egmont,” said Granvelle, in a letter so recent as August 17, 1567, ”disait au prince que leurs menees etaient decouvertes; que le Roi faisait des armements; qu'ils ne sauraient lui resister; qu'ainsi il leur fallait dissimuler, et s'accommoder le mieux possible, en attendant d'autres circonstances, pour realiser leurs desseins.”

Correspondance de Philippe II., tom. I. p. 56

[1120] ”Tout ce qui s'est pa.s.se doit etre tire au clair, pour qu'il soit bien constant que dans une affaire sur laquelle le monde entier a les yeux fixes, le Roi et lui ont procede avec justice.” Ibid., p. 669.

[1121] This tedious instrument is given _in extenso_ by Foppens, Supplement a Strada, tom. I. pp. 44-63.

[1122] Indeed, this seems to have been the opinion of the friends of the government. Councillor Belin writes to Granvelle, December 14, 1567: ”They have arrested Hoorne and Egmont, but in their accusations have not confined themselves to individual charges, but have acc.u.mulated a confused ma.s.s of things.” Raumer, Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, vol. I. p. 182.

[1123] For example, see the thirty-eighth article, in which the attorney-general accuses Egmont of admitting, on his examination, that he had parted with one of his followers, suspected of heretical opinions, for a short time only, when, on the contrary, he had expressly stated that the dismissal was final, and that he had never seen the man since. Supplement a Strada, tom. I. p. 40.

[1124] Egmont's defence, of which extracts, wretchedly garbled, are given by Foppens, has been printed _in extenso_ by M. de Bavay, in his useful compilation, Proces du Comte d'Egmont, (Bruxelles, 1854,) pp.

121-153.