thrilled those who heard him. The camp marshal, Piccolomini, seconded the proposition of the colonel. Then their enthusiasm being aroused, Spaniards and Italians began to quarrel who should take the lead in the attack; but this was at length amicably arranged. "Shoulder to shoulder," it was said, "let us go into this business, and let our blows fall rather upon the enemy's heads than upon each other's." The battle that ensued was one of the most frightful encounters we can imagine; it was fought on a narrow slip of land, with the waters stretching far on either side, and maintained with deadly obstinacy. The Antwerpers, the Hollanders, and the English were true to each other, and the Spaniards and Italians found them more than a match, but at the very moment when the triumph of the Dutchmen appeared certain, Alexander suddenly appeared, "like a deity from the clouds," and the disheartened Spaniards and Italians being roused by his presence, the battle was renewed with redoubled fury. "The fight on the Kowenstyn was to be long remembered in the military annals of Spain and Holland. Never since the curtain first rose upon the great Netherland tragedy, had there (been a fiercer encounter. Flinching was impossible. There was scant room for the play of pike and dagger; and close packed as were the combatants, the dead could hardly fall to the ground. It was a mile-long series of separate mortal duels, and the oozy dyke was slippery with blood." It is unnecessary to dwell on the details of that fearful struggle. It ended in the utter rout and defeat of the Hollanders. The Spaniards triumphed at the ebbing tide, and the slaughter was horrible. Thus the Kowenstyn, won so bravely, was again lost, and the last hope of the Antwerpers perished." The resistance still offered by the Antwerpers was feeble and futile. All that remained was capitulation. The terms offered by Parma were liberal, were urged by famine on the citizens, and were at length accepted. The escutcheon of Philip of Spain was exhibited at the public buildings, the rites of the Roman Catholic Church re-established, and the Duke made his public entry into the city with a display of magnificence never surpassed by him on any public occasion. To his credit be it said, there was no pillage, no massacre. The savage scenes which had occurred at Maestricht were not repeated. Antwerp received her conqueror with every outward demonstration of loyalty, and the conqueror was graciously pleased to accept the demonstration. HILE Duke Parma was building his bridge, and the avaricious butchers of Antwerp were in vain regretting the saving of their fat cattle, negociations were pending between the United Netherlands and the Courts of d England as to the signing of an alliance which should effeca stop to the ambitious designs of Spain. in his private closet penning ill-written and not over well-spelt ting and contriving in a burrowing way, was Philip-late g Consort; chafing at the various losses he had recently ing his prayers with extreme devoutness, and promising rich aven, if Heaven would but help him to crush the revolters in tries, make a successful descent on England, triumphantly elf as the greatest power in Europe, and in the fires make her the French King, Henry III.-was playing fast and thrilled those who heard him. The camp marshal, Piccolomini, seconded the proposition of the colonel. Then their enthusiasm being aroused, Spaniards and Italians began to quarrel who should take the lead in the attack; but this was at length amicably arranged. "Shoulder to shoulder," it was said, "let us go into this business, and let our blows fall rather upon the enemy's heads than upon each other's." The battle that ensued was one of the most frightful encounters we can imagine; it was fought on a narrow slip of land, with the waters stretching far on either side, and maintained with deadly obstinacy. The Antwerpers, the Hollanders, and the English were true to each other, and the Spaniards and Italians found them more than a match, but at the very moment when the triumph of the Dutchmen appeared certain, Alexander suddenly appeared, "like a deity from the clouds," and the disheartened Spaniards and Italians being roused by his presence, the battle was renewed with redoubled fury. "The fight on the Kowenstyn was to be long remembered in the military annals of Spain and Holland. Never since the curtain first rose upon the great Netherland tragedy, had there [been a fiercer encounter. Flinching was impossible. There was scant room for the play of pike and dagger; and close packed as were the combatants, the dead could hardly fall to the ground. It was a mile-long series of separate mortal duels, and the oozy dyke was slippery with blood." It is unnecessary to dwell on the details of that fearful struggle. It ended in the utter rout and defeat of the Hollanders. The Spaniards triumphed at the ebbing tide, and the slaughter was horrible. Thus the Kowenstyn, won so bravely, was again lost, and the last hope of the Antwerpers perished." The resistance still offered by the Antwerpers was feeble and futile. All that remained was capitulation. The terms offered by Parma were liberal, were urged by famine on the citizens, and were at length accepted. The escutcheon of Philip of Spain was exhibited at the public buildings, the rites of the Roman Catholic Church re-established, and the Duke made his public entry into the city with a display of magnificence never surpassed by him on any public occasion. The savage Antwerp re To his credit be it said, there was no pillage, no massacre. scenes which had occurred at Maestricht were not repeated. ceived her conqueror with every outward demonstration of loyalty, and the conqueror was graciously pleased to accept the demonstration. وا th HILE Duke Parma was building his bridge, and the avaricious butchers of Antwerp were in vain regretting the saving of their fat cattle, negociations were pending between the United Netherlands and the Courts of France and England as to the signing of an alliance which should effectually put a stop to the ambitious designs of Spain. Shut up in his private closet penning ill-written and not over well-spelt letters, plotting and contriving in a burrowing way, was Philip-late English King Consort; chafing at the various losses he had recently sustained, saying his prayers with extreme devoutness, and promising rich bribes to Heaven, if Heaven would but help him to crush the revolters in the Low Countries, make a successful descent on England, triumphantly establish himself as the greatest power in Europe, and in the fires make an end of heresy. France or rather the French King, Henry III.—was playing fast and loose with Spain and with the Netherlands. With no great love to the political supremacy of the Spanish Court, with still less regard for the liberal tendencies of the Netherlanders; with no love at all for heresy, and a pleasant recollection of the Bartholomew massacre, he toyed first with the one then with the other-did nothing, or, in fact, did worse than nothing. Deferred hope, which makes the heart sick, exhausted patience, money, men; wasted time, the most precious of all, when Alexander of Parma was busy in siege operations. Finally, it appeared that France would do nothing, which might have been safely predicated from the first. ; But in England the case was different. Queen Elizabeth was on the throne,—a lion-hearted woman, who had known what persecution meant who hated Spain and Rome with a good Protestant hatred; who was willing to assist the Netherlanders in their struggles for civil and religious freedom; but a princess who, at the same time, had an eye to results, who plainly looked for compensation,-wages for work. A chivalrous heroic spirit might turn scornfully away at this fact, but it has to be remembered that the England over which Queen Elizabeth bore sway was not the England of Queen Victoria. It was only beginning to excercise any influence in the world; its revenues were small; its population, compared with a recent census, inconsiderable; its insular position its chief security. It was essential, therefore, that the Queen should place the interests of her own land and people foremost. She was ostensibly at peace with Spain; by rendering assistance to the revolted Netherlanders she virtually declared war; and Spain was no contemptible power; nor was she unwilling to seize on the least pretext for quarrel. Still it was plain that the Dutch and the English together would be able to offer formidable opposition to Spain, and Queen Elizabeth treated with the States. It was a grand day at Greenwich when the Dutch envoy arrived, and had audience of the Queen. The palace in Greenwich was a building of ancient date, much enlarged and decorated by Henry VIII., and so magnificent for that age in its proportions aud embellishments, that the antiquary, Leland, exclaims: How bright the lofty seal appears, Like Jove's great palace, pav'd with stars! |