heartily the principle that the heretics were to be exterminated. Following the advice of his father and that of the Pope, and stimulated by his own fiendish ambition, his whole reign was stained with deeds of the blackest dye.

Philip soon succeeded in crushing the Reformation in Spain, but he did not find the undertaking so easy in the Netherlands. He appointed as regent, Margaret of Parma, the natural daughter of Charles V, and the eldest of his children. She had been under the training of Ignatius Loyola, and, as might be expected, was a bigoted Catholic. The king revived the edicts of his father against heretics, and gave new instructions in regard to their execution. He resolved to make the Inquisition as potent an instrument in the Netherlands as it had been in the Peninsula. But there was a determined hostility to it, not only by Protestants, but by Catholics. The regent endeavored to carry out the will of the king, but the opposition became so great that her life was a burden. More and more determined measures were resorted to, but greater and greater resistance was manifested by the Netherlanders.

The most prominent in resistance was William of Nassau, Prince of Orange. He belonged to an ancient and honorable family. His early education prepared him, in a great degree, for the noble part he acted in planting the Dutch Republic. At an early age he became a page in the family of the emperor, and was admitted as an observer of the most important transactions. Charles evidently entertained a more exalted opinion of his ability and promise, than of those of any other youth connected with his court. It was on his shoulder that the emperor leaned at his abdication. William, though a Catholic at first, seemed to have the principle of toleration firmly rooted in him, which principle became more and more fully developed in action as he came under the influence of Protestantism. He was the Washington of his age, and was as tolerant and noble, as Philip was despotic and mean.

It was after a long series of defeats and victories experienced by the patriots, headed by William of Orange, before the tide essentially turned on the side of freedom, and the Dutch Republic was founded. Our historian, in his first great work,

gives a most graphic and thrilling account of these down to the death of William in 1584, who fell by the pistol of an assassin, to whom Philip promised a large reward. There were two previous attempts made on the life of the Prince, but the third and last was successful. Philip, when he received the intelligence of this event, exclaimed, "Had that blow been struck two years ago, the Catholic church and I would have gained by it." But though the hero was dead, the victory was gained -the foundation of the Dutch Republic was laid.

At this point commences the history now before us. In it the author enters more into detail than he at first intended. It covers a period of only six years, but one full of events of vast magnitude in themselves and in their results,-events essentially identified with the history of several of the principal nations of the world. None, we think, will complain that the author is too minute; but all, after they peruse these volumes, cannot but look forward with intense interest for the promised appearance of those which are to give us the sequel of this fascinating story. Mr. Motley here gives conclusive evidence of having availed himself of rich materials that have never before been given to the world. He tells us that the most valuable materials he has found are those "entirely unpublished." He has found the archives of England to be mines of rich historical wealth adapted to his purpose, of which the State Paper Office and the MSS. Department of the British Museum are specially referred to by him. He purposes, in two subsequent volumes, to complete the history of the Dutch Republic down to the Synod of Dort.

The murder of the Prince of Orange was a most important event, and caused the deepest mourning. That disaster seemed to many to be fatal to the cause at the head of which he had been for years. The thinker, the actor, and the soul of the movement, so far as one man could be, was gone, when his help was deeply needed. The prospect seemed truly dark. A medal, struck off in Holland at the time, represented her as a dismasted hulk, reeling through the tempest, with the motto, "incertum quo fata ferent." But true patriotism was not extinct in the Netherlands; there were still brave minds and

stout hearts. The English agent wrote to Queen Elizabeth that there existed among the people "a resolution to revenge the foulness of the fact committed on the person of the Prince by the tyrant of Spain, and to defend their liberties advisedly against him and his adherents by all means that God had given them to the uttermost portion of their substance, and the last drop of their blood." A Provisional Council was established by the States General, to preside at the head of which Maurice, the second son of William, was called from the University of Leyden, where he was pursuing his studies.

Alexander of Parma was prompt to take advantage of the sad disaster that had occurred to the rebellious Provinces. He evidently regarded the death of Orange as a death-blow to their cause, and offered them reconciliation with Philip on easy terms, except those pertaining to religion, for there was no hope of his making the least concession on that subject. But in Holland and Zeeland, all his proposals were in vain. The friends of freedom were determined not to yield their rights, and to fight and die, if necessary, in their defense. Stringent decrees were passed, forbidding any countenance or aid to the enemy. The city of Dort passed an act and proclaimed it by sound of trumpet, "to live and die in the cause now undertaken."

The Provinces that would not be reconciled to the Spanish crown knew that they had a. most formidable enemy to contend with, and that without help from abroad ultimate success was almost hopeless. They were ready to offer their allegiance to any power that would pledge them essential aid. It was concluded to look to France. The Prince of Orange, whose associations had been in a great degree French, had relied much on the support of that government. The influence of William, and the sympathy existing between the Dutch Calvinists and French Huguenots, were such, that the first prompting was naturally in favor of applying to Henry III. A doubtful character certainly, for the rugged Protestant champions of freedom to expect aid from, under their trying circumstances! Our author thus describes him:

"With silken flounces, jeweled stomachers, and painted face, with pearls of great price adorning his bared neck and breast, and satin slippered feet, of whose delicate shape and size he was justly vain, it was his delight to pass his days and nights in a ceaseless round of gorgeous festivals, tourneys, processions, masquerades, banquets, and balls, the cost of which glittering frivolities caused the popular burden and the popular execration to grow, from day to day, more intolerable and more audible. Surrounded by a gang of minions, the most debauched and the most desperate of France, whose bedizened dresses exhaled perfumes throughout Paris, whose sanguinary encounters dyed every street in blood, Henry lived a life of what he called pleasure, careless of what might come after, for he was the last of his race. The fortunes of his minions rose higher and higher, as their crimes rendered them more and more estimable in the eyes of a King, who took a woman's pride in the valor of such champions to his weakness, and more odious to a people whose miserable homes were made even more miserable, that the coffers of a few court-favorites might be filled. Now sauntering, full-dressed, in the public promenades, with ghastly little death's heads strung upon his sumptuous garments, and fragments of human bones dangling among his orders of knighthood-playing at cup and ball as he walked, and followed by a few select courtiers who gravely pursued the same exciting occupation-now presiding like a queen of beauty at a tournament to assign the prize of valor, and now, by the advice of his mother, going about the streets in robes of penitence, telling his beads as he went, that the populace might be edified by his piety, and solemnly offering up prayers in the churches that the blessing of an heir might be vouchsafed to him,-Henry of Valois seemed straining every nerve in order to bring himself and his great office into contempt."

The offer of the sovereignty of the Netherlands made to Henry was not accepted, after two embassies had been sent, who had been shamefully trifled with. Neither Henry, nor his Queen Mother Catherine, had any real intention of rendering aid to the Netherlands, though they had given them encouragement. After eight months had been spent in fruitless negotiations, it was felt to be full time to look in some other direction.

While these negotiations were going on, the siege of Antwerp was in progress. Antwerp, at that time, was the leading commercial city of the Netherlands, if not of all Europe. The Prince of Parma had had the taking of that city in view, for some time, for its subjugation he regarded as equivalent to the fall of the infant Dutch Republic. William, before his death, was aware of the plan of Parma, and was careful to call attention to the importance of specially preparing for defense, and had signified certain plans which if carried out

would save it from Spanish tyranny. He had indicated his plans to Sainte Aldegonde, of whom he entertained a very high opinion. Before his death he had expressed his wish that Aldegonde should accept the office of burgomaster of the city, which was by no means a desirable one, as anarchy and disunion had gained the ascendency over good order in its government. He was, therefore, at the head of the defense against Parma.

He seems to have been a man of a rare combination of qualities. A short extract from Mr. Motley's lengthy description of his character, will be sufficient to show that he was no ordinary man:

He

"There were few more brilliant characters than he in all Christendom. was a man of a most rare and versatile genius. Educated in Geneva, at the very feet of Calvin, he had drunk, like mother's milk, the strong and bitter waters of the stern reformer's creed; but he had, in after life, attempted, although hardly with success, to lift himself to the hight of a general religious toleration, He had also been trained in the severe and thorough literary culture which characterized that rigid school. He was a scholar, ripe and rare; no holiday trifler in the gardens of learning. He spoke and wrote Latin like his native tongue. He could compose poignant Greek epigrams. He was

so familiar with Hebrew that he had rendered the Psalms of David out of the original into flowing Flemish verse, for the use of the reformed churches. That he possessed the modern tongues of civilized Europe-Spanish, Italian, French, and German-was a matter of course. He was a profound jurisconsult, сараble of holding debate against all competitors upon any point of theory or practice of law, civil, municipal, international. He was a learned theologian, and had often proved himself a match for the doctors, bishops, or rabbin of Europe, in highest argument of dogma, creed, or tradition. He was a practised diplomatist, constantly employed in delicate and difficult negotiations by William the Silent, who ever admired his genius, cherished his friendship, and relied upon his character."

The preparations of Parma for the siege were on a magnificent scale, which showed him to be a man eminently adapted to such an undertaking. Aldegonde was embarrassed in conducting the defense by dissension and insubordination. There was reason to believe that an effort would be made to close the Scheldt, so as to cut off the city from necessary supplies. When orders were given to carry corn, Admiral Treslong refused to obey. It was proposed to pierce the