THE SIEGES OF LEYDEN AND OSTEND, IN THE WAR OF THE NETHERLANDS, FOR INDEPENDENCE.

BY BENTIVOGLIO.

GUY BENTIVOGLIO, descended from an ancient and distinguished noble family, in Italy, was born at Ferrara, in the year 1579. He died in 1644, while present, as cardinal, in the conclave which had assembled after the death of Pope Urban the Eighth. Bentivoglio occupied many high stations in the Papal government. In 1607, he was sent by Pope Paul the Fifth to Flanders, as Papal nuncio. Here, he remained nine years; after which, he went, in the same capacity, to France. He left many works, among which, are 'Cardinal Bentivoglio's Relations of Events during his Embassies to Flanders and France.' His accounts of the war in the Netherlands were translated and published under the title of History of the Wars in Flanders, Englished by Henry, Earl of Monmouth, 1698." From this translation the following extracts are taken, with some modifications, adapting it to the class of readers for whom this Volume is intended. The war for independence, waged by the Netherlands against the crown of Spain, admits of being considered in various points of view. may consider it with reference to the almost unparallelled heroism of the people, during a fearfully cruel and san guinary war, protracted through a long series of years; or to the remarkable character of their great general, statesman, citizen, and martyr, William of Orange, surnamed the Silent. We may consider the war with relation to its I cause and object, religion and liberty; or to its effects, and those of its final issue, upon the politics of Britain, and, more or less directly, upon those of all European nations and their descendants in other parts of the world. We may view it with reference to the great political principles which were, for the first time, boldly proclaimed, when that nation struggled into an independent existence; or to the great effect which its independence had upon the whole history of commerce, and upon many principles radically affecting the great exchange of produce among the various nations

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of the world. In whatever light, however, we regard it, this event must certainly be called one of the most prominent in the history of man.

Very many instances of heroic fortitude, not only in men, but even in women, were exhibited in the course of that long war. But nowhere, probably, were more striking examples of this virtue shown, than in the almost superhuman endurance of the citizens, when besieged by the Spaniards. Even indifferent soldiers will do their duty, sufficiently well, so long as the army is victorious; but retreats and sieges are the touchstones of sound warriors. If this is an acknowledged truth, with regard to regular, tried, and well-disciplined troops, it is still more so, in the case of citizens who have suddenly become soldiers. Gallant bands of citizens, who would have died, nobly, in open battle, will, nevertheless, often falter, when hunger and disease beset them on all sides, in a besieged fortress, when near and dear relations drop off, one by one, around them, and no hope is visible, even in the furthest horizon. Yet, in all these trials, the Netherlanders remained firm.

From the series of sieges, which took place during this war, those of Leyden and Ostend have been selected. Numerous incidents might have been added to the narrative of Bentivoglio, who, the reader will perceive, had no interest in representing the courage of the Protestants in a favorable light. Accounts of many such incidents are to be found in Campen's History of the Netherlands; but the plan of the present work did not admit of their insertion.

The intervening passages, and the notes, are taken from the work, already quoted: Historical Parallels,' London,

1831.

SIEGE OF LEYDEN.*

"Now followed the Siege of Leyden, which was particularly memorable for the condition of the succor, which so altered the order of affairs, that the besiegers became besieged; and, whatever unhappy success the assailed expected, the assailant made trial of the very same. Leyden is one of the chief towns of Holland; it is seated low, in the midst, it may be said, of a labyrinth of channels, which cut through the territories thereof, on all sides, and are filled, part with running, and part with standing,

*The siege of Leyden took place in the year, 1574.

waters; the Rhine, or rather, one of its branches, runs through it; a branch, which, though now the weakest, hath formerly been the most frequented; and still retains its ancient name, whereas the rest, as they draw near the sea, lose their names in those of other rivers. So many other channels are derived from this branch, within the town itself, in several parts, that the space, which is there broken off by the islands, is, in some degree, larger than that which is united to the continent. But, if it be divided by so many channels, it is rejoined by many more bridges, of which there are about a hundred and fifty, serving either for use or ornament; the most of them being of stone. The town is well peopled; the streets are large, and the buildings well polished. It is well flanked, round about; the surrounding ditch is every where deep; and, in fine, the town is, in all circumstances, in such condition, that the king's men had good reason to use all endeavors to gain, and the rebels to keep, possession of it.

"The royalists endeavored, with diligence, to make themselves masters of all avenues, whereby succor might be given to the town. The parts thereabouts (as hath been said) are full of channels and rivers; wherefore it was thought necessary to block up, with sundry forts, all passages, by which the city might be approached, either by land or water; so that, ere long, nearly sixty forts had been built round about it, whereby almost all possibility of relieving it was taken away. The Leydenists, in the meanwhile, were not wanting, on their parts, in preparing for defence. And, judging that the royalists intended rather to take the town by famine, than by the sword, they thought it convenient not to receive many foreign soldiers into the city, that they might the longer preserve their provisions; and they also hoped, they had men enough of their own to maintain and defend it.*

“John Douza, à famous Latin poet in those days, very nobly born, and of other high deserts, had the chief gov

* The citizens replied to a summons to surrender, that they would not lack food, while their left arms remained, but feed on them, and fight for liberty with their right.—Strada, de Bello Belgico, lib. viii. G. E.

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ernment of the affairs of the city. He failed not in act ing his part well; he still encouraged the Leydenists, and fed them with hopes, that the other cities would speedily join with and relieve them. In confirmation of this, letters and messages sometimes came, from without, and some news was cunningly raised, within the town itself; though it was very true, that Orange and the rest of the rebels in that province labored for nothing more, than how to keep a place of such consequence still at their devotion. It was now the month of August; and the Leydenists already began to suffer, from want of provisions. The states of the country, therefore, met, to treat of so weighty a business, and to find out some way, whereby the city might be relieved; and this affair began to be of great importance. The deputies differed in their opinions; some thought, that the town might be most easily succored by making a gallant assault by land; others held, that it might better be relieved by some river or channel; but the greatest part concluded, that there was little hope of doing it either one way or the other, the king's men having so strongly fortified themselves, every where. Lewis Boisot, admiral of Holland, was at this meeting. He was a man very expert in maritime affairs; of a manlike spirit, and good at execution; and one who was very well esteemed over all the province. He, whilst they were hottest in the variety of their opinions, stepped forth, to propound his, and began to speak thus:

I wish that our own misfortunes did not too deplorably teach us how perverse the fury of the sea sometimes proves to our countries. Who sees not, how we are daily forced to oppose our industry to the threats thereof? Nor have our mountainous banks been sufficient so to curb the tempest of her waves, but that, sometimes, she hath swallowed up whole islands, on some sides, and caused miserable and unheard-of ruin, in other parts. We are now to seek for remedy, in this our present necessity, from the evils which do so often afflict us. Let Nature work the same effect, to-day, for our good, which she hath, upon so many other occasions, for our hurt. And, with those weapons, wherewith she makes war against us,

let us, by her example, wake war upon our enemies. Every one knows, that, at the two equinoxes of the year, the ocean swells extraordinarily high, upon our coasts; and, by the season of the year, we are shortly to expect the effects thereof. My counsel shall, therefore, be, that we may, immediately, at the high tides, begin to let the waters loose into the neighboring ground of Leyden : greater tides will hereafter follow. And thus, turning the siege upon the besiegers, we may hope to destroy our enemies, within their own works, and, at the same time, to free the city from all danger. It may be thought impossible to relieve it by land, or by the ordinary way of channels or rivers; whereas, by the way which I have prescribed, we may believe that our enterprise will be smiled on, by success. It will be in our power, to let in the inundation, where we please. We shall see the enemy strangely astonished and confused, between the shame of abandoning the siege and the horror of continuing it. But, being forced, at last, to fly, we shall see our own weapons and those of Nature conspire together, in slaughtering them on all sides; and shall see that punishment justly transferred to them, which they, with open violence, prepared for the innocent. The portion of country, which shall be drowned, will, doubtless, be somewhat damaged thereby; but who would not bear with an inconvenience, from which their country shall receive so great a benefit ? On the contrary, whose hair will not stand on end, to think, that, after the loss of Haerlem and of Leyden, the whole province will shortly remain at the cruel will of the Spaniards? We must sometimes do apparent injury, in order to effect good. How oft do we cut off some one member, for the welfare and safeguard of the rest of the body? Yet this evil will not prove finally so great, but that it will, in time, be paid with great usury. Some worldly actions prove so memorable, that they strike envy dumb, and add new tongues to fame. This of ours will certainly be such, and will be, every where, highly celebrated. I, who so boldly give the advice, do, as confidently, pronounce the augury; and hope that the event will crown both of them with fortunate success.'