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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS
From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce—1609
By John Lothrop Motley
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 67
History of the United Netherlands, 1595
Formal declaration of war against Spain—Marriage festivities—Death of Archduke Ernest—His year of government—Fuentes declared governor-general—Disaffection of the Duke of Arschot and Count Arenberg—Death of the Duke of Arschot——Fuentes besieges Le Catelet—The fortress of Ham, sold to the Spanish by De Gomeron, besieged and taken by the Duke of Bouillon—Execution of De Gomeron—Death of Colonel Verdugo—Siege of Dourlens by Fuentes— Death of La Motte—Death of Charles Mansfeld—Total defeat of the French—Murder of Admiral De Pillars—Dourlens captured, and the garrison and citizens put to the sword—Military operations in eastern Netherlands and on the Rhine—Maurice lays siege to Groento —Mondragon hastening to its relief, Prince Maurice raises the siege—Skirmish between Maurice and Mondragon—Death of Philip of Nassau—Death of Mondragon—Bombardment and surrender of Weerd Castle—Maurice retires into winter quarters—Campaign of Henry Iv.- —He besieges Dijon—Surrender of Dijon—Absolution granted to Henry by the pope—Career of Balagny at Cambray—Progress of the siege— Capitulation of the town—Suicide of the Princess of Cambray, wife of Balagny
The year 1595 Opened with a formal declaration of war by the King ofFrance against the King of Spain. It would be difficult to say forexactly how many years the war now declared had already been waged,but it was a considerable advantage to the United Netherlands that themanifesto had been at last regularly issued. And the manifesto wascertainly not deficient in bitterness. Not often in Christian historyhas a monarch been solemnly and officially accused by a brother sovereignof suborning assassins against his life. Bribery, stratagem, and murder,were, however, so entirely the commonplace machinery of Philip'sadministration as to make an allusion to the late attempt of Chastelappear quite natural in Henry's declaration of war. The king furtherstigmatized in energetic language the long succession of intrigues bywhich the monarch of Spain, as chief of the Holy League, had been makingwar upon him by means of his own subjects, for the last half dozcn years.Certainly there was hardly need of an elaborate statement of grievances.The deeds of Philip required no herald, unless Henry was prepared toabdicate his hardly-earned title to the throne of France.
Nevertheless the politic Gascon subsequently regretted the fierce stylein which he had fulminated his challenge. He was accustomed to observethat no state paper required so much careful pondering as a declarationof war, and that it was scarcely possible to draw up such a documentwithout committing many errors in the phraseology. The man who neverknew fear, despondency, nor resentment, was already instinctively actingon the principle that a king should deal with his enemy as if sure tobecome his friend, and with his friends as if they might easily changeto foes.
The answer to the declaration was delayed for two months. When thereply came i