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By John Lothrop Motley
1855
Secret policy of the government—Berghen and Montigny in Spain— Debates at Segovia—Correspondence of the Duchess with Philip— Procrastination and dissimulation of the King—Secret communication to the Pope—Effect in the provinces of the King's letters to the government—Secret instructions to the Duchess—Desponding statements of Margaret—Her misrepresentations concerning Orange, Egmont, and others—Wrath and duplicity of Philip—Egmont's exertions in Flanders—Orange returns to Antwerp—His tolerant spirit—Agreement of 2d September—Horn at Tournay—Excavations in the Cathedral—Almost universal attendance at the preaching— Building of temples commenced—Difficult position of Horn—Preaching in the Clothiers' Hall—Horn recalled—Noircarmes at Tournay— Friendly correspondence of Margaret with Orange, Egmont, Horn, and Hoogstraaten—Her secret defamation of these persons.
Egmont in Flanders, Orange at Antwerp, Horn at Tournay; Hoogstraaten atMechlin, were exerting themselves to suppress insurrection and to avertruin. What, meanwhile, was the policy of the government? The secretcourse pursued both at Brussels and at Madrid may be condensed into theusual formula—dissimulation, procrastination, and again dissimulation.
It is at this point necessary to take a rapid survey of the open and thesecret proceedings of the King and his representatives from the moment atwhich Berghen and Montigny arrived in Madrid. Those ill-fated gentlemenhad been received with apparent cordiality, and admitted to frequent, butunmeaning, interviews with his Majesty. The current upon which they wereembarked was deep and treacherous, but it was smooth and very slow. Theyassured the King that his letters, ordering the rigorous execution of theinquisition and edicts, had engendered all the evils under which theprovinces were laboring. They told him that Spaniards and tools ofSpaniards had attempted to govern the country, to the exclusion of nativecitizens and nobles, but that it would soon be found that Netherlanderswere not to be trodden upon like the abject inhabitants of Milan, Naples,and Sicily. Such words as these struck with an unaccustomed sound uponthe royal ear, but the envoys, who were both Catholic and loyal, had noidea, in thus expressing their opinions, according to their sense ofduty, and in obedience to the King's desire, upon the causes of thediscontent, that they were committing an act of high treason.
When the news of the public preaching reached Spain, there were almostdaily consultations at the grove of Segovia. The eminent personages whocomposed the royal council were the Duke of Alva, the Count de Feria, DonAntonio de Toledo, Don Juan Manrique de Lara, Ruy Gomez, Quixada,Councillor Tisnacq, recently appointed President of the State Council,and Councillor Hopper. Six Spaniards and two Netherlanders, one of whom,too, a man of dull intellect and thoroughly subservient character, todeal with the local affairs of the Netherlands in a time of intenseexcitement! The instructions of the envoys had been to represent thenecessity of