A. D. 1585. 179 



only the finefl city of all Brabant, but almoft of all Europe, was niifer- 

 ably ftripped of its wealth and profperity, whilft riches, arts, ina;enuitv, 

 and induftry crowded into Amfterdam, in a manner fo fudden as hard- 

 ly to be paralleled in ftory ; fo that it now became the chief city of traf- 

 fic in all the Netherlands. For as the great penfionary De Witt ob- 

 ferves, in his Irderejl of Holland, although Antwerp was, in refped of 

 its good foundation and far-extended traffic, the moft renowned mer- 

 chandizing city that ever was (till then) in the world, fending many 

 fliips backward and forward from France, England. Spain, Italy, &c. and 

 making many lilk manufadtures, yet Brabant and Flanders were too re- 

 mote and ill-fituated for ereding at Antwerp, or near to it, the fifhery 

 of haddpc, cod, and herring, and for making that trade as profitable 

 there as it might be in Holland. The king of Spain defired to weaken 

 that ftrong city, (which he thought too powerful) and to difperfe the 

 traffic over his many other cities. The merchants of Antwerp, being 

 neceflitated to forfake that city, chofe Amfl:erdam to fettle in, (which 

 before the troubles was the next great city of commerce intheNetherlands) 

 becaufe the ifles of Zealand were not fo well fituated tor inland commerce ; 

 and there was then no toleration of religion either in France or England. 

 In the latter country alfo there were heavy duties on goods exported and 

 imported ; and their guilds or halls excluded foreigners : neverthelefs, 

 one third part of the dealers in, and weavers of, fays, damafks, {lock- 

 ings, &c. went cafually into England, becaufe thofe trades were then 

 new to the Englifli, and therefor under no halls or guilds. Another 

 great part went to Leyden ; and the traders in linen fixed at Harlem. 

 The Flemifli fi filing went alfo to Holland; thnugh fiiill the villages of 

 Flanders and Brabant retained much manufacture, by means of land 

 carriage into France and Germany. What Botero fays, in his Treaiife 

 of the caufes of the magnificence and greatnefs of cities, was even now 

 certainly true of the cities of Flanders, viz. that they were the moft 

 mercantile and the mofl frequented cities for commerce and traffic in 

 all Europe; a principal caufe whereof was, that the infinite quantity of 

 merchandize imported and exported paid but a very fmall cuflom. 



At this time the new-ereded republic of the United provinces was in 

 great diftrefs, as not only King Henry III of France, but Queen Eliza- 

 beth of England, had again refufed to be their fovereigns. The fuga- 

 cious queen forefaw that when flie v.'as once engaged againft Spain in 

 defence of that fovereignty, it would be almoft impoflible to tell, when 

 fhe fliould be able to retreat with honour and fafety ; but the powerful 

 aid fhe intended to give the flates-general flie might either leflen or in- 

 creafe at pleafure. She now therefore ftipulated to fupply the ftates 

 with 5C00 foot and 1000 horfe, and to pay thofe troops whilft the war 

 lafted, but to be repaid at the end of it ; the three forts already men- 



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