A L V 



for xflion by publilliiiig a manifcllo, in which he declared that 

 his religious Icjitiinciits were changed, and that he was now 

 convinced that tlie opinions of the Protcdants were more con- 

 formable to the Scriptures, tb.e rule and Ihmdard of Chiillian 

 faith, than thofe of the Romifli church. William was a for- 

 midable enemy ; and it required all the caution and valour of 

 Alva, and of his fon Frederic of Toledo, to prevent him from 

 breaking in upon the Netherlands. Alva fucceeded ; and 

 the prince, difappointed in his expeftation of fupplies, was 

 under a neccdity of dilbandincr iiis army. After this event 

 Alva marched in criumph to Brulfels, and commanded a fo- 

 Icmn tliatikfgiving for his fuccefs to be obferved through all 

 the provinces. He ordered a llatue of himftlf to be lornicd 



• of brafs, and medals to be ilruck. On one of thefe medals 

 he was reprefented riding in a triumphal chariot, with a Vic- 

 toiy behind him, putting a crown upon his head. In his 

 right hand he held a fvvord, to iignify that he had con- 

 quered Lewis by open force ; and in the left an JE.gis, to ex- 

 prefs that wifdom of which he had availed himfelf againft the 

 prince of Orange ; and as a farther emblem of his wifdom, 

 the chariot was drawn by owls, which, in the ancient Hea- 

 then fuperftition, were facred to Minerva. His ftatue, which 

 was placed in the citadel of Antwerp, was the workmanfhip 

 of Jockcling, a German artift, the moll celebrated Iculptor 

 of the age, and afforded a llill more llriking difplay of his 

 vanity and arrogance. He was reprefented trampling under 

 his feet the figure of a monfter, having certain emblematical 

 figns in different parts, which denoted the petition which 

 had been prefented to the Duchefs of Parma, the compro- 

 mile, and the infurreftion and tumults which enfued. The 

 bafe of the figure was a fquare pillar of marble, with the 

 name of the artill on one fide, and with encomiums on the 

 Duke of Alva on the three other fides, who is faid to have 

 extinguilhed herefy and rebellion, to have faved the church 

 from deftruftion, and rellored juftice and tranquillity to the 

 Netherlands. 



We learn from Grotius, that about this time the duke 

 enafted feveral ufeful regulations with regard to trade, the 

 coin, and the liberty of the prefs : but they failed in pro- 

 moting the purpofes for which they were intended, and the 



■ memory of them was foon effaced by tlie violence of the 

 meafnies which he afterwards purfued. He devoted the 

 interval of leifure which he now enjoyed to various afts of 

 tyranny ; and to the accomplifiiment of his fchemes for 

 reducing all the provinces to total flavery, and extii-pating 

 the reformed religion ; and the executioner was fully em- 

 ployed in removing all thofe friends of freedom whom the 

 Iword had fpared. The emigrations from the Low Coun- 

 tries were, in confequence of Alva's violent and cruel 

 meafures, very numerous ; and of thofe perfons who were 

 exiles many came over to England, where they were all re- 

 ceived by queen Elizabeth. In this country they enjoyed 

 the free exerciie of their religion ; and amply recompenfed 

 the Enghrti for the proteftion that was afforded them by 

 introducing various branches of manufafture, with which 

 they had been before unacquainted. Alva's vanity was 

 flattered about this time by an embaffy which was depu- 

 ted by the pope, to prefent him with a confecrated hat 

 and fword ; and he was thus confirmed and encouraged in 

 the profecution of thofe fanguinary meafures, which had 

 procured him this dillinguifiied honour. But fuch were 

 the abfurdity and folly, as well as the oppreffion and ty- 

 ranny, into which his arrogance betrayed him, that he 

 adopted a meafure which may be regarded as the chief 

 caufe of all the difficulties which he afterwards encountered, 

 and of all thofe allonifhing exertions which the people made 



A L V 



to emancipate thcmfelvcs from the Spanifh yoke. Hetd- 

 lefs of the rights and privileges of the people, who had 

 been accullomed to be taxed by their own princes, he re- 

 folved, by his own authority, to eflablilh numerous and 

 burdenfome taxes, fufficient not only fur fupplying his pre- 

 fent exigencies, but to ferve as a peqietual fund for defray- 

 ing all the expences of his government. Thefe taxes, by 

 their number, and by the mode of their impofition and en« 

 forcement, excited univerfal difcontent. The ftates affem- 

 bled and remonili-ated ; but Alva was not only deaf to re- 

 monllrance, but determined, after fome teniporifing mea- 

 fures, to employ force for rendering cffeclual his arbitrary 

 requifitions. The Hates of Utrecht were refolute and fiiTn 

 in their oppofition, and though they incurred a coiififcation 

 of their territory and revenues, their conduct was attended 

 with the moil important confequences, and produced a 

 more general retiilance to the taxes which the governor 

 impofed. In the mean while the prince of Orange was not 

 an unconcerned fpeftator of thefe tranfaftions. Having re- 

 turned from France, in 1 569, to his country of Naffau in 

 Germany, he commenced preparations for trying his for- 

 tune once more againfl the Spaniards. The exiles alfo, 

 who iiad left the country on account of the perfecution of 

 Alva, united, and fitted out a great number of armed vef- 

 fels with which they feized all the Spanifli fhips which they 

 could meet with on the Flemidi or Englifh coaft. Alva 

 perfevered in iffuing edicls for the payment of exorbitant 

 taxes ; and, in order to intimidate the people into compli- 

 ance, he formed the barbarous refohition of putting to 

 death, before their own houfes, 17 of the principal inhabi- 

 tants of Brulfels. But before the time fixed for their exe- 

 cution, a meffenger arrived with information that the exiles 

 had made a defcent on the ifland of Vorn, and got poffef- 

 fion of the Brillc. This intelligence alarmed Alva, and 

 induced him to revoke his bloody orders, and to fufpend, 

 for a time, the levying of taxes. An order had been in"ued 

 by queen Elizabeth, in compliance with the requeil of 

 Alva, that all fhips, belonging to fuch of the inhabitants of 

 the Low Countries, as had withdrawn their allegiance from 

 the king of Spain, fhould leave her harbours. This order 

 was an occafion of triumph to Alva, but, in the iffuc it contri- 

 buted to the vigorous exertions of the exiles, to the capture 

 of the Brille, and to that union under the prince of Orange, 

 which laid the foundation of the independence of the United 

 Provinces. The fpirit of refillance and revolt which was 

 fpreading through the country was much encouraged by the 

 defeat of the Spanilh fleet under Medina-Cccli, in 1572, and 

 by the fupply of money and militai"y ilores which the exiles 

 found on board the fhips that were taken. The revolt in 

 North Holland became general ; Mons, the capital of 

 Hainault, and one of the moll populous and flourifliing 

 cities in the Low Countries, was taken by Count Lewis ; the 

 Spanilh army was employed in endeavouring to recover it; the 

 people of Holland and Zealand were induilrioufly fccuiing 

 thcmfelves, by every precaution and preparation in their 

 power, from being again reduced under the Spanith yoke. 

 In contegipt of the order iffued by Alva, for an afTemlly of 

 the States at the Hague, a meeting was held at Dort, and 

 it was determined to acknowledge the prince of Orange as 

 the only lawful governor or Stadtholder of the provinces, 

 and commander in chief of all their forces both by fea and 

 land : and evei-y poffible exertion was made to furnifh him 

 with neceffary fupplies. Whilft the prince and the States 

 were employed in providing for the fecurity of Holland, 

 Frederic de Toledo was making rapid progrefs in reduc- 

 ing the towns which had revolted in the other provinces ; 



but 



