A L V 



but his pro^refs was marked by various ai!ls of oppreffion 

 :mJ of cnitflty, of fo horrible a nature as to be fearcely 

 credible, if they were not well authenticated by the moll 

 unexceptionable tellimony. But the perfidious cruelty of 

 Alva and hia foil, after the fiege and capture of Haerlem, 

 cvceedcd, if poflible, in atrocity every otiier nieaftire of this 

 fivagt; adminillration. By the lou-ell comjiutation, 9C0 

 n rave men were executed, witli every clreumihuice of i^iio- 

 iiiiny and^ barbarity, like the vileft malcfadors, who, tnilU 

 i:i,CC to Toledo's promlfe, liad furrcndered their arms to 

 tlu-ow themfclvcs upon his mercy. The confequencc, 

 however, of the length of this fiege and of the lofs of men 

 fiillaiiied by it, was a mutiny among the Spanidi troops ; 

 ,-i:id it was with difficulty, and after much ncgociiition, tliat 

 they were induced to march aj^ainll Alkmaar. Here they 

 met with a repulfe, attended with great lofs, and Frederic 

 was obliged rcluftantly to retire. Alva's fleet was, about 

 the fame time, defeated by the Zealanders, and the town 

 o( Gertruydenlniig furprifed by the prince of Orange. 

 Alva, difpirited by thefe events, and declining in Iiis health, 

 by the anxiety and fatigue he had undergone, folicited a 

 n rail, and obtained Philip's leave to quit the Netherlands, 

 and to return home. Thilip, difSdent of the fuccefs of the 

 I ruel meafures that had hitherto been purfued, and deter- 

 mined to try the effeft of a milder adminillration, complied 

 the more readily with Alva's requeft. Accordingly, in 

 December 1573, the duke and his ion fet out, by t!ic way 

 of Germany and Italy, for Spain ; after having refigned the 

 regency to his luccefTor Requefens, who commenced his 

 adminillration with demolllhing Alva's ilatue at Antwerp, 

 and with reprefling the infolence of certain garrifons, at 

 whofe enormities his predecefTors had connived. 



In the review of Alva's adminillration we may obfcrve, 

 that both the catholics and protcllants regarded him as the 

 chief fource of all the calamities in which the Netherlands 

 had been involved. He had received his government fiom 

 the duchefs of Parma, in a ftate of perfcft trantpiillity. 

 By his tyranny he had thrown it into the moll terrible corn- 

 bullion, and kindled the flames of a deftrucli\x war, which 

 he was confcious of being unable to extinguilh, and he had, 

 therefore, applied for liberty to retire. He is faid to have 

 boafted to Count Koningllein, imcle to the Prince of 

 Orange, at whofe houfe he lodged on his way to Italy, that, 

 during his government of five years and an half, he had 

 configncd more than iS,ooo heretics to the public execu- 

 tioner ; befides a much greater number whom he had put 

 to the fword, in the towns which he took, and in the field 

 of battle. During Alva's adminiflration, the fituation of 

 the Low Countries was truly deplorable. His oppreffion 

 was not confined to proteftants, but many catholics were 

 put to death, and their effefts forfeited, under a pretence 

 of their having entertained heretics, or having held a cor- 

 refpondence with them in their exile. Wives were punilli- 

 ed with the utmoll feverity for affording (belter to their 

 hufbands, whom the councd of tumults had condemned ; 

 children for performing the like offices to their parents ; 

 and in Utrecht, a father was executed for allowing his fon, 

 who had returned from banifliment, to lodge under his roof 

 for one night. By forcing fo many thoufands of the mod 

 induflrious inhabitants to leave the country, and by neglcd- 

 ing to provide a naval force to oppofe the exiles at fea, 

 commerce waj almoft entirely ruined ; notwithflanding 

 which, he impofed upon the people more opprefTive taxes, 

 than they could have borne, if they had been in the moll 

 flourifliing condition. In levying thefe taxes, the utmofl 

 rigour was employed. The people were often wantonly 



A L V 



provoked, and tumults purpoftly ixcitcd, from which oe- 

 cafion was taken to punifh them with confifcalion of thfir 

 goods, and fomclimes with botii death and confifcalion. 

 I'lom the confifcations and taxes large fum» wcic niifed : 

 yet, by maintaining fo numerous an army, and by building 

 citadels to keep the principal towns in awe, as he rcccivij 

 little aflillance from the king, wlio was cngjigrd in oilier 

 txpcnfivc cnteiprizes, he fell behind in the pa)mcnt of liil 

 troops ; and in order to keep them in good humour, he 

 permitted tlum to live at frttquaitcrs upon the inhabitant!, 

 againll whom they ixerciled, on many occafionb, the moft 

 cruel and opprelFive rapacity. 



Alva, after his return to .Spain, enjoyed for fome time 

 the favour and confidence of his mailer ; but his fon Don 

 Garcia de Toledo, having debauched one of the maids of ho- 

 nour, under a promife of marriage, was put under arrell, 

 and alTifled by his father in making hi» cfcapc. Alva, in or- 

 der efTeftually to prevent the fulfilment of his obligationn, 

 enforced by the king's order, concluded a maiTiagc between 

 him and his coufin, a daughter of the Marquis of \'illciia. 

 Upon this Alva was banilhed from court, mid confined to 

 the caflle of U/.eda. Here, not«itlillandiiig many intercef- 

 fions in his favour by the pope, and fome foreign princes, he 

 remained fur two years. But when Don Antonio affumed 

 the crown of Portugal, Philip made preparations for oppo- 

 ling hiin; and de\olved on Alva the fuprcme command in 

 Poitugal, without forgiving his offence or admitting him 

 into his prefence. Alva, notwithflanding his age and infir- 

 mities, accepted the command ; repaired to the army in 

 1580, defeated Antonio, and reduced the whole kingdom of 

 Portugal to I'hilip's authority. When Lifl'on w as taken, 

 the fuburbs, wliieli were at that time no lefs coiifiderablc 

 than the town itfelf, were delivered up to be i-anfackcd and 

 plundered by the foldiers, without any dillinction between 

 the friends and the enemies of the king. When Alva was 

 required to give an account of the treafurc which he had 

 acquired on tliis occafion, he is faid to have replied ; " If 

 the king aflcs me for an account, I will flate to him king- 

 doms prtfcrved or conquered, figrtal vitlories, fucccfsi^ul 

 ficges, and 60 years' fcrvicc." Philip made no further in- 

 quiries ; but Alva did not live to enjoy the honours and 

 emo'um nts rcfulting from this la(l exploit. He died in 

 1582, at the age of 74 years. Robertfoii's Hill, of Charles 

 V. vol. iii. and iv. Watfon's Hillor)- of Philip II. of Spain, 

 vol. i. and ii. 



ALVACA, in /Inaail Geography, a town of Media, 

 according to Ptolemy. 



ALVAH, the wood wherewith Mofes fwcctened the wa- 

 ters of Marah. Exod. ch. xv. ver. 25. 



The name of this wood is not found in Scripture, but 

 the Mahometans give it that of alvah, and pretend to trace 

 its hillory from the patriarclis before the flood. Jofephus, 

 on the contrary, fays, that Mofes ufed the wood which he 

 found next lying before him. 



ALVALADE, in Geography^ a fmall town of Portu- 

 gal, in Alenteijo, fituate between two rivers, and contain- 

 ing about I 200 inhabitants. 



ALVANIS, in Anarul Geography, a town of Mtfopo- 

 tamia, according to Ptolemy. 



ALVANNA, in Geography, a town of Spain, in 

 the province of Guipufeoa, three leagues call of Tre- 

 vigno. 



ALVAR, a town of Hindodan, in the country of 

 Mewat, 60 miles fouth fouth-wtll of Delhi. 



ALVARA Marlens Bay, is lituatrd on the coaft of 

 Loango, in Africa, in S. Lit. 3'. and E. long. 11°, This 



baj 



