WILLIAM. 



in 1572, took polTeflion of the port of Brill. This trivial 

 fuccefs roufed the fpirits of the Netherlanders, and feveral 

 places in Zealand and Holland declared for the Orange 

 party. At length a convocation of nobles and deputies from 

 the principal towns in Holland took place at Dordrecht, 

 and forming themfelves into an independent Itate, chofe 

 William for their chief. Convinced by the malfacre of the 

 Protcftaiits in France, that it was in vain to expeft affiftance 

 from that quarter, he difmifled his troops, and retired to 

 Holland ; and whilll Alva was exercifing his ufual feveri- 

 ties, the people of Holland and Zealand alone remained in 

 arms again (I the Spanifh government ; and the prefence of 

 William gave order and liability to the new republic. Al- 

 though the duke of Alva was recalled from his government 

 in I573> the caufe of independence was in a very precarious 

 ftate. However, in 1574, the ftates of Holland and Zea- 

 land conferred on Wilham the fovereign authority during 

 the war, and formed a treaty of union and alliance with each 

 other. Peace with the court of Spain could not be obtained 

 otherwife than on terms which could not be accepted ; and 

 the afpeft of affairs in 1576 was very difcouraging. At 

 length, however, the death of Requefens, who had fucceeded 

 Alva as governor, and the depredations to which the towns 

 of Brabant and Flanders were expofed, favoured WilUam 

 in his efforts to accomplilh a general union of the provinces 

 of the Low Countries for mutual defence ; and this was 

 effefted by the treaty, called the pacification of Ghent. 

 William was now jullly regarded as the true patron of 

 public liberty. At the beginning of the year 1579, the 

 duke of Parma being the Spanifh governor, the union of 

 Utrecht was figned, which was the bafis of the confedera- 

 tion of the Seven United Provinces, all of which, by their 

 deputies, concurred in forming it. When the feparation of 

 the Catholic and Proteftant Netherlands took place, the 

 latter, being diftreffed, fought the affiflance of France, by 

 nominating, in 1580, the duke of Anjou, brother to 

 Charles IX. king of France, for their fovereign, and re- 

 nouncing their allegiance to Philip ; but the adrainiflration 

 of Holland and Zealand was ftill entrufled with the prince 

 of Orange. Philip, afcribing this meafure to William, iffued 

 an edift of profcription againit him ; in confequence of 

 which his life was in danger, and an attempt was made to 

 afTafTmate him. At length he fell a vidtim to the fanaticifm 

 of a native of Franche-Compte, who was urged forward by 

 a Cordelier and a Jefuit, who, under pretence of bufinefs, 

 obtained accefs to him, and (hot him through the body. 

 He fell, and ejaculating " My God ! have mercy upon me 

 and thy poor people," inftantly expired, on July 10, 1584, 

 having nearly completed his 5 2d year. He was interred 

 with great honour and teftimonies of refpedt, at Delft. He 

 was four times married, and had iffue by each wife. His 

 fecond fon, Maurice, fucceeded to his authority in the 

 United Provinces. (See Maurice.) William, having 

 been educated in a court, acquired the manners and habits 

 of a ftatefman, and was charged with diflimulation and proud 

 ambition. But his objefts were always pure and patriotic, 

 and he zealoufly preferved the liberties of his country ; and, 

 though he has been traduced by the advocates of defpotifm, 

 he has received the higheft tokens of refpeft from a people 

 who gratefully acknowledge him as the principal author 

 of their freedom and independence. Univ. Hift. Gen. 

 Biog. 



William of Wykeham, an Englifh prelate, was born in 

 1324, atWykeham in Hampfhire, and by the liberality of 

 a patron, educated at Winchefter fchool, and afterwards 

 recommended to Edyngdon, bifhop of Winchefter, who intro- 

 duced him into the fervice of king Edward HI. about his 



Vol. XXXVIII. 



23d year. Acqumng extraordinary fldll in architeaure, he 

 was appointed in 1356 clerk of the king's works in two 

 manors, and furveyor of the royal works at the caftle and in 

 the park of Windfor. The king was fo highly fatisfied 

 with his conduft in thefe fimilar departments, that he recom- 

 penfed him by feveral preferments, civil and ecclefiaftical. In 

 1359 he was nominated chief warden and furveyor of the 

 royal caftles of Windfor, Leeds, Dover, and Hadlam, and 

 of feveral other caftles, manors, and parks. Whilft he had 

 only the clerical tonfure, he enjoyed many ecclefiaftical 

 dignities ; and, in order to his further advancement in the 

 church, he was ordained prieft in 1362. In the following 

 year he was made warden and jufticiary of the royal forefts 

 fouth of Trent, and in 1364 keeper of the privy-feal. He 

 was alfo chief of the privy-council, and p-^ jernor of the 

 great council ; and befides other civil preferments which he 

 enjoyed, he fucceeded Edyngdon, in 1366, as bifhop of Win- 

 chefter, which paved the way for his elevation to the poft of 

 high-chancellor in 1367, of which latter dignity, however, 

 he was diverted in 1370. Thus poffefTrng ample means of mu- 

 nificence in a ftate of cehbacy, and a liberal fpirit, liis pro- 

 fefTion as an architeft led him to repair and ereft numerous 

 buildings in his fee at an expence of no lefs than 20,000 

 marks. He alfo directed his attention to the improvement 

 and proper difcipline of the rehgious honfes comprehended 

 within his diocefe. For the better education of his clergy, 

 he laid the foundation of a college in Oxford, which was to 

 be fupplied with ftudents from a feminary at Winchefter. He 

 was interrupted, however, in his liberal defigns of general 

 utility by an impeachment for mifeonduft in the adminiftra- 

 tion of pubUc affairs, occafioned by the influence of the duke 

 of Lancafter, who had conceived a prejudice againft him ; 

 and, in confequence of this impeachment, his temporalities 

 were feized to the king's ufe, and he was banifhed from court. 

 The clergy, however, interfered, and the people regarded 

 him as a fufferer from the duke's exorbitant power ; fo that 

 a tumult enfued, that procured the reftoration of his tem- 

 poralities, and his recovery of the royal favour, a little while 

 before the king's death. During the turbulent reign of 

 Richard II. Wykeham condufted himfelf with caution, and 

 fucceeded in the eftablifhment of his two colleges. For that 

 at Oxford he obtained a patent in 1379, and it was com- 

 pleted in 1386. It is now known by the name of the New 

 college. His college or fchool at Winchefter was finifhed 

 in 1393. He alfo undertook the repair of the cathedral, 

 which was a Saxon edifice of the eleventh century, and in 

 the courfe of ten years rebuilt it in the Gothic ftyle. ( See 

 Winchester.) In 1384 he was induced, againft his incli- 

 nation, to accept the office of high-chancellor, which he 

 refigned again in 1391, after having reftored the public 

 tranquiUity. When the king recovered his authority, he 

 procured a parliament in 1397, which impeached feveral of 

 the commifTioners, who had almoft divefted him of his au- 

 thority, of high treafon ; but Wykeham, who was one of 

 them, efcaped with a forced loan of 1000/. He attended 

 the firft parhament of Henry IV. in 1399, which depofed 

 Richard, but was not prefent at the council, which adjudged 

 him to perpetual imprifonment. As his health declined, he 

 was difabled from performing the duties of his office ; and 

 therefore nominated coadjutors in his bifhopric, fettled all his 

 temporal and fpiritual concerns, and with tranquillity waited 

 his difmiflion from the world. This happened in September 

 1404, when he had finiftied his 80th year. His remains 

 were interred in his own chapel or oratory in Winchefter 

 cathedral, where a tomb of white marble was erefted to 

 his memory, Lowth's Life of William of Wykeham. 

 Biog. Brit. 



3 M William, 



