History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

oyal ear, before the ambassador left Flanders, they
were still further softened by Egmont now that he
stood on Spanish soil. Philip frequently admitted
him to a private audience, and consulted with him
touching the matters respecting which he had been
deputed to his court. The king professed to defer
much to Egmont's opinion; he gave no promise,
however, that he would change his policy as
regarded religious matters, or soften in aught the
rigour of the edicts. But to show Egmont, and the
seigniors of the Netherlands through him, that in
this he was impelled by no caprice of cruelty or
bigotry, but on the contrary was acting from high
and conscientious motives, Philip assembled a
council of divines, at which Egmont assisted, and
put to them the question, whether he was bound to
grant that liberty of conscience which some of the
Dutch towns so earnestly craved of him? The
judgment of the majority was that, taking into
account the present troubles in the Low Countries -
- which, unless means were found for allaying
them, might result in the Provinces falling away
from their obedience to the king's authority and to
their duty to the one true Church -- -his Majesty
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