History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

conquered by the very name of Noircarmes. The
Romanists themselves were astonished at the
readiness and abjectness of the submission. "The
capture of Valenciennes," wrote Noircarmes to
Granvelle, "has worked a miracle. The other cities
all come forth to meet me, putting the rope round
their own neck."[9] It became a saying, "The
governor has found the keys of all the rest of the
cities at Valenciennes."[10] Cambray, Hasselt,
Maseik, and Maestricht surrendered themselves, as
did also Bois-le-Duc. The Reformed in Cambray
had driven away the archbishop; now the
archbishop returned, accompanied with a party of
soldiers, and the Reformed fled in their turn. In the
other towns, where hardly a single image had
escaped the iconoclast tempest, the Romish
worship was restored, and the Protestants were
compelled to conform or leave the place. The
Prince of Orange had hardly quitted Antwerp,
where he had just succeeded in preventing an
outbreak which threatened fearful destruction to
property and life, when that commercial metropolis
submitted its neck to the yoke which it seemed to
have cast off with contempt, and returned to a faith
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