History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

hanged, beheaded, or roasted, so that the air which
God had made for the respiration of the living, was
now become the common grave or habitation of the
dead. Every day produced fresh objects of pity and
mourning, and the noise of the bloody passing-bell
was continually heard, which by the martyrdom of
this man's cousin, or t' other's friend or brother,
rung dismal peals in the hearts of the survivors. Of
banishment of persons and confiscations of goods
there was no end; it was no matter whether they
had real or personal estates, free or entailed, all was
seized upon without regarding the claims of
creditors or others, to the unspeakable prejudice
both of rich and poor, of convents, hospitals,
widows and orphans, who were by knavish
evasions deprived of their incomes for many
years."[13]
Bales of denunciations were sent in. These
were too voluminous to be read by Alva or Vargas,
and were remitted to the other councils, that still
retained a nominal existence, to be read and
reported on. They knew the sort of report that was
expected from them, and took care not to
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