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History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

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work, <strong>the</strong> viceroy was called away by <strong>in</strong>telligence<br />

that William <strong>of</strong> Orange was approach<strong>in</strong>g at <strong>the</strong><br />

head <strong>of</strong> an army to <strong>in</strong>vade Brabant. To open <strong>the</strong><br />

gates <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands to his soldiers, William<br />

issued a manifesto, sett<strong>in</strong>g forth <strong>the</strong> causes <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

war. "There was," he said, "no resource but arms,<br />

unless <strong>the</strong> ancient charters were to be utterly<br />

ext<strong>in</strong>guished, and <strong>the</strong> country itself brought to ru<strong>in</strong><br />

by a tyranny exercised, not by <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>g" (so he still<br />

affected to believe), "but by Spanish councillors <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>g's name, and to <strong>the</strong> destruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>g's<br />

<strong>in</strong>terest." To avert this catastrophe was he now <strong>in</strong><br />

arms. The cause, he affirmed, was that <strong>of</strong> every<br />

man <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Low Countries, and no Ne<strong>the</strong>rlander<br />

"could rema<strong>in</strong> neutral <strong>in</strong> this struggle without<br />

becom<strong>in</strong>g a traitor to his country." In this<br />

manifesto <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ce made <strong>the</strong> first public<br />

announcement <strong>of</strong> that great change which his own<br />

religious sentiments had undergone. All that is<br />

noble <strong>in</strong> human character, and heroic <strong>in</strong> human<br />

achievement, must spr<strong>in</strong>g from some great truth<br />

realised <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> soul. William <strong>of</strong> Orange gave a<br />

forecast <strong>of</strong> his future career -- his unselfish<br />

devotion, his unwearied toil, his <strong>in</strong>ext<strong>in</strong>guishable<br />

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