13.03.2019 Views

History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

heroic spirit, so would <strong>the</strong>y transmit to <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

descendants <strong>the</strong> vile estate <strong>of</strong> slavery or <strong>the</strong><br />

glorious heritage <strong>of</strong> liberty.<br />

The defense <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> town was entrusted to Jean<br />

van der Does, Lord <strong>of</strong> Nordwyck. Of noble birth<br />

and poetic genius, Does was also a brave soldier,<br />

and an illustrious patriot. He brea<strong>the</strong>d his own<br />

heroic spirit <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> citizens. The women as well<br />

as men worked day and night upon <strong>the</strong> walls, to<br />

streng<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>m aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> Spanish guns. They<br />

took stock <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> provisions <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> city, and<br />

arranged a plan for <strong>the</strong>ir economical distribution.<br />

They passed from one to ano<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> terrible words,<br />

"Zutphen," "Naarden," names suggestive <strong>of</strong> horrors<br />

not to be mentioned, but which had so burned <strong>in</strong>to<br />

<strong>the</strong> Dutch <strong>the</strong> detestation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Spaniards, that <strong>the</strong>y<br />

were resolved to die ra<strong>the</strong>r than surrender to an<br />

enemy whose <strong>in</strong>st<strong>in</strong>cts were those <strong>of</strong> tigers or<br />

fiends.<br />

It was at this moment, when <strong>the</strong> struggle<br />

around Leyden was about to beg<strong>in</strong>, that Philip<br />

attempted to filch by a stratagem <strong>the</strong> victory which<br />

394

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!