History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

considerable army from the neighboring Provinces,
and these were joined by veteran troops from Italy
and Spain, which Philip had ordered Alexander
Farnese, Duke of Parma, to lead back into the
Netherlands The States army amounted to about
10,000; that of Spain to 15,000; the latter, if
superior in numbers, were still more superior in
discipline. On joining battle at Gemblours the army
of the Netherlands encountered a terrible
overthrow, a result which the bulk of the nation
attributed to the cabals and intrigues of the Roman
Catholic nobles.
At this stage the two great antagonistic
principles which were embodied in the respective
policies of Philip and William, and whose struggles
with one another made themselves audible in this
clash of arms, came again to the front. The world
was anew taught that it was a mortal combat
between Rome and the Reformation that was
proceeding on the theater of the Netherlands. The
torrents of blood that were being poured out were
shed not to revive old charters, but to rend the
chains from conscience, and to transmit to
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