History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

generations unborn the heritage of religious
freedom. In this light did Pope Gregory XIII. show
that he regarded the struggle when he sent, as he
did at this time, a bull in favor of all who should
fight under the banner of Don John, "against
heretics, heretical rebels, and enemies of the
Romish faith." The bull was drafted on the model
of those which his predecessors had been wont to
fulminate when they wished to rouse the faithful to
slaughter the Saracens and Turks; it offered a
plenary indulgence and remission of sins to all
engaged in this new crusade in the Low Countries.
The bull further authorised Don John to impose a
tax upon the clergy for the support of the war, "as
undertaken for the defense of the Romish religion."
The banners of the Spanish general were blazoned
with the sign of the cross, and the following motto:
In hoc signo vici Turcos: in hoc signo vincam
hereticos (" Under this sign I have vanquished the
Turks: under this sign I will vanquish the
heretics"). And Don John was reported to have said
that "the king had rather be lord only of the ground,
of the trees, shrubs, beasts, wolves, waters, and
fishes of this country, than suffer one single person
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