Profit of our Affairs, and confequently to maintain all quietnefs and peace in our Eftates and Countries. Notwithstanding every one knoweth, that we were not fo foon departed out of thofe our Low-Countries, but that the faid William of Naffau, made Prince of Orange by the means above-mention'd, did by his finifter Practices, Devices and Crafts, affay firft to get the Good-wills of those whom he knew to be difcontent, greatly indebted, haters of Juftice, ftudious of Novelties, and efpecially fuch as were fulpected to be of the Religion, banqueting them, provoking them, and drawing them after him by fair Words, Promifes and vain Perfuafions, even fo far, that he was the principal Author, Promoter and Framer of the firft Requeft, prefented by certain Companies of young Gentlemen, who did daily frequent his Houfe and Table: yea, that the very Plot thereof was laid in his faid Houfe, by and with the Affiftance of Count Ludovick of Naffau his Brother, a great Heretick. And albeit, that he was the Director of all these Devices; yet, in that time, he daily haunted the Council of State, being prefent at all Confultations and Refolutions taken and made therein; infomuch that every Man may eafily mark the faithful Truft that was in him, and the Observation of his Oaths. And afterward paffing from the faid Requeft, and proceeding further, he and his Adherents brought in Heretical Preachings, and Publick Affemblies in fundry places of our faid Countries, whilft that the Dutchefs of Parma, our moft dear and beft-belov'd Sifter (then Regent and General Governor of our faid Low-Countries) had fent unto us, that we might give order concerning the faid Requeft. And alfo, by the Advice, Knowledg, and Partaking of the faid Prince of Orange, the Hereticks (being guided by thofe Prefenters of the aforefaid Requeft, who were favour'd by him) began tumultuously to break Images, Altars and Churches; to prophane all holy and facred Things, yea, the Sacraments inftituted by God. Nevertheless, by the Grace of God, and Forefight of the faid Lady, the Matters were fo well govern'd and remedied, that he was inforc'd to depart out of our Countries, and to leave his faid Governments, yet not without being full of Wrath and Threatnings that he would be reveng'd therefore: which thing he thought the Year following to perform by Arms, but in vain; for he was fo fpeedily purfu'd by our Army continually following him at his heels, that he was driven out of all our faid Countries, without being able to remain in any part thereof. But as foon after there did in fundry places appear fome Difcontentment of our faid Subjects, against the Government of the Duke of Alva (who fucceeded the faid Lady in the Government aforefaid) and amongst others, in the Pro

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vinces of Holland and Zeland; fo he practifed, that he might return thither again. To which, notwithstanding he was not receiv'd, but that firft he did holily fwear to the Eftates of the faid Countries, and the Towns therein, that he would maintain the faid Countries and Towns for us, and in our Obedience; and that he would not change any thing whatfoever, of the antient Catholick and Romish Religion, but as a Governor only, would affift and defend them against the faid D. of Alva, if he would inforce, and by Violence draw them to that which he pretended; that is to fay, to the payment of the ten and twenty peny of that Impofition, which he would charge them withal: a thing indeed which we never commanded him, neither ever understood to have been done, but with the good leave and liking of our faid Subjects; and yet that also, in the ftead of other Aids and Impofitions, whereof we meant to unburden them. Notwithstanding, fo foon as the faid Naffau was enter'd and receiv'd into the faid Government, he began by his Officers and Accomplices to bring in Heretical Preachings in every place where he could, perfecuting all the good Paftors, Preachers, Religious Perfons, and honeft People; whereof he drove away a great Number, and amongst them he caus'd many of them to be murder'd, or elfe wink'd at the Murder that was made of them, by fome of his Adherents, until fuch time as the faid Eftates, being greatly offended with this Cruelty, would have a Reafon and an Account yielded thereof. But then he feign'd, that the thing did much displease and diflike him; and yet notwithftanding afterwards, he return'd to his firft Purpose and Mark, ill intreating thofe whom he knew to be Catholicks, and contrary to his Attempts, aiding himself with the Counsel of Heretical Minifters, as well Strangers, as of the faid Country; changing likewife the Magiftrates, which he knew favour'd not his Enterprizes and Purposes, and afterwards proceeded to bring in Liberty of Confcience, or (to fpeak truly) Confufion of Religion. Whereupon immediately after it fell out, that the Catholicks were openly perfecuted, caft down, and driven away, the Churches and Monafteries, both of Men and Women, broken down, ruinated, and made even with the Earth; the Religious Perfons, both Men and Women, evil handled, banish'd and rooted out, unless they would play the Apoftates, and become married; for in the other he had no confidence at all (as alfo he himself, being before a married Man, his fecond Wife yet living, did take a Religious Woman and an Abbefs, folemnly bleffed by the Bishop's Hand, whom he as yet keepeth with him, the moft fhame-fac'd and infamous thing that can be, not only according to Chriftian Religion,

but

but also by the Laws of the Romans, and against all Honesty) and at the laft hath proceeded fo far, that he hath not left any more place for the Catholick Religion, fuffering all the Errors and Impieties of all other Sects and Herefies, that he might thereby overthrow and root up (if he would) our Catholick and Holy Religion, which hath been always obferv'd by the whole Eftate of Chriftians.

Furthermore, He hath caus'd our poor Subjects of Holland and Zeland to be fo ftiff, and brought them to ftand upon fuch terms, that almoft all the Towns thereof, one after another, have been befieg'd and taken, fome by affault, and otherfome by compofition and yielding: infomuch that more than once he hath been almoft utterly driven out by our Armies, until fuch time that the great Commander of Caftile, being dead, whom we also made Succeffor in that Government after the faid Duke of Alva, whom we call'd back from thence, that we might make our Subjects more contented thereby; things came into fome diforder, and Disobedience of Soldiers, who took the Town of Ziriczee; which Disorder began to give fome favour to the faid Nassau: and immediately after the StatesGeneral of our faid Countries, in thofe Quarters, (defiring once to get out of these Miseries of War, perfuaded by the faid Orange, faying and feigning, That he defir'd nothing but the good Peace and Tranquillity of the Countries, and to fet them free from ftrange Soldiers, and to hold the Country under our Obedience, and withal, to preferve therein the antient Catholick Religion, fuch as it had always been exercis'd and pratis'd amongst them, and to keep the Privileges and Liberty of the faid Country) did make with him the Treaty of Gaunt, establish'd exprefly upon these two Grounds; that is, to maintain the faid Religion, and Obedience to

us.

While thefe things were in handling, we fent our good Brother, the late Lord Don John of Auftria, of bleffed Memory, with Commandment and Intention to pacify, reconcile, and accord, all the Troubles of our faid Countries, by the moft gentle means, and favourableft way that could be: which thing alfo he did, yielding unto our Subjects every thing, which any manner of way might be granted unto them; ratifying and confirming alfo the said Treaty of Gaunt, which he caus'd to be publish'd in every place, according to the accuftom'd manner, which the forefaid Orange did gainfay by all the Forces and Power he had; but not being able to hinder it, he would never afterwards caufe the fame to be publish'd in the Places of his Governments, (fretting, as is faid, because he was not able to lett it) notwithstanding that we our felves had after

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wards approv'd, confefs'd and confirm'd both the one and the other Agreement and Treaty: and notwithstanding that our faid good Brother (together with the Deputies of the rett of the States) had fent divers great and good Perfonages to the faid Orange, to perfuade him to that, to the end effectually to accomplish on his part, that whereunto he was held and bound, by the Articles and Points of the faid Treaty of Gaunt And becaufe, that he pleaded and alledg'd continually, that he ought to recover his whole Government; and withal, that the Towns which would not acknowledg him for Governor, or elfe thofe which afterwards we had taken by force of Arms, and brought by fome other means into our Obedience, should be put under his faid Government; he was even in that also fatisfy'd, by the goodness and gentleness of our faid States, who had not yet then fufficiently known his Deceits and Perjuries, yet fo notwithstanding, that he fhould swear that he would change nothing at all of the Form of the faid Antient, Catholick and Roman Religion; and that for this purpose he fhould give fuch Affurances and Satisfactions, as the Magistrates, Burgeffes and Inhabitants of every Town might juftly demand. Whereupon they, having reafon'd a long while touching the Affurances which every Town did demand, to the end, that that which the faid Orange promis'd them might be obferv'd and kept, they were fubjected under his Government; after that he had fworn to perform the Points a forefaid, and other Articles contain'd in the Inftruments and Writings of the faid Satisfactions and Affurances. But fo far off was it, that he hath kept and obferv'd his forefaid Promifes and Oaths, that, on the contrary fide, he immediately brought into the faid Countries and Towns, his Minifters and Calvinift Preachers; he hath caus'd the Hereticks, that were banish'd, to return; he hath there practis'd Liberty of Confcience, and hath caus'd to be committed fome Offences in fome Churches, joining himself, firft to the poorer fort, and afterwardss to the Magiftrates; and hath by little and little perfecuted the good Paftors, and caus'd them to fly away. Finally, he hath ex pel'd and banish'd the whole Catholick Religion, and forbidden the Exercife and Ufe thereof. In doing of which, he us'd his ordinary Hypocrifies, and accuftom'd Counterfeiting; fay ing, That thofe things difpleas'd him, and that he was not able to remedy the fame. And yet notwithstanding he did, both by himself, and by his Officers fecretly, and as it were under-hand, provoke all the feditious and heretical Perfons, to ufe and practise the mischief he had conceiv'd: And for this caufe he did (by the Aid and Affiftance of those of his fide) place by little and little, Garifons within the Towns, against

his

his Covenants and Promises fworn; and in the mean while ceas'd not to accufe our faid Brother Don John, that he privily practis'd many Mischiefs againft the States: which thing, notwithstanding, our faid Brother hath always affur'd us not to be true. But rather, that feeing the Obftinacy and Malice of the faid Orange, he might be able to impart the fame matter with others, and to devife how they might bring him. to Reason, and hinder him from again troubling the whole publick Quietnefs of the fiid Countries, as afterwards he did indeed.

All this notwithstanding, the aforefaid Orange left not off, until that by his practices and fubtil fleights (which are very proper to him) he had fet fuch great Diffidence and Diftruft between our faid Brother, and the Eftates of our faid Countries, that there appear'd nothing but a moft great, evident, and apparent Murder. Infomuch that, for the avoiding of that Disorder, or at the leaft to efcape the Imprifonment of his own Perfon, the faid Don John plac'd himself fafely in our Town and Caftle of Namure, Whereunto he was fo much the more mov'd, by how much he was not any whit at all arm'd; and on the other fide, because it was manifeft and certain, that the faid Orange, by all his Pofting Meffengers and Officers, did not ceafe to provoke the factious perfons to practife the like thing upon his own Perfon, as he had the fame year caus'd to be practis'd upon thofe of our Council of State, appointed to the general Government of our faid Countries: As alfo, becaufe that then the faid Orange, thinking that he had gotten all, did begin to fhoot out all his Arrows, and to difcover his Sleights and Weapons, that he might draw our People into open War, againft our faid Brother and Lieutenant-General. Notwithstanding, by occafion of fome good Men being nigh about his Perfon, and of other vertuous People, on the State's fide; the Matters came fo far, that all was well agreed; and that for the avoiding of all Occafion and Diftruit, it was both on the one fide, and on the other concluded, that he should withdraw himself from his Government, and go into Italy; which thing alfo we our felves wifh'd and will'd: And there were with him the Deputies of the Estates, mutually to accept and fign the Offers made on both fides, one of them to another. But in ill time, this Enemy, the common Difturber of publick Quietnefs (who knowing that from the place of Holland where he was, he could not with all his Devices any more hinder this Peace and Reconciliation) made hafte to come at that very time to Bruxelles; and feigning that he would have Peace, he procur'd War, fetting down new Conditions, not yet talk'd nor confer'd of, nor open'd; infomuch

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