humilmente, y con toda afeccion, que V. M. use de
clemencia y misericordia con ellos, conforme a la esperanza que tantas
vezes les ha dado, y que tenga en memoria que cuanto mas grandes son los
reyes, y se acercan mas a Dios, tanto mas deben ser imitadores de esta
grande divina bondad, poder, y clemencia." Correspondance de Philippe
II., tom. I. p. 603.

[1044] Ibid., loc. cit.

[1045] Ibid., tom. II. p. 6.

[1046] "Superavitque omnes Elizabetha Angliae Regina, tam bonae caraeque
sororis, uci scribebat, vicinitate in posterum caritura;" "sive," adds
the historian, with candid scepticism, "is amor fuit in Margaritam, sive
sollicitudo ex Albano successore." Strada, De Bello Belgico, tom. I. p.
365.

[1047] Historians vary considerably as to the date of Margaret's
departure. She crossed the frontier of the Netherlands probably by the
middle of January, 1568. At least, we find a letter from her to Philip
when she had nearly reached the borders, dated at Luxembourg, on the
twelfth of that month.

[1048] See, among others, Strada, De Bello Belgico, tom. I. p. 128;
Guerres Civiles du Pays-Bas, p. 128; De Thou, Hist. Gen., tom. V. p.
439; and Renom de Francia, Alborotos de Flandes, MS., who, in these
words, concludes his notice of Margaret's departure: "Dejando gran
reputacion de su virtud y un sentimiento de su partida en los corazones
de los vasallos de por aca el qual crecio mucho despues ansi continuo
quando se describio el gusto de los humores y andamientos de su
succesor."

[1049] De Thou, Hist. Gen., tom. V. p. 437.--Meteren, Hist. des
Pays-Bas, fol. 54.--The latter historian cites the words of the original
instrument.

[1050] "Voulans et ordonnans qu'ainsi en soit faict, afin que ceste
serieuse sentence serve d'exemple, et donne crainte pour l'advenir, sans
aucune esperance de grace." Meteren, Hist. des Pays-Bas, fol. 54.

[1051] Among contemporary writers whom I have consulted, I find no
authorities for this remarkable statement except Meteren and De Thou.
This might seem strange to one who credited the story, but not so
strange as that a proceeding so extraordinary should have escaped the
vigilance of Llorente, the secretary of the Holy Office, who had all its
papers at his command. I have met with no allusion whatever to it in his
pages.

[1052] "Au moyen de la patente de gouverneur general que le duc aura
recue, il pourra faire cesser les entraves que mettait le conseil des
finances a ce qu'il disposat