To Barbara, as well as to the members of her party, William of Orange,
whom she often heard called the "Antichrist" and "rebel chief," was an
object of hatred. Now he frustrated the kind Requesens's attempt at
mediation, and it was also his fault that two provinces had publicly
revolted from the Holy Church. The Protestant worship of God was now
exercised as freely there as in Ratisbon. Like William of Orange, most of
the citizens professed the doctrine of Calvin, but there was no lack of
Lutherans, and the clergyman whose sermons attracted the largest
congregations was Erasmus Eckhart, Barbara's old acquaintance, Dr.
Hiltner's foster-son, who during the Emperor Charles's reign had come to
the Netherlands as an army chaplain, and, amid great perils, was said to
have lured thousands from the Catholic Church. Deeply as her sentiments
rebelled, here, too, Barbara had become his preserver; for when the
Bloody Council had sentenced him to the gallows, she had succeeded, with
great difficulty, through her manifold relations to the heads of the
Spanish party, in obtaining his pardon. A grateful letter from Frau
Sabina Hiltner had abundantly repaid her for these exertions.

The boldness with which William of Orange, who was himself the most
dangerous heretic and rebel, protested that he was willing to grant every
one full religious liberty, had no desire to injure the Catholic Church
in any way, and was even ready to acknowledge the supremacy of the King,
could not fail to enrage every pious Catholic and faithful subject of
King Philip.

To spoil a Requesens's game was no difficult task for the man who, though
by no means as harmless as the dove, was certainly as wise as the
serpent; but that the Duke of Alba, the tried, inflexible commander, had
been obliged to yield and retire vanquished before the little, merry,
industrious, thoroughly peaceful nation which intrusted itself to the
leadership of William of Orange, had been too much for her and, when it
happened, seemed like a miracle.

What spirits were aiding the Prince of Orange to resist the King and the
power of the Church so successfully? He was in league with hell, her old
confessor said, and there were rumours that his Majesty was trying to
have the abominable mischief-maker secretly put out of the world. But
this would have been unworthy of a King, and Barbara would not believe
it.

In the northern provinces the Spanish power was only a shadow, but in the
sout