lement predominated.
With these he now set foot again in the Netherlands. The success that
first attended his enterprise was owing, however, rather to a well
executed trick than to any practical exhibition of generalship; for the
gates of Mons were opened from within by a party that had entered on the
previous day in the disguise of wine-merchants.[901] Nevertheless the
capture of Mons, the capital of the province of Hainault (on Saturday, the
twenty-fourth of May), was so brilliant an exploit, coming as it did close
upon the heels of other reverses of the Duke of Alva, that the French
Huguenots and all who sympathized with them may be pardoned for having
indulged even in somewhat extravagant demonstrations of joy. They seem to
have believed that it was pretty nearly over with that hated instrument of
Spanish tyranny. They fancied that, with his five hundred horse, Louis
might penetrate the country by a rapid movement, and either take Alva
prisoner, or, if the duke should retire to Antwerp, raise the whole
country in revolt.[902]

[Sidenote: Catharine's indecision.]

[Sidenote: Queen Elizabeth inspires no confidence.]

For the next two months the Huguenot leaders were indefatigable in their
efforts to persuade Charles to take open and decided ground against Spain;
but they were met by Anjou and the party in his interest with arguments
drawn from the difficulty or injustice of the undertaking, and by the
suggestion that Elizabeth, as was her wont, would be likely to withdraw so
soon as she saw France once engaged in war with her powerful neighbor, and
to use Charles's embarrassments as a means of securing private advantages.
In point of fact, Charles was personally unwilling to commit himself until
sure of England's support. Meanwhile, Catharine, from whose Argus-eyed
inspection nothing that was debated in the royal presence, openly or
secretly, ever escaped notice, awaited with her accustomed irresolution
Elizabeth's decision, before herself deciding whether to throw her
influence into the scale with Coligny (of whose growing favor with her son
she had begun to entertain some suspicion), or with Anjou and the
Spaniards. But Elizabeth was as ever a riddle, not only to her allies, but
even to her most confidential advisers. Certainly she was no friend to
Philip and Alva; yet she would not abruptly enter into war against them.
She could not help seeing that the interests of her person and of her
kingdom, to say nothing o