his contempt for a nation of merchants and his disgust at dealing with
them, made him the worst possible person for the position of Governor.
Philip's detailed instructions left nothing to the imagination: the
gist of them was to assure the Catholic religion and obedience of his
subjects "as far as possible," to speak French, and not to take his
mistresses from the most influential families, nor to alienate them in
any other way. After force had been tried and failed the effect of
gentleness was to be essayed. Don John was to be a dove of peace and
an angel of love.

But even if a far abler man had been sent to heal the troubles in the
Netherlands, the breach was now past mending. In the States General,
as in the nation at large, there were still two parties, one for Orange
and one for Philip, but both were determined to get rid of the devilish
incubus of the Spanish army. The division of the two parties was to
some extent sectional, but still more that class division that seems
inevitable between conservatives and liberals. The king still had for
him the clergy, the majority of the nobles and higher bourgeoisie; with
William were ranged the Calvinists, the middle and lower classes and
most of the "intellectuals", lawyers, men of learning and those
publicists known as the "monarchomachs." Many of {267} these were
still Catholics who wished to distinguish sharply between the religious
and the national issue. At the very moment of Don John's arrival the
Estates passed a resolution to uphold the Catholic faith.

[Sidenote: February, 1577]

Even before he had entered his capital Don John issued the "Perpetual
Edict" agreeing to withdraw the Spanish troops in return for a grant of
600,000 guilders for their pay. He promised to respect the privileges
of the provinces and to free political prisoners, including the son of
Orange. In April the troops really withdrew. The small effect of
these measures of conciliation became apparent when the Estates General
voted by a majority of one only to recognize Don John as their
Statholder. [Sidenote: May 12] So little influence did he have that
he felt more like a prisoner than a governor; he soon fled from his
capital to the fortress of Namur whence he wrote urging his king to
send back the troops at once and let him "bathe in the blood of the
traitors."

William was as much pleased as John was enraged at the failure of the
policy of reconciliation. While the majority