FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   532   533   534   535   536   537   538   539   540   541   542   543   544   545   546   547   548   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556  
557   558   559   560   561   562   563   564   565   566   567   568   569   570   571   572   573   574   575   576   577   578   579   580   581   >>   >|  
he entertained a select circle of friends at his hotel in Amsterdam, and then embarked at midnight for Embden. A numerous procession of his adherents escorted him to the ship, bearing lighted torches, and singing bacchanalian songs. He died within a year afterwards, of disappointment and hard drinking, at Castle Hardenberg, in Germany, after all his fretting and fury, and notwithstanding his vehement protestations to die a poor soldier at the feet of Louis Nassau. That "good chevalier and good Christian," as his brother affectionately called him, was in Germany, girding himself for the manly work which Providence had destined him to perform. The life of Brederode, who had engaged in the early struggle, perhaps from the frivolous expectation of hearing himself called Count of Holland, as his ancestors had been, had contributed nothing to the cause of freedom, nor did his death occasion regret. His disorderly band of followers dispersed in every direction upon the departure of their chief. A vessel in which Batenburg, Galaina, and other nobles, with their men-at-arms, were escaping towards a German port, was carried into Harlingen, while those gentlemen, overpowered by sleep and wassail, were unaware of their danger, and delivered over to Count Meghem, by the treachery of their pilot. The soldiers, were immediately hanged. The noblemen were reserved to grace the first great scaffold which Alva was to erect upon the horse-market in Brussels. The confederacy was entirely broken to pieces. Of the chieftains to whom the people had been accustomed to look for support and encouragement, some had rallied to the government, some were in exile, some were in prison. Montigny, closely watched in Spain, was virtually a captive, pining for the young bride to whom he had been wedded amid such brilliant festivities but a few months before his departure, and for the child which was never to look upon its father's face. His colleague, Marquis Berghen, more fortunate, was already dead. The excellent Viglius seized the opportunity to put in a good word for Noircarmes, who had been grinding Tournay in the dust, and butchering the inhabitants of Valenciennes. "We have heard of Berghen's death," wrote the President to his faithful Joachim. "The Lord of Noircarmes, who has been his substitute in the governorship of Hainault, has given a specimen of what he can do. Although I have no private intimacy with that nobleman, I can not help embrac
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   532   533   534   535   536   537   538   539   540   541   542   543   544   545   546   547   548   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556  
557   558   559   560   561   562   563   564   565   566   567   568   569   570   571   572   573   574   575   576   577   578   579   580   581   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

called

 

Germany

 

Noircarmes

 
Berghen
 
departure
 

encouragement

 
support
 

accustomed

 

private

 

chieftains


nobleman
 

intimacy

 

people

 

rallied

 

watched

 
virtually
 

closely

 

Montigny

 

government

 
prison

Although

 
noblemen
 

hanged

 

reserved

 

embrac

 

immediately

 

Meghem

 
treachery
 

soldiers

 

scaffold


confederacy

 

broken

 

pieces

 

Brussels

 

market

 

captive

 

pining

 

excellent

 

Viglius

 

seized


fortunate

 

colleague

 

Marquis

 

Joachim

 

faithful

 

opportunity

 
butchering
 

inhabitants

 

Valenciennes

 

President