Texts concerning the Revolt of the Netherlands

7 The prince of Orange to the duchess of Parma, Antwerp, 4 September 1566 ¹

The prince of Orange who had left Antwerp on 18 August 1566, returned at the end of the month. He then concluded an agreement with the consistory of that town which assigned three meeting-places within the walls to the Calvinists.

Madame, all the time I have been in this town, I have been continually hindered from putting things straight. On my arrival I found everything in great disorder because those of the new religion who are so numerous in this town, had become so licentious and audacious, that they tried to subject everything to their will. Finally after several discussions and despatches from both sides, it was considered fitting to come to an agreement with them. I send a duplicate of this to Your Highness: you will see that I did not in any way wish to go beyond the points contained

1 L.P. Gachard ed., Correspondance de Guillaume le Taciturne, ii (Brussels, 1850) pp. 213ff.

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in the accord made with the confederate seigniors and nobles.² There are even several additional articles which aim to maintain and assure the religion, our ancient and Catholic faith, the service of the king, the protection and safety of the town as well as the justice and public order in it. On the other hand, Madame, the agreement allows those of the towns-people who belong to the new religion to have their services within the town. Before taking leave of Your Highness, I explained at length why it seemed to me more expedient to let them have their sermons within the town than outside. To remind Your Highness of my arguments I shall repeat them here.

Whenever such sermons take place 18 or 20,000 persons leave the town through various gates, to listen to them. In Flanders and elsewhere trade as well as industry stagnate, so that the country is full of vagabonds and idlers. These might easily mingle with the crowd under the pretext of listening to the sermons, join them (of this we have been warned and are still being warned) and then enter the town together and pillage it. In fact they have said themselves that this is their intention, because it is the richest and most opulent town of the whole country and the one where the most plunder is to be found. They will unite with the great multitude of workmen in this town, who cannot earn wages to sustain themselves, their wives and children because of the troubles and stagnation of trade. Although we do our utmost here, Madame, at the gates and elsewhere, to ensure that strangers do not enter in great numbers, such a lot of strangers of all sorts and conditions have all the same got in and are still inside under pretext of some trade business, that I am greatly puzzled how to get them outside so that the town may be at rest and in order. For these reasons it is easy to imagine how all these vagabonds and others may increase in number and enter with those who go outside to hear sermons. But thanks to the new agreement the latter need no longer go outside the town to attend sermons. I wanted to inform your Highness of all of this and I beg you to approve my action in making this agreement. Thanks to it all churches will be opened to celebrate mass in the usual way without any fear and this is the chief thing we should work for. Your Highness is now informed of the very great number of people belonging to the new religion in this town.

2 According to the agreement which the governess concluded with the delegates of the confederate nobles at the height of the image-breaking on 23 August public services would be tolerated at those places where they had been held up to that moment. On the other hand the nobles would help to uphold the law and dissolve the Compromise. The nobles were also promised impunity for their action.

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I most humbly kiss your hand, Madame, and ask God to keep your Highness in good health and to give you a very good and long life. From Antwerp, the fourth day of September 1566