Texts concerning the Revolt of the Netherlands

[p. 89]

13 Direction for the deliverance of the Netherlands from the Spaniards. To William of Nassau, prince of Orange, 1571 ¹

Henry Geldorp (1522-85), the author of this rare pamphlet, written in rather complicated Latin, had been headmaster of schools at Sneek, Leeuwarden and Delft, but as an evangelical he emigrated in 1558 and became headmaster at Duisburg. The manuscript of this booklet was submitted to the prince of Orange through the intermediary of Wesenbeke in April 1571, but was not printed until October 1574. See R. Fruin, Verspreide Geschriften, ii (The Hague, 1900), pp. 170ff.

Away with this caution and the paralysing hesitations which impede and even kill the bravery, heedless of danger, that is needed now. The gods help the brave, and people who trust them only if (to put it that way) they guarantee success in a duly signed contract, annoy, offend and estrange them. Our affair itself bids fair to succeed, because it is in accordance with the divine will, proceeds from the Word of Almighty God and is approved of by everyone for its justice, reasonableness and devotion except by people who, having once offended the gods, religion, heaven and hell, have been ruled ever after by pernicious stubbornness and execrable blasphemy. Not every hesitation signifies caution; often it is mere cowardice; and not every gentleness is a virtue, for often it represents a willingness to tolerate faults, and a refusal to inflict upon the godless the extreme punishment they deserve. Unless we desire to be moles, we should realise that the approbation of the Christian nations, who though not involved applaud us and abhor the tyrant, as well as the support we find in this country, the tyrant's indolence, the small number of mercenaries² and the fact that the whole fatherland is embittered by the execrable torments we suffer because of the blood lust and immorality of the enemy, by requisitioning and pillage, incite us to take revenge and clearly show us that we should not faintheartedly delay to seek the help God is willing to render us. As He exposes the enemy to us so defenceless

1 Belgicae liberandae ab Hispanis Hypodeixis, ad P.P.D. Gulielmum Nassavium, principem Aurantium (Knuttel, no. 189).

2 Alva had about 20,000 soldiers at his disposal in the Netherlands.

[p. 90]

that his soldiers are like dirty rag-tag dragging on, why indeed do we tremble as though he were armoured with the whole of Lemnos?³

He who has always lifted up the pious and struck down the godless, calls us to put our faith in His armour. Why then do we despair if all the stables of the Poles and all the arsenals of the Germans are not put to our use? We are asked by various towns to give them the little support they need to make it possible for them to take our side and to help them afterwards against possible sudden assaults prepared by those among their population who leave the towns because of this. But why do we then waste our energy with philosophising about such pompous matters as camps, provisions, baggage and war equipment? We are invited by friends to come and help them. But why do we then represent them as Anak's children,⁴ as the Jews once represented their enemies after forty years' wandering, when their hope of ever reaching their ancestors' dwelling-places had died away? He who is anxious and ponders too much, will never perform great feats; what the gods propose, should not be debated but taken in hand. Through hesitation the opportunity slips through one's fingers. Those for whom God's voice is as the trumpet of war, should fight, not deliberate. But where will be our operational base, you say, where shall we encamp, where shall we arrest the enemy, from where will our armies march out, whither shall we retreat, who will open the gates for us, who will take us in? Either those very people, I tell you, who could not open the town gates for you two years ago, because your army did not pass through their area,⁵ or those who could have done so but preferred a form of slavery which left them some freedom to the total freedom that they thought too dangerous to seek, hoping that the tyrant would not repress them further. Now at last they have learned that their possessions, their homes, their lives are at stake, now they are being severely punished for their haughtiness towards you, now they honour you as their redeemer and invoke your help. They have atoned for their negligence with so much suffering. And if these wrongs had not been inflicted upon them by our enemy, that cruel monster, their unjust opinion of your cause would never have been obliterated and it would not have been transformed by the fatal disasters they have endured since they refused your help, into the greatest benevolence towards you and an

3 The island of Lemnos was reputed to be one of the abodes of the Greek god Vulcan.

4 Giants, Book of Numbers ch. 13:33.

5 In October 1568 the prince of Orange had undertaken his expedition across the Maas to Brabant.

[p. 91]

irrevocable hatred for the tyrant. Why then is it necessary to waste time by asking the towns to surrender to your troops? This is dangerous for those who take your side, because they cannot approach people either individually or collectively without often betraying themselves and are therefore forced to waste much time in waiting for good opportunities to advocate your cause. No, another policy should rather be followed, a policy by which surrender is safely effected by those who have been raised from despair or struck down by terror. What is the use of devious ways, when a short road lies in view?...

Do not think the present writer is just another heretic who has left his hiding-place to approach you with his advice, one of those heretics who loudly proclaim that the clattering of arms does not accord with the Gospel (justifying in this way both their greed and their cowardice), but send their people unarmed into the battle. No, such is not the advice put forward here. You may safely conclude treaties and call in the aid of your relations but God's help should come first for God will never tolerate the glory due to Him for overthrowing that tyranny being taken from Him. You should put into the field as little cavalry as possible, for it is expensive and unsuitable for a long campaign...You should choose your main military base in Holland. There you must take a place whence you can interrupt the traffic between Friesland, Overijssel and Amsterdam but protect the ships sailing from the Rhine to the Ocean through the mouths of the IJssel and the Zuyder Zee.⁶ No war is necessary to disconnect these areas which are dependent on each other for their daily needs. And it will be easy enough to take a few badly defended towns on the coast of Guelders, and Holland. These will serve as refuges and markets for your men-of-war,⁷ so that they need not look for harbours abroad where the inhabitants, not so much out of bad faith but because of the tyrant's terror or something else, might either upset our plans entirely or at any rate make them uncertain and thwart them. When you have a secure hold on these places the tyrant will no longer be able to make contact with his adherents, separated as they will be from each other by many rivers and water courses. Moreover, it will not be long before the adherents of the enemy will have enough of the dearth and the wrongs inflicted upon them.

And then, whilst one town after another will take your side, you will be

6 The author may have had in mind a town like Enkhuizen on the Zuyder Zee, which figured prominently in the plans in 1568 as well as in 1570 and 1572.

7 The fleet of the Sea Beggars, which had been formed on the authority of the prince and which used to find shelter particularly in English harbours.

[p. 92]

able to make the German merchants and other inhabitants of the Ocean coast come to your new staple-towns to congratulate you. After organising your state, your happiness, your religion and your trade will perhaps inspire Brabant and Flanders and give them too the courage to choose liberty. If, however, they keep their eyes closed and stubbornly continue their way to destruction, you can (living in wealth yourselves) leisurely make war on the inhabitants of the other provinces whenever you want; or, if that is not the method you choose, you may harass them mercilessly even for ten years (as the Greeks did with Troy) by cutting them off from all trade and keeping them totally isolated and deprived of everything. It is true that such a strategy has fallen into oblivion after the difficulties which arose in France. But now peace is restored there⁸ and only one enemy is left. This makes it possible to adopt again the opinion of those who, when your troops invaded Brabant,⁹ thought that if the chances were against wiping out the enemy in one or two battles, one should look for an operational base from where one could, gradually gaining in strength, with a few expenses and as little risk as possible, try to exhaust the enemy slowly and skilfully, since one single fast attack would certainly not get him down. To make those who promised to support your sacred attempts wholeheartedly, firmly believe that you shall achieve all this under a lucky star, you must first assemble your scattered and often disunited fleet in an orderly organisation and put it under military discipline.¹⁰ The leaders of the fleet should then efface the blemish of their many ignominious deeds by acting from now on with wisdom, justice, authority and severity. When their reputation is cleared they must without any delay come to the support of the towns most important to us and further their prosperity and freedom in such a way that it is clear to every one that, although till now the towns which chose our side indeed fared badly, the situation has now changed completely. And if this does not happen, father of the fatherland,¹¹ the Netherlands will fall into utter despair... This tyranny can only be destroyed by your bravery and trust in God. May God, the eternal revenger of all tyrants, grant to you and to all the oppressed the courage and insight to opt for the only correct strategy. Amen. 17 April 1571.

Yours most affectionately, N.N.

8 The peace of St Germain of August 1570 with the Huguenots.

9 See note 5.

10 See note 7.

11 This is the first time the prince of Orange is called ‘father of the fatherland’.