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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS
From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce—1609
By John Lothrop Motley
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 81
History of the United Netherlands, 1608(a)
Movements of the Emperor Rudolph—Marquis Spinola's reception at the Hague—Meeting of Spinola and Prince Maurice—Treaty of the Republic with the French Government—The Spanish commissioners before the States-General—Beginning of negotiations—Stormy discussions—Real object of Spain in the negotiations—Question of the India trade— Abandonment of the peace project—Negotiations for a truce— Prolongation of the armistice—Further delays—Treaty of the States with England—Proposals of the Spanish ambassadors to Henry of France and to James of England—Friar Neyen at the court of Spain— Spanish procrastination—Decision of Philip on the conditions of peace—Further conference at the Hague—Answer of the States-General to the proposals of the Spanish Government—General rupture.
Towards the close of the year 1607 a very feeble demonstration was madein the direction of the Dutch republic by the very feeble Emperor ofGermany. Rudolph, awaking as it might be from a trance, or descendingfor a moment from his star-gazing tower and his astrological pursuits toobserve the movements of political spheres, suddenly discovered that theNetherlands were no longer revolving in their preordained orbit. Thoseprovinces had been supposed to form part of one great system, derivinglight and heat from the central imperial sun. It was time therefore toput an end to these perturbations. The emperor accordingly, as if he hadnot enough on his hands at that precise moment with the Hungarians,Transylvanians, Bohemian protestants, his brother Matthias and the GrandTurk, addressed a letter to the States of Holland, Zeeland, and theprovinces confederated with them.
Reminding them of the care ever taken by himself and his father to hearall their petitions, and to obtain for them a good peace, he observedthat he had just heard of their contemplated negotiations with KingPhilip and Archduke Albert, and of their desire to be declared freestates and peoples. He was amazed, he said, that they should not havegiven him notice of so important an affair, inasmuch as all the UnitedProvinces belonged to and were fiefs of the holy Roman Empire. They werewarned, therefore, to undertake nothing that might be opposed to thefeudal law except with his full knowledge. This letter was dated the 9thof October. The States took time to deliberate, and returned no answeruntil after the new year.
On the 2nd of January, 1608, they informed the emperor that they couldnever have guessed of his requiring notification as to the approachingconferences. They had not imagined that the archduke would keep them asecret from his brother, or the king from his uncle-cousin. Otherwise,the States would have sent due notice to his Majesty. They wellremembered, they said, the appeals made by the provinces to the emperorfrom time to time, at the imperial diets, for help against the tyranny ofthe Spaniards. They well remembered, too, that no help was ever giventhem in response to those appeals. They had not forgotten eithe