quoth she, "of your good wills; but to make answer to your request, I cannot, so suddenly; for I was set among my maidens, at work, thinking full little of any such matter, wherein there needeth a longer deliberation, and a better head than mine, to make answer to so noble, wise men as ye be; I had need of good counsel in this case, which toucheth me so near; and for any counsel or friendship that I find in England, [they] are nothing to my purpose or profit. Think you, I pray you, my lords, will any Englishmen counsel or be friendly unto me, against the King's pleasure, they being his subjects? Nay, forsooth, my lords! and for my counsel, in whom I do intend to put my trust, be not here; they be in Spain, in my native country. Alas! my lords! I am a poor woman, lacking both wit and understanding, sufficiently to answer such approved wise men, as ye be, both, in so weighty a matter. I pray you, to extend your good and indifferent minds in your authority unto me, for I am a simple woman, destitute and barren of friendship and counsel, here, in a foreign region; and as for your counsel, I will not refuse, but be glad, to hear."

And with that, she took my lord by the hand, and led him into her privy chamber, with the other cardinal; where they were in long communication. We, in the other chamber, might sometime hear the Queen speak, very loud, but what it was, we could not understand. The communication ended, the cardinals departed, and went directly to the King, making to him relation of their talk with the Queen; and, after, resorted to their own houses, to supper.

Thus went this strange case forward, from court-day to court-day, until it came to the judgement; so that every man expected the judgement to be given upon the next court-day. At which day, the King came thither, and sat within a gallery, against the door of the same, that looked unto the judges where they sat, whom he might both see and hear speak, to hear what judgement they would give in his suit; at which time, all their proceedings were first openly read, in Latin. And that done, the King's learned counsel, at the bar, called fast for judgement

With that, quoth Cardinal Campeggio,* "I will give no judgement herein, until I have made relation unto the Pope, of all our proceedings, whose counsel and com mandment in this high case I will observe. The case is too high and notable, known throughout the world, for us to give any hasty judgement, considering the highness of the persons and the doubtful allegations and also, whose commissioners we be, under whose authority we sit here. It were, therefore, reason, that we should make our chief head [of] counsel in the same, before we proceed to judgement definitive. I come not so far, to please any man, for fear, need, or favor, be he king, or any other potentate. I have no such respect to the persons, that I will offend my conscience. I will not, for favor or displeasure of any high estate or mighty prince, do that thing that should be against the law of God. I am an old man, both sick and impotent, looking, daily, for death. What should it then avail me to put my soul in the danger of God's displeasure, to my utter condemnation, for the favor of any prince or high estate in this world? My coming and being here is only to see justice ministered, according to my conscience, as I thought thereby the matter either good or bad. And, forasmuch as I do understand, and having perceivance by the allegations and negations in this matter, laid for both the parties, that the truth, in this case, is very doubtful to be known, and also, that the party defendant will make no answer thereunto, [but] doth rather appeal from us, supposing that we be not indifferent, considering the King's high dignity and authority, within this his own realm, which he hath over his own subjects; and we being his subjects, and having our livings and dignities in the same, she thinketh that we cannot minister true and indifferent justice, for fear of his displeasure. Therefore, to avoid all these ambiguities and obscure doubts, I intend not to condemn my soul,

This determination of Campeggio was in consequence of secret instructions from the Pope, (unknown to Wolsey,) at the instance of the Emperor, [Charles V.,] who had prevailed upon the Pontiff to adjourn the court, and remove the cause to Rome.-Note of the English Editor.

for no prince or potentate alive. I will, therefore, God willing, wade no further, in this matter, unless I have the just opinion and judgement, with the assent, of the Pope, and such other of his counsel as hath more experience and learning in such doubtful laws, than I have. Wherefore, I will adjourn this court, for this time, according to the order of the court in Rome, whence this court and jurisdiction is derived. And if we should go further, than our commission doth warrant us, it were folly and vain, and much to our slander and blame; and [we] might be accounted, for the same, breakers of the order of the higher court, whence we have (as I said) our original authorities." With that, the court was dissolved, and no more pleas holden.

THE SIEGES OF LEYDEN AND OSTEND, IN THE WAR OF THE NETHERLANDS, FOR INDEPENDENCE.

BY BENTIVOGLIO.

GUY BENTIVOGLIO, descended from an ancient and distinguished noble family, in Italy, was born at Ferrara, in the year 1579. He died in 1644, while present, as cardinal, in the conclave which had assembled after the death of Pope Urban the Eighth. Bentivoglio occupied many high stations in the Papal government. In 1607, he was sent by Pope Paul the Fifth to Flanders, as Papal nuncio. Here, he remained nine years; after which, he went, in the same capacity, to France. He left many works, among which, are Cardinal Bentivoglio's Relations of Events during his Embassies to Flanders and France.' His accounts of the war in the Netherlands were translated and published under the title of 'History of the Wars in Flanders, Englished by Henry, Earl of Monmouth, 1698." From this translation the following extracts are taken, with some modifications, adapting it to the class of readers for whom this Volume is intended. The war for independence, waged by the Netherlands against the crown of Spain, admits of being considered in various points of view. may consider it with reference to the almost unparallelled heroism of the people, during a fearfully cruel and san guinary war, protracted through a long series of years; or to the remarkable character of their great general, statesman, citizen, and martyr, William of Orange, surnamed the Silent. We may consider the war with relation to its cause and object, religion and liberty; or to its effects, and those of its final issue, upon the politics of Britain, and, more or less directly, upon those of all European nations and their descendants in other parts of the world. We may view it with reference to the great political principles which were, for the first time, boldly proclaimed, when that nation struggled into an independent existence; or to the great effect which its independence had upon the whole history of commerce, and upon many principles radically affecting the great exchange of produce among the various nations

We

of the world. In whatever light, however, we regard it, this event must certainly be called one of the most prominent in the history of man.

Very many instances of heroic fortitude, not only in men, but even in women, were exhibited in the course of that long war. But nowhere, probably, were more striking examples of this virtue shown, than in the almost superhuman endurance of the citizens, when besieged by the Spaniards. Even indifferent soldiers will do their duty, sufficiently well, so long as the army is victorious; but retreats and sieges are the touchstones of sound warriors. If this is an acknowledged truth, with regard to regular, tried, and well-disciplined troops, it is still more so, in the case of citizens who have suddenly become soldiers. Gallant bands of citizens, who would have died, nobly, in open battle, will, nevertheless, often falter, when hunger and disease beset them on all sides, in a besieged fortress, when near and dear relations drop off, one by one, around them, and no hope is visible, even in the furthest horizon. Yet, in all these trials, the Netherlanders remained firm.

From the series of sieges, which took place during this war, those of Leyden and Ostend have been selected. Numerous incidents might have been added to the narrative of Bentivoglio, who, the reader will perceive, had no interest in representing the courage of the Protestants in a favorable light. Accounts of many such incidents are to be found in Campen's History of the Netherlands; but the plan of the present work did not admit of their insertion.

The intervening passages, and the notes, are taken from the work, already quoted: 'Historical Parallels,' London, 1831.

SIEGE OF LEYDEN.*

"Now followed the Siege of Leyden, which was particularly memorable for the condition of the succor, which so altered the order of affairs, that the besiegers became besieged; and, whatever unhappy success the assailed expected, the assailant made trial of the very same. Leyden is one of the chief towns of Holland; it is seated low, in the midst, it may be said, of a labyrinth of channels, which cut through the territories thereof, on all sides, and are filled, part with running, and part with standing,

*The siege of Leyden took place in the year, 1574.