Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/123

 THE DUKE OF NORFOLK. loj in the Great Square at Brussels, as Conqueror of the Netherlands, and now the Netherlands were not con- quered ; the great marts of industry were nests of maddened hornets ; and the dreaded French were in a fortified town a few leagues distant from the capital. Disasters came thick on one another. Medina Celi sailed into the Scheldt, with some thousands of fresh troops, and chests of bullion to pay them. Dreaming of no danger, he passed under the guns of Flushing, and lost half his fleet and all his money. A thousand Spanish soldiers were taken, and half a million crowns in gold and jewels. Alva well knew the meaning of these symptoms. Unless he could divide France and England, or bring about a Catholic revolution in one or both of those countries, in a few months the armed hand of the united Protestantism of the world would be upon him, and crush him into dust. The Catholics of England had failed him, and he had no leisure now for Scotch experiments ; would the French Catholics succeed better ? ' He tore his beard for despite/ and to one who saw and spoke with him, ' he seemed to despair that things would any more succeed as they had done/ But Alva knew better than to sit down in despondency. Walcheren was not lost, for Middleburgh held out, and was safe for the summer. Leaving the revolted June, towns to enjoy their freedom, he concentrated his force at Ghent, Brussels, and Antwerp. A change of government at such a time was not to be thought of. Medina Celi, by his own act, suspended his commission. Mons was chosen for the first point to be attacked ;