Page:History of England (Froude) Vol 10.djvu/358

 33* REIGN OF ELIZAB^. TH. [en. 60. again. Out of the seventeen States only two were pro- longing the revolt. For the sake of Holland and Zea- land, the great commercial cities of Flanders and Bra- bant had to submit to a prolonged military occupation, to see their laws suspended, their trade ruined, and their industry paralyzed by taxation. Broken-hearted by his last misfortune, and utterly dispirited, the Prince now felt that the end was probably near, and that no- thing would be soon left to him but to follow Count Louis to the grave. ' Our people/ he wrote to his one remaining brother, Count John, 'have lost all heart, and if the enemy invade us he will find slight resistance. Our destruction will be the destruction of the religion throughout the world. The turn of the Germans will come, and the turn of the English also, who, in imagined prudence, have temporized and waited upon events. 1 If you can think of anything, do it. I am myself so over- whelmed with business, and so stupified with sorrow, that I am equal to little more. I undertook to hold these States for two years, single-handed, against all the force which Spain could bring against us. Those years are expired, and if we are to stand longer we must have assistance. If it cannot be, and if we must needs perish, in the name of Grod be it so. They cannot take from us the honour of having done what so small a handful of men never did before. We have held this 1 ' Les Allemans se pourront avec le temps bien appercevoir le doraage, comrae aussy feront les Angloys, qui s'attendans aux evenements et issuz de noz affaires ont, comme ils esti- moient par grande prudence humaine, tousjours voulu temporiser.'