Landgrave of Hesse. This boon Philip was graciously pleased to promise,
--and to keep the pledge as sacredly as most of the vows plighted by him
during this memorable year. The Duke of Aerschot met him in Germany with
a regiment of cavalry and escorted him to Brussels. A summer was spent
in great festivities, the cities of the Nether lands vieing with each
other in magnificent celebrations of the ceremonies, by which Philip
successively swore allegiance to the various constitutions and charters
of the provinces, and received their oaths of future fealty in return.
His oath to support all the constitutions and privileges was without
reservation, while his father and grandfather had only sworn to maintain
the charters granted or confirmed by Philip and Charles of Burgundy.
Suspicion was disarmed by these indiscriminate concessions, which had
been resolved upon by the unscrupulous Charles to conciliate the good
will of the people. In view of the pretensions which might be preferred
by the Brederode family in Holland, and by other descendants of ancient
sovereign races in other provinces, the Emperor, wishing to ensure the
succession to his sisters in case of the deaths of himself, Philip, and
Don Carlos without issue, was unsparing in those promises which he knew
to be binding only upon the weak. Although the house of Burgundy had
usurped many of the provinces on the express pretext that females could
not inherit, the rule had been already violated, and he determined to
spare no pains to conciliate the estates, in order that they might be
content with a new violation, should the contingency occur. Philip's
oaths were therefore without reserve, and the light-hearted Flemings,
Brabantines, and Walloons received him with open arms. In Valenciennes
the festivities which attended his entrance were on a most gorgeous
scale, but the "joyous entrance" arranged for him at Antwerp was of
unparalleled magnificence. A cavalcade of the magistrates and notable
burghers, "all attired in cramoisy velvet," attended by lackies in
splendid liveries and followed by four thousand citizen soldiers in full