him in every village alehouse of Hainault and Flanders. He called on the
states to ferret out these conspirators, and to inflict condign
punishment upon their more guilty chiefs; he required that the soldiers,
as well as the citizens, should be disarmed at Brussels and throughout
Brabant, and he justified his seizure of Namur, upon the general ground
that his life was no longer safe, except in a fortress.

In reply to the letter of the Governor, which was dated the 24th of July,
the states despatched Marolles, Archdeacon of Ypres, and the Seigneur de
Bresse, to Namur, with a special mission to enter into the whole subject
of these grievances. These gentlemen, professing the utmost devotion to
the cause of his Majesty's authority and the Catholic religion, expressed
doubts as to the existence of the supposed conspiracy. They demanded
that Don John should denounce the culprits, if any such were known, in
order that proper chastisement might be instantly inflicted. The
conversation which ensued was certainly unsatisfactory. The Governor
used lofty and somewhat threatening language, assuring Marolles that he
was at that moment in possession, not only of Namur but of Antwerp
citadel; and the deputies accordingly departed, having accomplished very
little by their journey. Their backs were scarcely turned, when Don
John, on his part, immediately appointed another commission, consisting
of Rassinghem and Grobbendonck, to travel from Namur to Brussels. These
envoys carried a long letter of grievances, enclosing a short list of
demands. The letter reiterated his complaints about conspiracies, and
his protestations of sincerity. It was full of censure upon the Prince
of Orange; stigmatized his intrigues to obtain possession of Amsterdam
without a proper "Satisfaction," and of Utrecht, to which he had no claim
at all. It maintained that the Hollanders and Zealanders were bent upon
utterly exterminating the Catholic religion, and that they avowed
publicly their intention to refuse obedience to the assembly-general,