Netherlands the sleepers,--pray Heaven they may escape the serpent's
bite." The Prince was well aware, therefore, of the plots which were
weaving against him. He had small faith in the great nobles, whom he
trusted "as he would adders fanged," and relied only upon the
communities, upon the mass of burghers. They deserved his confidence,
and watched over his safety with jealous care. On one occasion, when he
was engaged at the State Council till a late hour, the citizens conceived
so much alarm, that a large number of them spontaneously armed
themselves, and repaired to the palace. The Prince, informed of the
circumstance, threw open a window and addressed them, thanking them for
their friendship and assuring them of his safety. They were not
satisfied, however, to leave him alone, but remained under arms below
till the session was terminated, when they escorted him with affectionate
respect to his own hotel.

The secret envoy arrived in Vienna, and excited the ambition of the
youthful Matthias. It must be confessed that the offer could hardly be a
very tempting one, and it excites our surprise that the Archduke should
have thought the adventure worth the seeking. A most anomalous position
in the Netherlands was offered to him by a slender and irresponsible
faction of Netherlanders. There was a triple prospect before him: that
of a hopeless intrigue against the first politician in Europe, a mortal
combat with the most renowned conqueror of the age, a deadly feud with
the most powerful and revengeful monarch in the world. Into this
threefold enterprise he was about to plunge without any adequate
resources, for the Archduke possessed no experience, power, or wealth.
He brought, therefore, no strength to a cause which was itself feeble.
He could hope for no protection, nor inspire any confidence.
Nevertheless, he had courage, pliability, and a turn for political
adventure. Visions of the discomfited Philip conferring the hand of his