The Governor addressed a long, private, and most bitter letter to the
Emperor, for the purpose of setting himself right in the opinion of that
potentate, and of giving him certain hints as to what was expected of the
imperial court by Philip and himself. He expressed confidence that the
imperial commissioners would have some effect in bringing about the
pacification of the Netherlands, and protested his own strong desire for
such a result, provided always that the two great points of the Catholic
religion and his Majesty's authority were preserved intact. "In the hope
that those articles would be maintained," said he, "I have emptied cities
and important places of their garrisons, when I might easily have kept
the soldiers, and with the soldiers the places, against all the world,
instead of consigning them to the care of men who at this hour have arms
in their hand against their natural prince." He declared vehemently that
in all his conduct, since his arrival in the provinces, he had been
governed exclusively by the interests of Philip, an object which he
should steadily pursue to the end. He urged, too, that the Emperor,
being of the same house as Philip, and therefore more obliged than all
others to sustain his quarrel, would do well to espouse his cause with
all the warmth possible. "The forgetfulness by vassals," said Don John,
"of the obedience due to their sovereign is so dangerous, that all princes
and potentates, even those at the moment exempt from trouble; should
assist in preparing the remedy, in order that their subjects also may not
take it into their heads to do the like, liberty being a contagious
disease, which goes on infecting one neighbour after another, if the cure
be not promptly applied." It was, he averred, a desperate state of
things for monarchs, when subjects having obtained such concessions as
the Netherlanders had obtained, nevertheless loved him and obeyed him so
little. They showed, but too clearly, that the causes alleged by them
had been but pretexts, in order to effect designs, long ago conceived,
to overthrow the ancient constitution of the country, and to live