river. All trampled upon each other and impeded each other's movements.
There was a brief engagement, bloody, desperate, hand to hand, and many
Spaniards fell before the entrapped Netherlanders. But there could not
be a moment's doubt as to the issue. Count Philip went down in the
beginning of the action, shot through the body by an arquebus, discharged
so close to him that his clothes were set on fire. As there was no water
within reach the flames could be extinguished at last only by rolling him
over, and over, wounded as he was, among the sand and heather. Count
Ernest Solms was desperately wounded at the same time. For a moment both
gentlemen attempted to effect their escape by mounting on one horse, but
both fell to the ground exhausted and were taken prisoners. Ernest
Nassau was also captured. His young brother, Lewis Gunther, saved
himself by swimming the river. Count Kinski was mortally wounded.
Robert Vere, too, fell into the enemy's hands, and was afterwards
murdered in cold blood. Marcellus Bax, who had returned to the field by
a circuitous path, still under the delusion that he was about handsomely
to cut off the retreat of the foraging companies, saved himself and a
handful of cavalry by a rapid flight, so soon as he discovered the enemy
drawn up in line of battle. Cutler and Parker were equally fortunate.
There was less than a hundred of the States' troops killed, and it is
probable that a larger number of the Spaniards fell. But the loss of
Philip Nassau, despite the debauched life and somewhat reckless valour.
of that soldier, was a very severe one to the army and to his family.
He was conveyed to Rheinberg, where his wounds were dressed. As he lay
dying he was courteously visited by Mondragon, and by many other Spanish
officers, anxious to pay their respects to so distinguished and warlike a
member of an illustrious house. He received them with dignity, and
concealed his physical agony so as to respond to their conversation as
became a Nassau. His cousin, Frederic van den Berg, who was among the
visitors, indecently taunted him with his position; asking him what he