The warm sun of a bright spring day, in the year of grace 1574, shone
down on the beautiful city of Leyden, on its spacious squares and
streets and its elegant mansions, its imposing churches, and on the
smooth canals which meandered among them, fed by the waters of the
sluggish Rhine. The busy citizens were engaged in their various
occupations, active and industrious as ever; barges and boats lay at the
quays loading or unloading, some having come from Rotterdam, Delft,
Amsterdam, and other places on the Zuyder Zee, with which her watery
roads gave her easy communication. The streets were thronged with
citizens of all ranks, some in gay, most in sombre attire, moving
hurriedly along, bent rather on business than on pleasure, while
scattered here and there were a few soldiers--freebooters as they were
called, though steady and reliable--and men of the Burgher Guard,
forming part of the garrison of the town. Conspicuous among them might
have been seen their dignified and brave burgomaster, Adrian Van der
Werf, as he walked with stately pace, his daughter Jaqueline,
appropriately called the Lily of Leyden, leaning on his arm. She was
fair and graceful as the flower from which she derived her name, her
features chiselled in the most delicate mould, her countenance
intelligent and animated, though at present graver than usual. After
leaving their house in the Broedestrat, the principal street of Leyden,
they proceeded towards an elevation in the centre of the city, on the
summit of which rose the ancient tower of Hengist, generally so called
from the belief that the Anglo-Saxon conquerors of Britain crossed over
from Holland. Mynheer Van der Werf and Jaqueline reaching the foot of
the mound, slowly ascended by a flight of winding steps, till they
gained the battlements on the top of the ancient tower, the highest spot
for many miles around. Here they stood for some minutes gazing over the
level country, of which they commanded a perfect panoramic view. Below
them lay the city, surrounded by a moat of considerable width and stout
walls, which had already been proved capable of resisting the attack of
foes eager to gain an entrance. Here and there bridges led over the
moat, protected by forts of no mean strength. In all directions were
silvery threads glittering in the sun, marking the course of the canals
which led to Haarlem and Amsterdam on the north, and Delft, Rotterdam,
Gouda, and many other towns on the banks of the Yessel and the Meuse on
the south, while occasionally wide shining expanses showed the existence
of meers or lakes of more or less extent, while westward the blue ocean
could be seen, and to the south-west Gravenhague, or The Hague, as the
place is more generally called. On every side were smiling villages,
blooming gardens, corn-fields, and orchards, betokening the industry and
consequent prosperity of the inhabitants. The city at this time bore
but few traces of the protracted siege it had endured for a whole year,
and which had been raised only three months before, when the Spanish
force under Valdez, a lieutenant of the ferocious Alva, had been
summoned to the frontier, in consequence of the rumoured approach of a
patriot army under Prince Louis of Nassau.
At the period when our story commences, the heroic Prince William of
Orange, loyally aided by his brothers, Louis, Henry, and John, and by
other noble patriots, had struggled for seven long years to emancipate
Holland from the cruel yoke imposed upon her by the bigot Philip of
Spain and the sanguinary Duke of Alva. Their success had been varied;
though frequently defeated, they had again rallied to carry on the
desperate struggle. Several of their most flourishing cities had been
besieged by the hated foe, some had fallen, and the inhabitants had been
mercilessly slaughtered; others had successfully resisted, and the
Spaniards had been compelled to retire from their walls. Count Louis
had been defeated in a campaign in Friesland, but had escaped into
Germany, where he had lost no time in endeavouring to raise another
army. The Prince of Orange himself was then in possession of Rotterdam,
Delft, and the intermediate country. Between those two cities was the
important fortress of Polderwaert, which secured him in the control of
the quadrangle watered on two sides by the Yessel and Maas or Meuse.
The Spaniards meantime occupied the coast from the Hague to Vlaardingen,
on the bank of the Maas. It should be understood that the country
extending northward from the rivers which have been mentioned towards
Leyden was generally level, and considerably lower than the ocean, which
was kept out by enormous banks or dykes, and that it had been, by the
industry of the inhabitants, brought under a perfect state of
cultivation. There were certain spots, however, raised slightly above
the surrounding flat, on all of which villages had been built. Enormous
sluices existed at Rotterdam, Schiedam, and other places, by which the
supply of water in the canals could be regulated; over these, as well as
the dykes along the banks of the river, the Prince of Orange held
perfect control. Besides the small force which enabled him to hold
Rotterdam and Delft, he possessed a fleet of broad, flat-bottomed
vessels, well suited for the navigation of the shallow waters of
Zealand, where, under the brave and able Admiral Boisot, they were able
to bid defiance to the ships sent against them by the Spaniards. Their
crews consisted of those hardy sons of the ocean who, under the name of
"The Beggars of the Sea," had already rendered such good service in the
cause of Freedom by the capture of Brill, the first place in Holland
where the Prince of Orange was proclaimed Stadtholder, and in many other
enterprises, when, according to their rule, no quarter was given to
their hated foe. Besides Rotterdam, Delft, and Leyden, many other towns
in various parts of Holland were garrisoned by the partisans of the
Prince of Orange, and had either, with some exceptions, not been
attacked by the Spaniards, or had successfully resisted the forces sent
against them. Two, unhappily, had fallen; the fearful cruelties to
which their inhabitants had been subjected by their conquerors showed
the others what they must expect should they be unable to hold out. Of
these, in Naarden, a small city on the coast of the Zuyder Zee, scarcely
a man had been left alive, the whole population having been given over
to indiscriminate slaughter. Haarlem, after an heroic defence of seven
months, had been compelled to capitulate, when, notwithstanding the
promises of Don Frederic, Alva's son, a large number of the principal
citizens, as well as others of all ranks, and every man who had borne
arms, were cruelly put to death, the survivors being treated with the
greatest cruelty. The mind shrinks from contemplating such horrors, and
the Hollanders might well desire to emancipate themselves from the rule
of a sovereign capable of allowing them.
The burgomaster and his daughter had stood for some minutes without
speaking, their eyes gazing down on the smiling landscape which has been
described, yet the minds of neither of them had been engaged in admiring
its beauties.
"Would that I had been more determined in endeavouring to induce our
citizens to level those forts and redoubts left by the Spaniards, and
had also taken steps to re-victual the city and to strengthen our
garrison. I have just received a letter from our noble Stadtholder,
urging me to see to these matters, and I must do so without delay." The
burgomaster, as he spoke, pointed to several redoubts and forts which in
different directions had been thrown up by the Spaniards during their
former investment of the place. To the south-east and east were two of
especial strength--Zoeterwoude and Lammen, the first about 500 yards
from the walls, the latter not more than half that distance. From these
forts a bank or causeway ran westward towards the Hague.
"I ought to have exerted all the influence I possessed to get the task
accomplished," continued the burgomaster. "By God's merciful providence
we were before preserved, but He helps those who, trusting to Him,
labour as He would have them. The Spaniards may not return, but it is
our duty to be prepared for them, though I trust that we shall soon hear
of a glorious victory gained over them by the noble Count Louis."
"Heaven defend him and his brave troops," murmured Jaqueline; and she
thought of one who had accompanied the Count to the field and who had
from his earliest days engaged in the desperate struggle both at sea and
on shore. Again the burgomaster was silent, and Jaqueline's thoughts
wandered far away to the army of Count Louis. The chief magistrate had
come up, as was his wont, to consider the measures which it might be
necessary to take for the benefit of the city over which he presided.
Here, under ordinary circumstances, he was not likely to be interrupted
by visitors. Jaqueline's thoughts were recalled to the present moment
by hearing a light footstep ascending the stairs of the tower. A young
boy appeared, whose dress showed that he belonged to the upper orders,
his countenance animated and intelligent. "Why, Albert Van der Does,
what has brought you here in so great a hurry?" asked Jaqueline, as she
cast a glance at the boy's handsome face glowing with the exertion he
had made.
"I had gone to your house, and finding that you had come up here, I
thought you would give me leave to follow you," he answered.
"You have taken the leave, at all events," she said, smiling; "but what
object had you in coming here this morning?"
"A very important one; I want you to accept the remainder of my pigeons;
those I before gave you have become so tame and look so happy that I am
unwilling to deprive the others of the privilege of belonging to you."
"Is it only affection for your feathered friends that induces you to
make me the offer?" she asked, archly.
"I confess that I have another reason," he answered. "I shall no longer
have time to attend to my pets; I heard my father say that we shall soon
be engaged in more stirring work than we have had since the Spaniards
marched to the eastward. As soon as Count Louis forms a junction with
the Prince, every person capable of bearing arms should be prepared to
engage in the struggle, and I want, therefore, to practice the use of
weapons and to learn to be a soldier."
"You will make a brave one, I am sure," said Jaqueline.
"And will you accept my birds?" asked Albert.
"I cannot refuse what you so freely offer, though, if you repent, you
shall have them again," said Jaqueline.
"Then may I bring them to you this evening?" asked Albert.
"Thank you, Albert; we are always glad to see you; and if you bring your
pigeons, I promise to train and pet them as I have those you before gave
me," she answered.
"Then I will come this very evening, with your cousin Berthold, whom I
left at his books in my father's study. Fond as he is of his books, he
says that he must lay them aside to learn the use of arms with me; for
as soon as Count Louis appears, we intend to go out and join him. We
have but a short time to prepare, as, before many days are over, the
Count and his army will have fought their way to Delft, and we must
commence the work of driving the Spaniards out of our country or into
the rivers and meers, where they have sent so many of our brave
Hollanders."
Jaqueline smiled approvingly, admiring, as she did, the enthusiasm of
the gallant boy, so consonant with her own feelings.
"I am much obliged to you for your readiness to accept my birds, and now
I must deliver a message I have brought from my father to the
burgomaster. My father desires to see him about the fortifications, and
as he bade me say that the matter is of importance, I ought to have
given it first."
The burgomaster had been so pre-occupied with his own thoughts that he
had not observed young Albert Van der Does, and now started as the boy
addressed him with that deference due to his age and rank.
"Tell your father that I will at once visit him. Although a man of
letters and devoted to study, I know that he possesses, among his other
talents, a military genius, which makes me value his opinion; say also
that it is the very subject which has been occupying my thoughts."
"My father is more out of spirits than I have ever seen him," said
Albert. "It is owing to a letter he lately received from a friend at
Utrecht, detailing an extraordinary circumstance which occurred in that
city some time ago. It is said that five soldiers of the Burgher Guard
were on their midnight watch, when, the rest of the sky being as dark as
pitch, they observed, directly over their heads, a clear space, equal in
extent to the length of the city, and of several yards in width.
Suddenly two armies, in battle array were seen advancing upon each
other; one moved rapidly up from the north-west, with banners waving,
spears flashing, trumpets sounding, accompanied by heavy artillery and
squadrons of cavalry; the other came slowly from the south-east. They
at length met and joined in a desperate conflict for a few moments; the
shouts of the combatants, the heavy discharge of cannon, the rattle of
musketry, the tramp of foot soldiers, the rush of cavalry, were
distinctly heard. The very firmament trembled with the shock of the
contending hosts, and was lurid with the fire of their artillery. Then
the north-western army was beaten back in disorder, but, rallying again,
formed into solid column, and once more advanced towards the
south-eastern army, which was formed into a closely-serried square, with
spears and muskets. Once more the fight raged, and the sounds were
heard as distinctly as before; the struggle was but short, the lances of
the south-eastern army snapped like hemp-sticks, and their firm columns
went down together in mass beneath the onset of their foes. The
overthrow was complete. Scarcely had the victors and vanquished
vanished, than the clear blue space where they had stood appeared
suddenly streaked with broad crimson streams flowing athwart the sky.
The five soldiers reported the next day what they had witnessed to the
magistrates of Utrecht, who examined them separately, and each swore to
what he had seen. My father said that he should not have been inclined
to believe the account had not the evidence been so strong in favour of
its truth."
"This is strange," observed the burgomaster. "Your father will
assuredly show me the letter, and I shall then the better be able to
judge how far I can give the account credence. We know that strange
portents have appeared in the sky before great events, at the same time
these men of the Burgher Guard may have allowed their imaginations to
run riot. They knew that a battle was likely ere long to take place
should the Spaniards attempt to impede the march of Count Louis, and
some passing clouds may have appeared to them to represent the scene
they have described. Grant that they beheld something extraordinary,
yet they may have been mistaken, and the south-eastern army--for from
that direction the Count must be advancing--may prove victorious."
"My father would fain hope as you do, Mynheer Van der Werf, but his
friend, one of the magistrates of Utrecht, fully believes in the
apparition, and has imbued him with his own desponding spirit."
"Bear to him my regards, and beg him to cheer up," said the burgomaster.
"He must not allow his brave spirit to be agitated by a tale which may
after all have originated in the heated imaginations of a few ignorant
men. Had the whole city witnessed the spectacle it might have been
different."
While the burgomaster and Jaqueline were looking out from the summit of
Hengist's tower, two gentlemen approached it from opposite directions;
the one was of good figure, handsomely dressed in silken doublet and
cloak, with a feather in his cap, and a rapier, apparently more for
ornament than use, by his side. He walked with no laggard step, looking
up ever and anon towards the top of the tower. The other came on at
still greater speed, his appearance contrasting greatly with that of the
first; a heavy sword hung by his side, and over his shoulders was an
orange sash, which partly covered a breastplate showing many a deep
dent, while his dress was travel-stained and bespattered with dark red
marks, while his frank and open countenance wore an expression of grief
and anxiety. The two as they met exchanged salutes, the manner of the
latter being hurried, as if he desired not to be stopped.
"Why, what has happened, Captain Van der Elst?" exclaimed the young
gallant who has just been introduced.
"I am in search of the burgomaster, and have been told that he was seen
going to the Tower of Hengist," said the other, without answering the
question.
"I am also bound there, and will gladly accompany you," was the reply.
"Pardon me, Van Arenberg, but the business I am on is of too great
importance to brook delay." And Karl Van der Elst sprang on up the
ascent at a rate which Baron Van Arenberg, without lowering his dignity,
could not venture to imitate. A blush rose for a moment on the Lily's
fair cheek as she saw him coming; her countenance, however, the next
moment assumed an expression of alarm when she remarked his appearance.
He bowed as he approached, gazing at her with a look of sorrow in his
dark eyes which did not tend to reassure her, and without offering any
other greeting, much as he might have desired it, he addressed himself
to the burgomaster, who inquired in an anxious tone, "What news do you
bring, Captain Van der Elst? Has Count Louis defeated the Spaniards?
Has he yet formed a junction with the Prince?"
The young officer, his feelings almost mastering him, could with
difficulty reply, "Count Louis with his brother, Count Henry, the brave
Duke Christopher, and the whole army have been annihilated. We met the
foe near the village of Mookie, where we were hemmed in; in vain we
tried to cut our way through the ranks of the Spaniards. Count Louis,
his brother, and Duke Christopher, with four thousand gallant men, fell
in the attempt. I had just before been despatched to make a circuit in
order to get upon the enemy's flank, which I was ordered to attack.
Before I could reach it the day was lost; the victorious cavalry of the
Spaniards charged over the field, butchering all they met. Many of our
men were suffocated in the marshes or in the river, and others were
burnt in the farmhouses where they had taken refuge. Finding that
success was hopeless, and that I could do nothing to retrieve the day, I
drew off my shattered troop, and I have deemed it my duty to hasten on
to warn the inhabitants of Leyden that the enemy are rapidly advancing
again to lay siege to their walls." At first the burgomaster seemed
inclined to discredit the intelligence.
"Surely all could not have been destroyed, some of the soldiers may have
cut their way through, and escaped as you have done?" Karl shook his
head.
"I obtained too distinct a view of the fatal field to allow me to
indulge in such a hope," he answered. "I would gladly have sought for
an honourable death myself among my friends had I not reflected that the
safety of my brave band depended on me, and that we might yet render
service to our country."
While he was speaking, Baron Van Arenberg joined the party, and, after
saluting Jaqueline in a self-confident manner, stood listening with a
supercilious air to the young soldier.
"That you have escaped from the field, Captain Van der Elst, is evident;
but I fain would doubt that so many brave men would have yielded to the
Spaniards," he observed.
"They yielded not to the Spaniards, but to death," answered Captain Van
der Elst. "I myself visited the field of slaughter at night, when the
Spaniards had withdrawn, in search of my beloved leader. His body, if
it was there, lay among the heaps of slain, most of whom had been
stripped by rapacious plunderers, and disfigured by the hoofs of the
enemy's horses."
"I believe your report, captain," said the burgomaster, stretching out
his hand and pressing that of Van der Elst. "Our duty is clear, not a
moment is to be lost in preparing for the defence of our city, and the
burghers of Leyden must resist to the last. You will remain and aid us
with your advice?"
"Would that I could," answered Karl, glancing for a moment at Jaqueline;
"but I must hasten to the Prince of Orange, to give him a full account
of the events which have taken place, and to receive his orders.
Bereaved as he is of his brothers, it is the duty of every true-hearted
man to rally round him."
"You are right," said the burgomaster; "but I must beg you to bear a
message from me to the Prince, requesting that he will allow you to
return, and, if possible, to bring some men-at-arms with you. Lay
before him the weak state of our garrison; say that we have but five
companies of the Burgher Guard and a small corps of freebooters; but
that our walls are strong, the hearts of our citizens staunch, and that
they will, I feel assured, fly to arms the instant they receive the
summons. Assure him that we will endeavour to imitate the example of
the brave citizens of Alkmaar, and hold out till he can send us
succour."
"I will faithfully deliver your message, mynheer, and you may rest
assured that if it depends on my freedom of action I will gladly return
to render you such assistance as I can give," answered Captain Van der
Elst, his countenance brightening as he spoke, his eyes once more
turning towards Jaqueline, who, with Baron Van der Arenberg and Albert,
stood a little distance apart.
"The citizens of Leyden can well dispense with the service of one who,
by his own showing, seems to have fled from the scene of battle,"
whispered Van Arenberg to Jaqueline in too low a tone for Captain Van
der Elst to hear him. On hearing this, without replying, she turned
away, and moved closer to her father.
"He is as brave a soldier as ever lived," exclaimed Albert, who had
overheard the remark, his countenance flushing as he spoke. "My father
knows and admires him, and was only the other day speaking of the many
gallant deeds he has performed. He was with De la Marck on board the
fleet of the `Beggars of the Sea,' when they captured Brill, he was at
Flushing when the standard of liberty was raised there, he assisted in
the defence of Alkmaar, and I scarcely know how many sea battles he has
been engaged in, while he served with Prince Louis during his campaign
in Friesland; and I am very sure that it was his good fortune, or rather
his courage and discretion, enabled him to escape from the Battle of
Mookerheyde."
The Lily's bright eyes sparkled, and she gave Albert an approving look
as he was speaking.
"You would make out this young captain a very Amadis," said Van
Arenberg, in a sarcastic tone. "Your father must have obtained the
report of his heroic deeds from himself I suspect, for I never heard him
spoken of in the same laudatory manner."
"Why, Baron, one would suppose, from the way you speak, that you were
jealous of him," said Albert, with the boldness of a brave boy who felt
that he was defending a maligned friend. "You insinuate that he ran
away from Mookerheyde, and I am very sure that he did nothing of the
sort. He went back to the field to look for the dead bodies of the
Count and his brother, and he could not have done that without running a
great risk of being killed or taken prisoner, and it was not till he had
assured himself of the sad fact that Count Louis and the rest were dead
that he led off his men, and came here to give us warning that we might
prepare for the enemy."
The baron, whose features were flushed with annoyance, for Jaqueline
overheard all that was said, was about to make an angry reply, when the
burgomaster called Albert. "Hasten to your father, my good Albert,
break the sad news you have heard, and say that I shall esteem it a
favour if he will come forthwith to meet me at the council hall, as I
would desire to have some time to speak with him on these matters before
the rest of the councillors arrive. I will, on my way, send round to
summon them, as we must lose no time in preparing to defend our city."
Albert, with the activity of youth, leaped down the steps, while the
burgomaster prepared to descend with greater caution. "Baron Van
Arenberg," he said, "I must request you to escort my daughter to her
home, while Captain Van der Elst accompanies me to the Stadhuis, as we
have matters of importance to discuss on our way. I hope that you will
afterwards join us there, and will offer your services to aid in the
defence of the place."
Baron Van Arenberg expressed the honour and pleasure he felt at the
charge committed to him, although Jaqueline, while bowing her head in
acquiescence, showed by her manner that the arrangement afforded her no
especial satisfaction. The Lily, as may be conjectured, had many
admirers, for not only was she fair and graceful, with a sweet
disposition, but it was supposed that she would inherit the wealth of
the burgomaster; hitherto, however, as far as was known, her heart was
untouched, and she had favoured no one.