THE BEGGARS OF THE SEA--PETER CHERISHES NEW HOPES--PETER IS SENT AS AN
ENVOY FROM THE ROVERS--THE EXECUTIONS ARE SUSPENDED, AND CASPAR SENT TO
TREAT WITH THE BEGGARS--CASPAR RESIGNS GRETCHEN TO DIEDRICH--THE BEGGARS
OF THE SEA ATTACK BRILL--DIEDRICH VISITS THE INQUISITION--FATHER QUIXADA
ATTEMPTS TO KEEP HIS PRISONERS, BUT IS DEFEATED--BRILL IS CAPTURED BY
THE PROTESTANTS--AND BECOMES THE CRADLE OF THE DUTCH REPUBLIC.
Peter Kopplestock was in despair. He had in vain attempted to obtain an
interview with his young niece, or to send her any message. The
prisoners were so strictly watched that he was unable even to send her a
message. Her death and that of her worthy father seemed sealed. Peter
in despair returned to his post; it was time for him to be ready to
ferry passengers across the river. He had taken one party across, and
was returning once more to Brill, when down the river a fleet of several
large vessels was seen standing up towards the town. Peter watched them
with interest. That they were not merchant vessels, he was well aware.
They were not Spanish ships either. He came to the conclusion,
therefore, that they must be the Beggars of the Sea. Concealing his own
feelings, he informed his passengers, who wished to know his opinions.
They were the powerful fleet of those redoubted rovers, and there could
be little doubt that they had come up to attack Brill. By the time he
had fully worked upon the fears of his passengers, they arrived at the
landing-place on the side of the city. Instantly the whole party rushed
up towards the town, spreading the alarming information they had
received. He told them also that for their sakes he would venture down
the river, and try and ascertain more particulars. Some urged him not
to run so great a risk. He laughingly answered that it mattered little,
that they could but hang him if he was caught, and that many an honest
man was every day suffering a worse fate than that, thanks to the Duke
of Alva.
Peter rowed away down the river as hard as he could urge on his boat.
As he approached the fleet he was more convinced than ever that he was
right. The first vessel he hailed was commanded, he was told, by
William de Blois, Seigneur of Treslong, a noble whose brother had been
executed by the Duke of Alva, and who had himself fought by the side of
Count Louis at Yemmingen, where he was desperately wounded.
Kopplestock was an old acquaintance of his, and was immediately
recognised. Treslong welcomed him warmly; he was the very man he wished
to meet. Peter, nothing loth, communicated at once the events going
forward in the city, and urged an immediate attack. Here was a means,
he hoped, of saving his friends.
"Depend upon it we are not anxious to delay, for the honest truth is, we
have scarcely a piece of biscuit or a lump of cheese remaining on board
any of the ships in the fleet. Our fellows are literally starving, and
land we must, somewhere or other, and forage for food. However, come,
my friend, we will go on board the admiral's ship, and hear what he says
to the proposal of an immediate attack."
Treslong, getting into Peter's boat, proceeded forthwith to the ship of
Admiral De la Marck. The first person Peter caught sight of on board
was Diedrich Megheni. Even Peter thought he had never seen a wilder set
of ruffians than the crew of the flag-ship, but they were all far
surpassed by the admiral himself. His hair was long and shaggy, his
beard hung down over his chest, joined by his whiskers, pendant from his
cheeks, while his huge moustache projected out far on either side. He
was in no ways loth to attack the place. "My jolly Beggars will soon
make themselves masters of the town," he observed; "but as you wish it,
Treslong, we will see what diplomacy will do first. Who will take a
message to the magistrates of the city?"
"Our worthy friend Peter Kopplestock will do so," observed Treslong.
"Here, take my ring; it will accredit you as our envoy. If the town
will surrender, we promise to treat all the inhabitants with
consideration and tenderness; if not, they must take the consequences."
Peter, receiving further directions, jumped into his boat, and hurried
back towards the town.
The hour for the execution of the condemned heretics was approaching.
If he could work upon the fears of the Inquisitor, they might yet be
saved.
While Peter is rowing with all his might up towards Brill, the sudden
appearance of the ships of the Sea-beggars must be accounted for. The
fleet of De la Marck had been lying for some time in different ports in
the south of England, sallying forth occasionally and making prizes of
Spanish ships. It was the policy of Queen Elizabeth and her Government
at this time to remain at peace; and the Duke of Alva's commissioners
had been urging on her that the continued countenance afforded by the
English to the Beggars of the Sea must inevitably lead to a war with
Spain. Towards the end of March, therefore, De la Marck received a
peremptory order from Elizabeth to quit the shores of England, while her
subjects were forbidden to supply them with meat, bread, beer, or any
other necessaries. The rover fleet set sail, therefore, from Dover, on
one of the last days in March, with scarcely any provisions on board.
They stood over, accordingly, towards the coast of Zealand; and finally
entered, as has been described, the river Meuse.
Peter quickly reached the town, and pushed through the crowd of
inhabitants, who came round him, asking him all sorts of questions, to
none of which he would reply, except to say that a large force of the
Water-beggars, some thousands, as far as he could tell, were about to
enter the city, and cut all their throats if they were opposed, or if
they found that any of their friends had been injured.
"Take care what the Inquisitors are about," he added. "If these people
whom they have condemned to death are executed, depend upon it the
Water-beggars will put every man and woman in the place to death. Just
see about that matter."
Pushing on, he made his appearance in the town-house, where the
magistrates were assembled. He told them that he had been sent by the
fierce Admiral De la Marck, and by Treslong, who was well known to them;
that two commissioners on the part of the city should be sent out to
confer with them. He had to assure them that the deputies would be
courteously treated, and he was ordered to say that the only object of
those who had sent him was to free the land, and to overthrow the
tyranny of the Spaniards.
"And how many men under him has De la Marck, do you think?" asked the
chief magistrate.
"It would be difficult for me to count them," answered Peter,
carelessly, "considering I only saw some of their ships; but there are
probably some five thousand in all, more or less; but they are desperate
fellows, and equal to twice the number of ordinary mortals."
On hearing this, the magistrates made long faces at each other.
"It is clear that we cannot resist such a force," observed one; "but
what shall we do? Shall we negotiate, or shall we fly?"
"In my opinion, it would be judicious to do both," observed a sagacious
old burgher. "We should negotiate in order to gain time to run away."
"But which two men will be found to proceed to the rebel fleet as our
envoys?" asked another. "It is an honourable post, is no one ready to
fill it?"
There seemed a great likelihood of the negotiations breaking down for
want of envoys to carry them on. At this juncture Caspar Gaill made his
appearance in the court-house.
"I will go," he said, "on one condition: that the executions which were
to take place this morning are suspended. If we put to death the
fellow-religionists of these people, they are not likely to treat us
with much mercy."
The justice of Caspar's remark was at once seen; and in spite of the
protestations of the Inquisitor and the other priests, that it would be
impious to take their victims out of the hands of the Church, the
magistracy decided that the criminals should be immediately respited.
"If we determine on fighting, and put the enemy to flight, you holy
fathers may then execute due punishment on the heretics," observed one
of the magistrates; "but, in the meantime, we prefer not to subject
ourselves to the rage of these desperate freebooters."
Caspar quickly persuaded another friend to accompany him on board the
fleet, and, rowed by Peter, they proceeded on board the admiral's ship.
It was there the rivals met. Caspar, before entering the admiral's
cabin, had just time to exchange a few words with Diedrich.
"I resign Gretchen to you," he whispered; "I am not worthy of her. I
acted a vile and treacherous part, and was very nearly the cause of the
destruction of her and her father. They are now, I trust, safe; unless
those vile priests prove treacherous. At all events there is no time to
be lost in hastening on shore, that they may be completely rescued from
their power."
As soon as the message of the magistrates was received, the sailors
quickly leaped into their boats, and hastened on shore. The rovers were
divided into two parties. One, under Treslong, made an attack upon the
southern gates; while the other, commanded by the admiral, advanced upon
the northern. The governor of the city, it appeared, had not agreed to
the proposals of the magistrates, and had made preparations to resist
their entrance. Hungry men, especially of the character of the
sea-rovers, are not likely to be stopped by trifles. Treslong and his
followers forthwith attacked the gates with great fury. Just at the
moment that they forced an entrance, the governor of the city was
endeavouring to take his departure. He was, however, arrested by the
rovers. Meantime De la Marck and his men, lighting a huge fire at the
northern gate, rigged a battering-ram, formed out of a ship's mast; and
as the fire burned the wood of the gates, they commenced battering away
with might and main. The gates quickly gave way; and, dashing the
embers of the fire aside, the bold sailors, sword in hand, rushed into
the town, and speedily found themselves masters of the place. Among
those who had accompanied Treslong was Diedrich Meghem. Peter
Kopplestock had kept by his side. A choice band of seamen had followed
Diedrich.
"Follow me, lads," he exclaimed, as soon as they were inside the gates;
"our first work must be to set the prisoners of the Inquisition free."
He and Peter rushed on, followed by a party of seamen. The Inquisitors
and monks endeavoured to prevent their entrance. The doors were very
soon battered in. Gretchen, who expected every instant to be led forth
to execution, was on her knees in her cell. She heard the noise, little
suspecting the cause. At that moment the door opened, and a monk
appeared. She looked up, and beheld the stern features of Father
Quixada. There was a glance in his eye which made her tremble.
"Have you come to lead me to death?" she asked.
"No, I would give you your liberty; follow me."
"No; I will not," she exclaimed, regarding him with a look of horror.
He rushed forward, and seized her by the arm, and was dragging her along
the passage, when footsteps were heard approaching; and the ray of
sunlight which streamed along the passage fell on a party of men who
were hurrying through it. Their leader was Diedrich Meghem. With a cry
of joy, Gretchen, tearing herself from the grasp of the monk, darted
forward towards another part of the prison. The patriot seamen soon
discovered the cell in which the merchant Hopper was confined, and he
and all the other prisoners were quickly liberated. A large number of
the citizens had escaped; but several monks and priests who had remained
in the convent were captured, as well as the governor and some other
civil authorities. Admiral De la Marck took possession of the town in
the name of the Prince of Orange. Thus the weary spirit of freedom, so
long a fugitive over earth and sea, at length found a resting-place; and
the foundation of the Dutch Republic was laid in the little city of
Brill. No indignity was offered to the inhabitants of either sex, and
all those who remained were treated with consideration. The captors,
however, took possession of the best houses, and very naturally made
themselves at home. The inclination to plunder the churches, however,
could not long be restrained. The altars and images were destroyed,
while the rich furniture and the gorgeous vestments of the priests were
appropriated by the rovers. Adam van Haren, who commanded one of the
ships, appeared on his vessel's deck attired in a magnificent high-mass
chasuble; while his seamen dressed themselves up in the various other
vestments which the Romish clergy had been wont to wear on their grand
festivals. So great was the hatred of the admiral for everything
connected with the Church of Rome, that thirteen unfortunate monks and
priests, including Father Quixada, who had been taken prisoners, were,
by his orders, a few days after the capture of the city, executed in the
very way that they had intended to put to death the victims of the
Inquisition. Caspar Gaill joined the fleet of De la Marck, and was soon
afterwards killed in an action with some Spanish ships. In spite of
Duke Alva's attempt to retake Brill, the city remained ever afterwards
faithful to the Prince of Orange. Diedrich and Gretchen were the first
persons united according to the Protestant form in Brill, after its
capture, and their descendants have ever been among its most respected
inhabitants.