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magistrates, which hath chiefly occasioned a curse upon our country, is removed by a miraculous providence, viz. our magistrates suddenly revoking that wicked and perpetual edict, shewing a sincere sorrow for that base act, to which they were deluded by the wicked directions of the fore-mentioned Compt governors, he will also be pleased to remove all other troubles from us! And grant likewise, that our subjects may repent of those horrid and crying sins, of which they are guilty, and thereby have incurred God's just displeasure.

THE

DUTCH USURPATION :

OR,

A BRIEF VIEW OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE STATES-GENERAL OF THE UNITED PROVINCES, TOWARDS THE KINGS OF

GREAT-BRITAIN:

With some of their Cruelties and Injustices exercised upon the Subjects of the

English Nation.

As also, a Discovery of what Arts they have used to arrive at their late

SIR,

Grandeur, &c.

By WILLIAM DE BRITAINE.

Et genus humanum & mortalia temnitis arma,

At sperate deos.

VIRG.

London: Printed in 1672. Quarto, containing 35 Pages.

To his Royal Highness the Duke of York.*

COULD I but use my pen, as you your sword,
I'd write in blood, and kill at every word:
The Hogans+ then my muse's power should feel,
And find my verse as fatal as your steel.
But sure, great Prince, none can presume to write
With such success as you know how to fight:
Who carry in your looks th' events of war,
Design'd like Cæsar for a conqueror.
The world of your atchievements is afraid,
While Neptune's wat'ry kingdoms you invade;
And that much-courted Mistress th' Ocean's now
Not by the Venetian Duke espous'd, but you.

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And now, great Prince, may you victorious be,
Your fame and arms o'er-spreading land and sea.
May you our haughty neighbours overcome,
And bring rich spoils, and peaceful laurels, home;
Whilst they their ruin or your pardon meet,
Sink by your side, or fall before your feet.

THE dominion of the Belgick provinces being devolved to Philip the Second, king of Spain, who designing to himself the western monarchy, and (the best medium to that end) was to reduce those provinces to a kingdom. But they being fortified with great privileges, and many of them inconsistent with monarchy; it was adjudged by sober persons it would prove a work of great difficulty, and that he would never effect that he aimed at. Besides, the reformation of religion, which then began to grow to some strength, moved the king to reduce them back to the church of Rome, by the power and terror of the inquisition: Which when the people violently opposed, the king then resolved to bring them by Spanish rhetorick (that is by sword and cannon) to obedi. ence. * To that end, King Philip sends the Duke of Alva (an old and expert captain) with a puissant army to be his viceroy amongst them. No sooner was he settled in his new government, but he established the Bloet-rod, as they term it, a Council of Blood, made up most of Spaniards.

Anno 1567, he took off the heads of the Counts of Horn, Eg. mont, and of divers other persons of quality; cittadels were erected, and taxes imposed upon the people to support them: The political government of the country in many things altered, and the people spoiled not of their privileges only, but of their liberties.Amongst the reformed he brought in the inquisition, and therein behaved himself very tyrannically. This poured oil on the fire, formerly kindled, and put all into a combustion; about five-thousand families quitted their country, some flying into Germany, others into France, and most into England, where they were received with all kindness and civility; churches were appointed them, they being of the reformed religion, and many noble and great privileges were bestowed upon them.

During those troubles, the Prince of Orange and Count Lodowick, his brother, were very active, and gave the Duke of Alva employment.

All Holland, except Amsterdam, followed the fortune and side of the prince, together with all the towns of Zealand, except Middleburg.

Anno 1573, the Duke of Alva was recalled; afterwards Don Lewis of Requisens was appointed governor: After him, the Prince of Parma, who brought the Hollanders into a worse case than ever.

See the wicked practices of the Spaniards against the Netherlands, on page 172, Vol. V.

Yet, Anno 1581, they declare, that Philip of Spain was fallen from his government; they renounce and abjure him for their sovereign; they break his seals, change the oath of allegiance, and took a new oath of the people, never to return to the Spanish obedience.

This done, the states, for so they called themselves ever after, chose Francis, Duke of Anjou, to be their prince, during whose unfortunate government, the Duke of Parma prevailed in all places, especially after the death of William Prince of Orange, who was traiterously slain, Anno 1584.

Now were the Hollanders truly miserable, desperate of pardon from their inraged prince, and having no person of courage to head them, none of power to protect them, but such as were likely to regard their own profit, more than their interest. England was the only sanctuary they had now left, to which they sue, offering the queen *the sovereignty of their provinces. But that heroick queen, not intending to herself any thing, saving the honour of relieving her distressed neighbours, Anno 1585, took them into her protection, and concluded, amongst others, of these articles, viz.

That the queen should send them five-thousand foot, and a thousand horse into the Netherlands, to fight for them.

That they should pay her ten pounds per cent. for all sums of money, she should lend them, or disburse for them; and interest upon interest.

And likewise five pounds for every English gentleman, or officer, which should die in their service.

All which sums of money were to be paid unto the queen, at the end of the war.

And that, for the reimbursing of the said monies, the Brill, Flushing, and castle of Ramekins were to be delivered unto the queen, as caution and pledges.

The queen, in performance of her agreement, sent them fivethousand foot, and a thousand horse, money and a governor, the Earl of Leicester, and had the cautionary towns delivered unto her. The renowned Sir Philip Sidney was the first governor of Flushing, who died in their service.

Casimir also, the elector Palatine's son, drew down to the assistance of the states an army of fifteen-thousand horse and foot, at the instance and great charges of the queen.

When the Earl of Leicester came to wait upon the queen, at his going over to be their governor; she strictly commanded the earl, that he should have a regard of the English soldiers, and that they served God, and demeaned themselves religiously. Which they did with such exemplary zeal, that a sober man might have thought, that the United Provinces then stood in Christendom. And that pious queen did therein well, for the Christian religion was first planted in Holland, Zealand, and Friesland, by Willibroad, an

*Elisabeth of England.

Englishman, the first Bishop of Utrecht; whence by degrees it gained on the rest of the countries. But since, by the ill practices of some amongst them, they are much fallen from the purity of it.

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The queen now resolveth to set all the royal signatures of her favour upon the United Provinces, and give them the most eminent demonstrations of her bounty and kindness. The staple of English cloth, that was formerly at Antwerp, she settled at Delf, in great quantities; by reason of the great concourse of people, which that trade brought with it, the town became rich, well built, and beautified with spacious streets.

Flushing, before the English came thither, was a very poor town, but by the countenance of the queen, the English garison there, and the trade which the English brought thither, it flourished in a high measure; and, by their means, so did all their great towns and cities there.

She encouraged them in their trades, protected them in their navigation, gave them licenses to fish upon the British seas, which before was not permitted unto them, and the English did courageously fight for them, to vindicate their rights, whilst they were employed in fishing, and in their manufactures, by which they increased in wealth. But one infelicity happened unto them, that the King of Denmark, having taken some displeasure against them, laid an embargo upon seven-hundred of their ships, which were passing backward and forward upon the Sound for corn, by reason whereof the people there were now more distressed with fear of a famine, than with the sword of the enemy. But the potent queen presently gave them relief, for she supplied them with great quantities of corn; and by her interest, with the disbursement of some monies, the ships were discharged, and came home to their several ports, in the United Provinces.

Now was the queen looked upon as their only patroness, and the English, the best sinews of their wars, and the atchievers of the greatest exploits among them: Near Newport was fought that memorable battle betwixt the Archduke Albert, and the state. The victory, next under God, was gained for the states, by the valour of the English, and the excellent conduct of those noble and gallant persons Sir Francis and Sir Horatio Vere.

Ostend was not walled till the Low-Country wars, and then with a mud-wall only; and not finished till the archduke sat down before it. Insomuch as the Archduchess Isabella is said to have sworn, that she should not shift her smock till the town was taken, who, had she kept her rash oath, had been very— -: For the town being garisoned by the English, and under Sir Horatio Vere, who was governor thereof, held out against the archduke a siege of three years, and so many months; the Spaniards at this siege lost one-hundred thousand men.

Breda, a town well fortified, and the barony of the Prince of Orange, from whom being taken by the Spaniards in the beginning of the wars, it was again recovered by seventy valorous English

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soldiers; who, hiding themselves in a boat covered with turf, were conveighed into the castle, which they easily mastered, and made the prince lord again of all his dominions and territories there. The speech of one of the soldiers there, upon that occasion, deserves never to be forgotten; who fearing lest by his violent noise in coughing (though he did repress it) he should, together with himself, betray his companions: Kill me,' saith he, fellow-soldiers, lest we be killed.'

By

The particular actions, gallantry, and noble attempts of the English, here, would deserve a just volume of themselves. their valour and courage most of the Spanish soldiers were so wasted and consumed, that the King of Spain was forced, to give a stop to their conquests, to send fifty-thousand veteran soldiers out of Spain and Italy into Flanders. And the queen did supply the states with answerable numbers of men and money, insomuch as she maintained for them forty-thousand horse and foot in their service.

She made many naval expeditions into America, and there did much infest the King of Spain, sinking his ships, burning his towns, battering down his forts and castles, and interrupting all his trade and commerce there; all this to bring that king to reason and justice, as to the United Provinces.

The King of Spain, hereat exceedingly incensed, Anno 1588, sends his invincible Armado * against England, raised a rebellion in Ireland against the queen, sent many Spanish soldiers to Kingsale, to the assistance of the rebels there, and committed many depredations in Cornwall here; many sanguinary and desperate persons were encouraged to poison, murder, and destroy her, who made many attempts upon her royal person. So this excellent queen being incircled with so many infelicities and troubles, and beset with so many calamities, and being wearied with the wars in the Netherlands, because they did so exhaust her treasure, and destroy her brave people, and finding the states to grow insolent, and to perform no agreements, and withal, observing their sub, jects to grow rich by the war, of which they made a trade and merchandise, and her kingdoms to be thereby impoverished; she resolved to make peace with the Spaniard, being assured the Belgick war was never to be ended by conquest, and to that purpose she signified her royal pleasure unto the states; but finding her majesty to be in earnest, as she had great reason for it, they were much perplexed. For, if she had deserted them, they had lost their chief and only support; they sent over their ambassadors into England, and, in the most humble manner that could be, petitioned her majesty, that she would not east off the cause of God and man, and leave sixty towns, with a poor distressed people, a prey to the malice and avarice of the barbarous Spaniard. But she earnestly pressed them for the payment of her money, adding withal threats, that, if she was not obeyed therein, she would take

See the History of this Armado on page 42, &c. Vol. II.

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