James Edwin Thorold Rogers

“ During this time a greater master of the art of war than even Parma was growing up. Maurice, second son of William the Silent, had been studying his calling with unremitting industry. And now that Parma and Philip were so occupied with the affairs of France, it seemed that Holland could carry on her warfare with greater hope. But the first thing was to create and drill an army. ”

“ Without resources, either in the country which he held and governed, or from the King of Spain either, with soldiers mutinous and starving, he still kept an undaunted front and a loyal purpose, and scared them, who might have dealt with him if they had known the facts of the case, by his calm and unflinching courage. ”

“ It is not a little strange that in that atmosphere of deceit and secrecy, where every pains was taken to prevent the leakage of facts, the most dangerous and therefore the most hidden particulars were regularly betrayed. Parma's enemies wrote to the king in cypher, and Parma got to know the contents of the letters. The correspondence of all the parties is now before us, and we find that the Governor of the Netherlands contrived to learn that which was intended for the eyes of Philip only. ”