State, a special
"consulta" or "kitchen cabinet" of three members, the chief of whom was
Granvelle. The real fatherland of this native of the Free County of
Burgundy was the court. As a passionate servant of the crown and a
clever and knowing diplomat, he was in constant correspondence with
Philip, recommending measures over the head of Margaret. His acts made
her intensely unpopular and her attempts to coax and cozen public
opinion only aroused suspicion.

{251}

[Sidenote: Egmont, 1522-68]

Three members in the Council of State, Granvelle and two others, were
partisans of the crown; three other members may be said to represent
the people. One of them was Lamoral Count of Egmont, the most
brilliant and popular of the high nobility. Though a favorite of
Charles V on account of his proved ability as a soldier, his frankness
and generosity, he was neither a sober nor a weighty statesman. The
popular proverb, "Egmont for action and Orange for counsel," well
characterized the difference between the two leading members of the
Council of State. William, prince of Orange, lacking the brilliant
qualities of Egmont, far surpassed him in acumen and in strength of
character. From his father, William Count of Nassau-Dillenburg,
[Sidenote: William the Silent, 1533-84] he inherited important estates
in Germany near the Netherlands, and by the death of a cousin he
became, at the age of eleven, Prince of Orange--a small, independent
territory in southern France--and Lord of Breda and Gertruidenberg in
Holland. With an income of 150,000 guilders per annum he was by far
the richest man in the Netherlands, Egmont coming next with an income
of 62,000. William was well educated. Though he spoke seven languages
and was an eloquent orator, he was called "the Silent" because of the
rare discretion that never revealed a secret nor spoke an imprudent
word. In religion he was indifferent, being first a Catholic, then a
Lutheran, then a Calvinist, and always a man of the world. His broad
tolerance found its best, or only, support in the Erasmian tendencies
of Coornheert. His second wife, Anne of Saxony, having proved
unfaithful to him, he married, while she was yet alive, Charlotte of
Bourbon. This act, like the bigamy of Philip of Hesse, was approved by
Protestant divines. Behind them Egmont and Orange had the hearty
support of the patriotic and well educated native nobility. {252} The
rising generation of the aristocracy s