tice. His circumstances--the lack of armies; the
sluggard patriotism of his countrymen; his constant negotiations, not
to say intrigues, with many persons; his perpetual efforts to raise
moneys to equip forces to carry on the patriotic warfare--seem to have
left him scant time to lead armies in person. His retirement to Breda
on his first break with his sovereign was deliberate, open, and manly.
If naturally timid, to quote Motley, "he was certainly possessed of
perfect courage at last. In siege and battle, in the deadly air of
pestilential cities, in the long exhaustion of mind and body, which
comes from unduly protracted labor and anxiety, amid the countless
conspiracies of assassins, he was daily exposed to death in every
shape. Within two years, five different attempts against his life had
been discovered. Rank and fortune were offered to any malefactor who
would compass his murder. He had already been shot through the head
and almost mortally wounded. Under such circumstances, even a brave
man might have seen a pitfall at every step, a dagger in every hand,
and poison in every cup. On the contrary, he was ever cheerful, and
hardly took more precaution than usual." Surely these are not marks of
cowardice. Compare William with Henry IV of France, and Count Egmont,
hero of St. Quentin's. They were soldiers, never statesmen. Henry was
goaded by impulse. He, on the now classic field of Ivry, calling his
soldiers to follow where his white plume leads, is a hero-soldier
figure; and Egmont, generous, impulsive, magnetic, chivalrous, devoid
of forecast, had, at St. Quentin's, administered such defeat as "France
had not experienced since the battle of Agincourt." He was a brilliant
soldier, and burnt like lightnings before men's eyes. Both these
commanders were dramatic, and compelled victory, so as to merit the
rank of soldiers forever. William the Silent falls not in such
company. His campaigns were not brilliant, though many generals who
are accounted great are devoid of this quality. He was not the soldier
his son Maurice was, who was properly ranked as a brilliant soldier,
and in quality of action takes his place beside Henry IV and Count
Egmont. His soldiership, however, monopolized his genius, using all
its fire. Fortunate it was for the Netherlands that William was more
statesman than soldier; but equally fortunate for them that he was
enough of a soldier to baffle Requesens, Alva, and Parma. We me