The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-29

" eS sAiSuLiy wounded, but succeeded, alter
Driel struggle, in killing a second assailant
nus followers set upon the watch who retreat
ed INTO the guard-house. Hafaugiere COM
manded his men to fire through the doors and
windows, and in few minutes every one of
the enemy lay dead.
1t was not moment for making prisoners or
speaking OF quarter. Before
sunrise, the city and fortress of Breda had sur
rendered to the authority OF the States-Gene-
raj and of his Excellency.
But Mr.. Motley has not merely given us
the record of certain events which made the
latter half of the 10th century an era memoir
aDie IN the history of the human race. He
has reproduced for us the period of which he
writes. Its men and women, its kings,
queens, statesmen, priests and soldiers live
and move before us. We see not alone their
acts, but their forms and faces. We watch
their daily lives, their habits and manners;
we are familiar with the ideas and the nc
tives which actuate them, the passions which
sway them. We step back three centuries
and live in the midst of that life in which
Elizabeth of England and Philip of Spain and
William of Nassau lived and moved.
Never was such an historical picture gal
lery as the pages of these books present. Here
is Philip, the dull, heartless bigot, the cold,
narrow inded, pitiless egotist, bent on sub
jecting the whole world to his sway even If in
so doing he should sweep out of existence
one half of its inhabitants. Here is Eliza
beth, the heroic, strong -willed, termagant
queen, loose in morals and repulsive in per-
son, yet vain to the point of absurdity, parsi-
monious to niggardliness, obstinate, violent,
M oil oh tod l.
sOurces,-as masterful spirit as ever filled a
throne. Here is Henry the Bearnese, tie
gay, prohigate, courageous, light hearted sol
dier of fortune, false as water himself, yet the
standard bearer of the earnest and true,
changing his religion as easily as his gloves,
always the slave Of one woman or another,
winning splendid victories at one momeIt,
and the next imperling all their fruits in bis
haste to fling himself at the feet of the favor
ite oil the hour, without truth indeed, but
happily for Christendom without yindictive-
ness or cruelty, the model free-thinker Of that
age as Philip was its model bigot. Here, too,
is Alexaneer Famese the splended soldier,
the accomplished statesman, the most match
less liar that the world ever saw. False on
principle to all the world save his more de-
testble master, but exhibiting toward the lat
ter perfect truth and an entire devotion
which would have touched any heart less
cold and base than Philips. Here is the vain
ambitious Leicester, the gentle and heroic
Sidney, the accomplished Maurice of Nassau,
and many, many more whose names and
deeds are part of the history of that time.-
| no of If ;a .c
whose portrait is most yividly drawn though
in so many scattered touches that we are un-
| able to transfer the picture. The description
of Philips death is so powerful in itself, and
moreover offers so striking commentary on
the populaTly received estimate of the value
of an edifying deathbed as an index to the
character and spirit of the man, that we
would gladly quote it entire did not onr linn
tied space forbid. Mr.. Motley closes his ac-
count of Philips career with an acute anal
| yss of his character, and mastery sketch CT
| the despotism which he created. 1t was a
despotism perhaps the most consummate
which the world has ever seen. 1t was not
even tempered by assassination, for assassi-
nation,' was the prop on which It leaned.
L
Certainly Philip looked upon his mission
with seriousness, and was Industrious in his
royal functions. But this earnestness and
seriousness were, iE truth, his darkest vices,
for the most frivolous vouptuary that ever
wore a crown would never have compassed
| thousandth part of the evil of Phillips liie-
| work. 1t was because he was believer in
himself, and what he called his religion, that
he was enabled to perpetrate such a long cata-
logue of crimes. When an humble malefactor
is brought before an ordinary court of Justice,
it is not often, in any age or country, that he
escapes the pillOry or the gallows because
from his own point of view, his actions instead
of being criminal, have been commendable,
aud because the multitude and continuity OF
his offences prove him to have been sincere.
And because anointed m0narchs are amenable
to no human tribunal, save to that terrible
assize which the people, bursting its chains
| from time to time in the course of the ages,
| sets up fer the trial of oppressors, and which
is called revolution, 1t is more important for
the great interest of humanity that before
| the judgment seat of history crown should
| be no more protection to its weareP. There is
no plea from the jurisdiction of history, if his
| tory be true itself
Reluctantly we take leave of these fascinat-
ing volumes which are at once rich addition
to the worlds sources of historic knowledge
and noble monument to the ability, indus
try and culture of their author. We are
proud of Mr.. Motley as an American; but
such work as this cannot belong to Ameri-
ca, or to any other single nationality. Its in
terest is cosmopolitan. The world at urge
benefits by it, and the whole world of educat-
ed and thinking men will unite to do honor
to its author.
Mr.. Motley is now engaged on his "Histo-
ry of the Thirty Years War;" which is the
natural complement of "The Rise ofthe Dutch
Republic and the "History of the United
Netherlands', and will bring down the history
of connected events to the year 164S.