The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-05-06
PART l.
PANIC.

PANIC.
Summer clouds, piled up in sunny
crcsts and pinnacles against the Au-
gust blue, mimicked with aerial splen-
dor the towers and tr-rets of city
which lay spread far beneath them.
The shadows of the clouds swept on
ward over Brussels, casting flying inter
spaces of purple gloom or red roofs
ond fantastic gables; on open places
of the mart; on great squares sci aside
for pomp and pleasure; on gold-capped
spires, fretting the sky with gauzy won
ders of workmanship; on that crownlng
Gothic miracle where, 70 vane fuii
four hundred feet above the Iown
House. there leapt aloft magic vision
of Brussels lacework frozen into stone.
And between the cloud-shadows, early
morning sunshine frightened the fair
capital of Brabant. added a CLEAN OF
gold to the harvests ripening without
the city walls, set the air dancing in the
marrow. gabled streets and made q
frenzied populace seek the shade.
In the days of this narrative, more
than three hundred years ago, that most
s.debonair and gentle" devil of mon
arch, Philip III. of Spain, was hourly
frightening his grip on an unhappy
country through the length and breadth
of the Netherlands.
Then day came when the Reforme1s
struclS their first blow back, in that
inconoclastic outburst which began NJ
Antwerp, during the Prince of Oranges
absence and spread, as the sea over
broken dyke, to Client, to Tournay, &c
lValenciennes.
And now rose a murmur of pending
rebellion in Brussels itself, while the
regent-duchess, Margaret of Parma, de-
spite her mustache and iron will
proved woman at heart--and now
very frightened woman.
From which pregnant scene, against
which stormy background, we see
standing grimly forth giant solcier'
rubbjng rust from his sword hard by
the church-door of st. Gudule. He sits
before his own house, and if he trembles
It is with anger. The chaos only en-
RACES him.
This man belonged to the conquerors,
and his extraordinary size rendered
him remarkable apart from the massive
istrength and defiant carriage OF his
head. A popularity of some among ka'
phael's Madonnas might have been OBJ
lserved in Feria Manriqnc's eyes: pupil
and iris seemed of one hue only: flash
1ns black; while for the rest his face
~ras brown as n roasted coffee bean,
mis- inlxy hair and beard were already
crizzled. From time to time the soldier
of Spain listened to a murmur of dis
tant crowds hurrying this way and
that: then he returned to hiS labor and
continued to polish the long sword.
Other armor stood beside him, and
notable amongs. the pieces were a
helmet with open casque, and long
Spanish breast-plate, of the sort called
speascod."
Manrique, rs he rubbed the well.
known armorer's mark at his blade.
hilt, addressed words to the weapon.
"I never counted to have taken thee
from thy scabbard more, save in play.
Juan de Toro made thee at Toledo
made thee to drink soldiers blood, as
thou hast; and now thy point, that
ripped the life out of fighting men
where the legion roamed, seems like to
prick the coublets of this Netnerland
fish vermin, making stir from their holes
like angry rats. OF a truth faggots had
been better, or the hangman's hemp"
A party of Netherlandsrs and Wal.
looms tramped, singing and shouting
past Manrique, as he polished his armor.
They cast sour glances at the steel, but
did not modest the soldier; and, while
'he spat and crossed himself, the.