Motley's History of the United Netherlands [pp. 223-238]

MIOTLEY S HISTORY OF' THE UNITED NETIHERLANDS.
whlich he makes tlhem either the very best or lueaniest of chara teo r s. lThis ent hus i asm will adorn the page of' a writer with
manyy gems, but tlth( i mpartial historian should painit every
feattrue with accuracy-ythe )best an(I most brilliant chalracters
lre not perfect, tlhe mean est of mankind mnaty not lhave every
fetatre of mind a nd morals blackened and distorted; in other
w ords,we would have -:otley more anialytic in his personal descril)tion, but we are ftari fi'om thining that le designs the
slig,,!test injustice, for we do him the lhonor to say he writes like
an lhoiest and lhonoraIble man, as no doubt he is; liberal, just,
generous, b)ut ardent and impetuous; quickl to conceive iand
stroi(l, in his feelis wirs, herever moral wortl-i is found or deflectioii tioin a high lind pure standard of nmorality is involved.
The first important topic vwhich we notice in the work before
us, is the coniditioii of tl)he Netherlands after the death of Williiam tlhe Sile-it, who was emphatically the guiding, star of the
niatioji; but whatever iioliht have beein the destiny of this
peol)le, it is not admitted, according to the caption of chapter 1,
part v-i, 3O vol. Dutchi Rcpublic, that " a republic was bornII" or a
nation was severed. If we look to the pag,es of MIotley's Neth(erlaids, there is aimple proof that the Nethierlands were neither
de.f(cto or (le jure independent; and, at a future time, we may
institute the inquiry, how flar the Dutch Republic was constitutionaIll y a0 republic."
AVt the time of the death of William the Silent, it was not a
republic, nor is it imade to appear at the commiencement of
Mo rle y's tistory of the Netherlands, nor did it become suchl in
i+n -,tljisii ltrai tiae cal)acity, or the true practical sense of the
wordl, as far as his history has yet extended. We do not mcean
to dis)lite with the author about terms, but it is evident the
Netlherlanders were not only in terms far from either understaiin(g, the phrase or enjoying the state, not only of 8overeijrtty but of a reputblic, when time after time, mission after
mission, application ifter application was made to Queen
Elizabl)ethl to atccept the soverei,gnty of the country, territory
and )eople all included. The samne application had been made
to Firanec, h-ad been urged upon France, but her domestic
troubles were such that it was refuised. The great patriots and
statesmen of the Nethlerlands were nearly unanimous, not olly
fo)r the Englishl alliance after the refusal of France, but souglht
that close connection with Engla]nd -wli-ich would transfer the
soverciglnty of the country to Queen Elizab)eth. This the queen
positively and unequivocally refused. Then a pr)opositioti was
made for a defensive alliance. The queen, thoughi urged by
repeatced alpplications fromn the Netherlands and importuned by
AVlsilighami, Leicester, and others high in influence at the
court, to acceed to the request of the Netherlands, and grant
t,lie-i assistance, debated w,itli herself long, and anxiously; and,
thought, it was to her interest, and ultimately proved the most
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