History of the United Netherlands, 1595 | Page 5

the town defences. An assault was made and repulsed, D'Humieres, a
most gallant officer and a favourite of King Henry, being killed,
besides at least two hundred soldiers. The next attack was successful,
the town was carried, and the Spanish garrison put to the sword.
D'Orville then, before giving up the citadel, demanded three hostages
for the lives of his three brothers-in-law.
The hostages availed him little. Fuentes had already sent word to
Gomeron's mother, that if the bargain were not fulfilled he would send

her the heads of her three sons on three separate dishes. The distracted
woman made her way, to D'Orville, and fell at his feet with tears and
entreaties. It was too late, and D'Orville, unable to bear her
lamentations, suddenly rushed from the castle, and nearly fell into the
hands of the Spaniards as he fled from the scene. Two of the four
cuirassiers, who alone of the whole garrison accompanied him, were
taken prisoners. The governor escaped to unknown regions. Madame de
Gomeron then appeared before Fuentes, and tried in vain to soften him.
De Gomeron was at once beheaded in the sight of the whole camp. The
two younger sons were retained in prison, but ultimately set at liberty.
The town and citadel were thus permanently acquired by their lawful
king, who was said to be more afflicted at the death of D'Humieres than
rejoiced at the capture of Ham.
Meantime Colonel Verdugo, royal governor of Friesland, whose
occupation in those provinces, now so nearly recovered by the republic,
was gone, had led a force of six thousand foot, and twelve hundred
horse across the French border, and was besieging La Ferte on the Cher.
The siege was relieved by Bouillon on the 26th May, and the Spanish
veteran was then ordered to take command in Burgundy. But his days
were numbered. He had been sick of dysentery at Luxembourg during
the summer, but after apparent recovery died suddenly on the 2nd
September, and of course was supposed to have been poisoned. He was
identified with the whole history of the Netherland wars. Born at
Talavera de la Reyna, of noble parentage, as he asserted--although his
mother was said to have sold dogs' meat, and he himself when a youth
was a private soldier--he rose by steady conduct and hard fighting to
considerable eminence in his profession. He was governor of Harlem
after the famous siege, and exerted himself with some success to
mitigate the ferocity of the Spaniards towards the Netherlanders at that
epoch. He was marshal- general of the camp under Don John of Austria,
and distinguished himself at the battle of Gemblours. He succeeded
Count Renneberg as governor of Friesland and Groningen, and bore a
manful part in most of the rough business that had been going on for a
generation of mankind among those blood-stained wolds and morasses.
He was often victorious, and quite as often soundly defeated; but he
enjoyed campaigning, and was a glutton of work. He cared little for
parade and ceremony, but was fond of recalling with pleasure the days

when he was a soldier at four crowns a month, with an undivided fourth
of one cloak, which he and three companions wore by turns on holidays.
Although accused of having attempted to procure the assassination of
William Lewis Nassau, he was not considered ill-natured, and he
possessed much admiration for Prince Maurice. An iron-clad man, who
had scarcely taken harness from his back all his life, he was a type of
the Spanish commanders who had implanted international hatred
deeply in the Netherland soul, and who, now that this result and no
other had been accomplished, were rapidly passing away. He had been
baptised Franco, and his family appellation of Verdugo meant
executioner. Punning on these names he was wont to say, that he was
frank for all good people, but a hangman for heretics; and he acted up
to his gibe.
Foiled at Ham, Fuentes had returned to the siege of Catelet, and had
soon reduced the place. He then turned his attention again to Dourlens,
and invested that city. During the preliminary operations, another
veteran commander in these wars, Valentin Pardieu de la Motte,
recently created Count of Everbecque by Philip, who had been for a
long time general-in- chief of the artillery, and was one of the most
famous and experienced officers in the Spanish service, went out one
fine moonlight night to reconnoitre the enemy, and to superintend the
erection of batteries. As he was usually rather careless of his personal
safety, and rarely known to put on his armour when going for such
purposes into the trenches, it was remarked with some surprise, on this
occasion, that he ordered his page to bring his, accoutrements, and that
he armed himself cap-a