ART AND LITERATURE

Wellington Independent, Volume I, Issue 30, 12 July 1845, Page 4

ART AND LITERATURE

GERTRUDE YON HALEN; ou, THE BOAT-RACE of BROUVERSHAVEN. (Continued from our last.) The walls of Ziriczee rang loud and long with wild and repeated cheering, the towers and steeples were dressed out triumphantly with and streamers, and in the churches the le Deum was sung prematurely for the defeat ot the Spaniards, and the aid vouchsafed to them from on high. , It was sung prematurely, for long, and loud, and evenly balanced continued throughout the greater part of the day the roar of the cannonading, and hopes rose and fell alternately; but towards night it was clear that the sounds ot firing were advancing no longer towards the city, nor stationary even, but now receeding rapidly towards the Grevelingen Channel, and down that seaward, as if the confederates were flying for Outdorp or Goeree. As it grew darkey the glare as of some great conflagration could be distinguished far off to the eastward, and within two hours a boat with a white-flag approached the water-gate of Ziriczee, and proclamation was made, after a long pacific flourish from a Spanish trumpet, " that the confederates had been entirely defeated; the admiral, Boissot, with his flag-ship and all his crew cut off and killed, and the prince now in full retreat, and at this moment lying off Brouvershaven, to repair his shattered squadron previous to bearing off for the Texel." To this intelligence was added an offer, from Mondragone, of more favourable terms than had been as yet granted to any of the revolted cities, the lives and property of the citizens being guaranteed to them on the general's honor. But with the offer was coupled a positive declaration that, in case of the town's holding out beyond twenty-four hours, the garrison should be put to the sword, the city plundered for a week, the burghers decimated, and the women given up to the mercy of the Spanish soldiery—and Naerden and Haerlem had taught men well to comprehend the meaning of those words, "Spanish mercy." The governor of the place, Adrian yon Halen, had hurried to the walls as soofias it was known that a communication from the besiegers was at hand, and when he heard the fatal news the tears streamed down his withered cheeks to his grey beard, and he beat his steel breastplate with his bare hand till the blood gushed from beneath bis nails in the violence of his emotion, unmarked and unheeded. In a moment or two, however, be in some sort recovered his equanimity, although he well knew that longer defence was hopeless, andtbat-hut little confidence could be placed in the good faith of any Spanish treaty. Directing then his trumpeter to reply with a note of parley, he asked permission to send out a boat's crew, unarmed, with a trusty person on board, to whom a safe conduct should be given together with a hostage, in order to ascertain the fact of the confederates' discomfiture and retreat. 'And, in case,'he continued, 'all that you tell us is confirmed by our countrymen, we will submit ourselves at noon to-morrow, and open our gates to Count Mondragone, trusting to bis good faith and honor, and to God's everlasting mercy, for our preservation according to the terms you have offered.' 'And if we refuse this permission,' shouted a harsh voice from the boat, ' how will you help youselves then, I pray you?' ' I will tell you,' replied the old man; 'we will cut off our left arms, and feed upon them, and fight jou with our right hands only, and when that food shall fail us, we will kill our women and children, and set our town on fire, and sally out and fall sword in hand, harming our enemies, at least, to the end, and die, if needs be we must die, killing!' ' T *y it—try it, at once!' replied the voice. (jo home and sup on your left arm to-night, I trow it will be but gristly and unprofitable food; tor we will grant no such permission. No! you must trust in this, likewise, to our Spanish honor —tor the confederates are beated, and Boissot slam too, that is certain, If I had thought of it, we could have satisfied your doubts right easily by bringing his head with us and pitching it over your walls/ " vV 3 * j* s tlie reason why we doubt you ' replied Adrian; we cannot very well believe that had you conquered, as you say you have, you would not have brought down some prisoners to crucify, or hang up by the heels, at our gates.' _We made no prisoners, not one!' replied the voice; we killed them all-as we shall kill you you do not yield, and that too to-morrow/ then, you will not grant—' began the governor, desirous of gaining his end by any means but he was interrupted immediately by the same stern, rough voice— ' No! no! I tell you no! The terms offered now are too good for ye—heretic and rebellious ' Then, we will not surrender upon any terms —and look you to it, for it shall cost you many lives to overpower our despair - ' And, without any farther words, he turned silently and sadly from the walls, and walked towards the market place among a constantly increasing concourse of pale, emaciated wretches, wasted and worn with pestilence and famine till scarce a semblance of humanity of life was left on their wan and haggard features. Yet each one of those weak and staggering, nay, almost dying! creatures was girt about with harness and war-weapons, was resolute to the last gasp for his country, his religion, and his privilege to worship God according to his faith and conscience. At length, when he had reached the open space m front of the Maison de Ville, one of the crowd cried out to him, 'Speakto us, Adrianspeak to us, noble Adrian yon Halen-tell us what we shall now do.'

The magistrate bad already mounted T" three of the steps leading to the Gothic 7i Wo °r of tbe town hall when the cry arose unA orWa y terated by two or three faint voices aodf n' rei * by a feeble cheer. Immediately the ISa etl turned about, and addressed them in * i • i ma n resolute tone. . Bftl ßhand ' Brethern' he said, ' ana fellow- suffer are of a truth very hard beset, and befi*^* 6 yen, where I trust we shall all soon ho, "- cabled, I know not weir how to co Unfi T etn - Haerlem and Naerden, my friends teac.l°"' Spaniards keep their faith with thoso *,k how tulate: and loth should Ibe to confide ?vl Capi " love to their honor, or their mercy Mn m * brothers, I believe not* altogether' thl tl e^ er > this their proclamation. If it be L• T should they hesitate to let us learn it* & a. y persons ? If it be true, why should twS m conditions so seeming fair and honorahlp a-"* for that very seeming, I but the Uat > their falsehood ? My advice, least, to hold out until to-morrow I »bmt!\ at will not hurl themselves heedlessly 2? edge of our despair by assaulting us. and m should why we can yet moke a pretty hJK them, few as we are and feeble; and it iX° f always to die like heroes on a well-(Wan j j breach, than to be slaughtered, slave-hE, cellars or our garrets. Let us I say \mU ° U \ until to-morrow, and then if we shouldT that the prince is indeed driven back w» submit; or, if they then refuse us terms, we ca! set fire to our houses, die to a man in the hi ditch, and leave to our oppressed and groLS countrymen a proud example, and to our S whelming foes a solitude which, if they will" they may call peace.' J "> 'Well said, well said, Adrian yon Halen' replied fifty voices from the multitude- «S|i hast thou said, and as thou sayest we will do * ' War to tbe last?' screamed one who had Lf the power to shout. 'Death rather tlianVtZ mission to the treacherous Spaniords ?' 'But tell us, Adriau,' exclaimed' another cooler and more thoughtful than the rest 'how shall we know if William of Nassau have Indeed ' retreated: v •That is what I go now to deliberate with the council, replied Adrian; 'the only plan la* is to send a boat acrors the inundation, to make its way into the Grevelingen by Brouvershaven seek out the fleet, and require some signal by which we may be certified, but 1 much fear me it wi I be hard to find a messenger, or men to row him over, could we find one.' ' It were sure death,' answered nearly a hundred persons in a breath ; ' they lie in force both at Boiiimene and Brouvershaven, and they have store and of pinnaces and galleys.' 'No ! no ! cried many nfore." 'No ! no' we will not go—none of us! none of us! did'not they crucify Peter Schenck with his head downward, and sew Martin Vanderhagen up in the carcase of a dead horse/ whom they caught carrying letters to Boissot? No! none of us will do that—death is nothing; but tortures like that are worse than twenty deaths.' 'Then, Heaven have mercy upon us,'he replied, 'for earth has no hope.'* And; with the words, he entered the town house and ascended the stairs to the council chamber, where six or eight old men and four or five in the prime of manhood were assembled about a table, covered with scarlet cloth. There was a splendid chamber, adorned with arms, hangings and fine pictures of the great English masters, and carvings in wood-work, and elaborate gildings, and Venetian mirrors, a-nd soft Turkey carpets; and, notwithstanding all of suffering and sorrow, famine and pestilence, that had so long brooded over that most unhappy town, that chamber had been preserved in all its splendour with a care which appeared to hold it sacred; and it was swept on this night and garnished as if for some high festival. The men too, old and young, who were gathered there perhaps for the last time, though thin, and wan, and ghastly, with not a hue of color in their sunken cheeks, not a gleam of life in their watery and unmeaning eyes, and scarce strength enough to totter to and fro on their attenuated limbs, were accurately and even richly dressed—the burgomasters in their accustomed suits of black velvet with huge ruffs about their necks, and massive chains of gold— the rest in rich coats of plate-armour, with gorgets round their necks, and heavy swordsbuckled on their thighs, too heavy it would seem to be wielded by arms so feeble as those which hung listlessly by the sides, or were crossed with an air of patient resolution over ?he bold breasts of the wearers. It was to these that Adrian yon Halen entered with the sad tidings of which he was the ; bearer, nor did he look to them with anything of confidence for the assistance which he needed. For how could he expect that any man would expose himself to the almost certain risk of death, protracted not through hours alone, but days and nights of excruciating and insufferable torture ? Still, he laid the matter before them fairly — be told them the whole import of the proclamation, and the terms offered—of the refusal of the beseigers to permit any inquiries concerning the truth of their tidings; of his own resolution, and that of the assembled population—rather to •fire the town, and perish in the flames, with all that was dear to them on earth, than to surrender uninformed and blindly. He pointed out the only method of obtaining tidings, and asked if any there would volunteer to be the messenger, in case men could be found to row tbe boat. Dull looks and gloomy silence only replied to his question—and, when he asked each after each, a cold refusal followed.