were under a neceffity of acting from themselves, without waiting for his council or inftruction. In these circumftances they faw there was no other alternative to a general infurrection, the event of which could not be foreseen, and which muft in any case be highly deftructive in its confequences, but to make fuch conceffions as would afford fatisfaction to the people.

In this view they fufpended, until the farther will of the fovereign fhould be known, the whole order of intendants and commiffaries. They ordered the new tribunals, which had been fo lately opened, to be shut, and gave the fanction of government to the ancient tribunals, for the refumption of those functions, from the exercife of which they had not defifted. They alfo recalled father Godefroi from his exile; and promifed their applica tion at the court of Vienna, for the restoration of Mr. de Hondt back

into Brabant.

The governors general, however, foon found that these conceffions were not fufficient, that the ftates of Brabant were far from being fatisfied, and that the minds of men were ftill generally agitated by apprehenfions and jealoufies. They accordingly determined, with equal juftice and prudence, to reftore, as far as the power lay in themfelves, the tranquillity and happiness of the provinces, by meeting the wifhes of the people in their full extent. For this purpose they iffued a decree, fully competent to the defign, and which promised to May 30th, render the 30th of May 1787. a day of perpetual jubilee in the Low Countries. In this important document they declared, that

any

all arrangements, which were in refpect contrary to the joyous entry, fhould be entirely fet afide; and that due reparation fhould be made for all infringements on that great charter, which the people held fo facred. They expreffed their hopes and wishes, that the fovereign would ratify this declaration; and promised to employ their own good offices to the utmoft at the imperial court, for the accomplishment of that purpofe; and they confented to remove from their councils all thofe perfons whose conduct had rendered them obnoxious to the ftates of Brabant.

.

This ample declaration produced the most unbounded joy among the people. The ftates of Brabant, and the fyndics, haftened to express their warm acknowledgments to the governors general, and received the favour as if it had been an original grace, and the firft grant of privilege or liberty. The princes afforded an opportunity to the people at large of pouring forth their grateful acclamations to them; and had the fatisfaction of beholding heartfelt joy, gratitude, and affection, depictured in every countenance, in the place of lowring difcontent or furious anger. The fame affurances of the prefervation of their rights having been communicated to the other provinces, the fatisfaction and joy became univerfal; and in this feafon of general triumph, the citizens of Mons, in Haynault (who had been diftinguished by their zeal and fpirit, and by the ftrength and boldnefs of their remonftrances in the late period of danger) could not be reftrained from celebrating their ancient and dearly beloved festival of the Kerremeffe, although it had been

fuppreffed

fuppreffed and prohibited by an imperial decree fome time before.

The joy of the Flemings was, however, once more interrupted by difquietude and apprehenfion, when they had leisure to ruminate on the danger of the emperor's refufing to ratify the declaration made by the princes. They began now to know his temper and difpofition, and could not, upon cool reflection, but be fenfible of the uncertain ground on which they refted their hopes. The celebrated prime minifter, prince Kaunitz, had formerly refided as minifter in the Netherlands, at which time he had fully acquired the affection and confidence of the people, and had ever fince continued to fhew fuch regards for them, that he was in a great measure confidered as the friend and patron of the nation. As every body knew the unbounded plenitude of his power in the councils of the court of Vienna, fo it was eagerly hoped that he would not wait the emperor's return for the ratification of a document which had already produced fuch happy effects.

It was then a grievous difappointment when they were informed by prince Kaunitz, that although he held hopes that the fovereign might not be unwilling to comply with the wishes of his fubjects, yet it was impoffible the ratification fhould take place until his return to the capital. This light way of treating an inftrument on which all hope and reliance was placed, authenticated by all the powers of acting government, and which feemed to receive a particular sanction from the near relation of the governors general to

the emperor, firuck every body with confternation and difmay. As the emperor did not return for feveral weeks, the states of Brabant remained fitting, and the fyndics. continued to hold their meetings. The ftates of Namur and Luxemburgh being now convened, warmly joined in their remonftrances with the other provinces, and displaying the charters and ratifications obtained from their ancient princes, rather demanded than folicited the. re-establishment of their conftitutions and liberties. All ranks of men, as their suspicions and apprehenfions continually increased, became daily more impatient for the ratification; and the general folicitude for the constitution, and determination to maintain it, grew more confpicuous.

In this ftate of things the people were feized with a fudden impulfe of arming, in order to be prepared for the worst that might happen. At Bruffels, and in all the principal cities, the burgeffes formed themselves into volunteer companies, equipped themselves with an uniform and cockades, and displaying banners with the arms of the province, applied diligently to the practice of military exercifes. The court of Vienna, as well as that of Bruffels, were feriously alarmed at thefe appearances, and ftill more at the general difpofition with which they were accompanied. Prince Kaunitz endeavoured, by lenient language, and fair but unexplicit promifes, to mitigate the heats that prevailed in the provinces. His difpatches, however, produced in fome inftances an effect contrary to what he feemingly intended. Having fent Mr. de Hondt back to

Bruffels,

out delay to the appointment of abbots to the vacant abbeys. Feeling at the fame time that their influence was become fupreme with the states of Brabant, they led that body to demand, that all the fuppreffed convents fhould be re eftablished, without exception to thofe whofe fuppreffion had received the fanction either of the ftates themfelves, or of the council of Brabant. And, as if it had been a ftruggle to fhew how far the fpirit might be carried, the ftates of Namur prefented an addrefs, for revoking the edict for univerfal toleration, which was undoubtedly the most illuftrious act of the emperor's reign.

The emperor returned to Vienna in the beginning of July; but his return produced no ratification; and inftead of affording any omens encouraging to the late requifitions, they were of a nature which served to damp the most moderate and beft founded expectations. He loft no time in dispatching an angry mandate to the states of the Low Countries, in which, difplaying all the terrors of offended majefty, he expreffed in ftrong terms his aftonifhment, indignation, and displeasure at thofe intemperate and violent measures which the ftates had adopted, and that bold defiance which they had given to his authority. He however declared, that he had never intended to fubvert their conftitution, and that in his edicts he had fought only to correct ancient abuses, and to make falutary reforms. He required, as a proof of obedience, that the ftates of each province fhould fend deputies to Vienna, to lay their fubjects of complaint at the foot of the throne; profeffing, that he retained the fentiments of a fa

ther, and knew how to pardon the errors and temerity of his fubjects ; but threatening them with fevere chaftifement, if they should refufe to pay the mark of refpect which he demanded. He likewife informed them, that he had called the princes, the governors general, to Vienna, that they might act as mediators between him and the ftates; and that he had alfo ordered the count Belgiojofo to repair to that capital.

Thus were the lofty hopes and fond expectations of the Flemings laid at once in the duft, and their fhort-lived gleam of liberty seemed expired, never more to revive. The provinces did not, however, fink under the haughty and fevere language with which they were fo little acquainted. The ftates complained grievously of the falfe reprefentations which had been made of their conduct, by which the fovereign was not only withheld from that ratification which they had fo juft a right to expect, but through which he had likewife been induced to conftrue into difaffection and revolt their honeft zeal in maintaining their rights and liberties. They lamented the recall of the princes, in a feafon when their prefence was more neceffary than ever for the prefervation of tranquillity; and by no means concealed the difcontent with which the order of fending deputies to Vienna infpired them. This order was indeed so odious, that the fyndics compared it to the only fimilar order that had ever been iffued under the cruel and arbitrary reign of Philip the fecond; and recalling the events of that disastrous time, did not fail to apply them to the prefent, and feemed to augur as difmal a catastrophe to the Auftrian as to the Spanish peregrination.

It was, however, in a general affembly held at Bruffels, thought better to comply with this new teft of obedience required by the fovereign, and deputies from the ftates were accordingly appointed to proceed to Vienna; but they were entrusted with very limited powers, being only charged to exprefs the loyalty of the nation, and to reprefent their grievances, and totally restricted from coming to any conclufion with refpect to public affairs, without the fpecial and immediate authority of the states.

Towards the end of July the princes, as well as the count Belgiojofo, fet out for Vienna', the former attended with the general regret, and the latter with the execrations of the people. The count de Murray, a gentleman of Scottish defcent, who had for fome years commanded the Auftrian forces in the Netherlands, was now appointed to the government of the country during the abfence of the princes. The deputies of the ftates likewife commenced their pilgrimage to Vienna about the fame time; and the provinces now began to flatter themselves that this mark of fubmiffion would remove all fufpicions of disloyalty, and prove the means of procuring that ratification which was now become the ultimate object of their hopes.

But the deputies were not far advanced on their journey, when intelligence was received, that the imperial forces in Germany were all in motion; that a mighty army was destined to march into the Low Countries; the battalions to be employed on this fervice were enumerated; the generals who were to command named; the route the army was to take described; and it was faid, that the princes of the

empire, whofe territories lay in the way, had already been applied to, and had already granted a free paffage to the troops. The greater currency was given to the whole of this alarming intelligence, from the fudden and unexpected approach of the regiment of Bender (which was now confidered as the precurfor of the grand army) which by long marches and extraordinary expedition had already nearly arrived on the frontiers of Luxemburgh.

Although the minds of all men were exceedingly agitated, yet the fpirit of the people did not fink fo much as might have been expected, confidering how long they had battened in the lap of plenty and ease, and what entire strangers they were to the tumults of war. While they hardened their minds, by recalling images of thofe fcenes of devaftation and horror which took place under the tyranny of the duke of Alva, they comforted themselves with the reflection of the fuccefs which then attended the determined efforts of a handfull of brave men, in defending their liberties against the arbitrary violence of the greateft power then in the world. They estimated their population at three millions, which they counted to be far fuperior to that of Holland at the period alluded to; and they could not acknowledge any inferiority of their own courage to that of their countrymen; or if the enthusiasm of religion was abfolutely neceffary to incite men to great actions, that was no lefs interested in the prefent than in the former inftance. They confoled themselves much upon their great diftance from the fources of the

emperor's action and power, and thought he was too accurate a politician not to perceive, that al[*P] 2 though