But Spain suffered from a curious eco-
nomic disease. Her peasants were hard working men and
even harder working women. But the better classes maintained
a supreme contempt for any form of labour, outside of
employment in the army or navy or the civil service. As for
the Moors, who had been very industrious artisans, they had
been driven out of the country long before. As a result, Spain,
the treasure chest of the world, remained a poor country because
all her money had to be sent abroad in exchange for the
wheat and the other necessities of life which the Spaniards
neglected to raise for themselves.
Philip, ruler of the most powerful nation of the
sixteenth century, depended for his revenue upon the taxes
which were gathered in the busy commercial bee-hive of
the Netherlands. But these Flemings and Dutchmen were
devoted followers of the doctrines of Luther and Calvin
and they had cleansed their churches of all images and holy
paintings and they had informed the Pope that they no
longer regarded him as their shepherd but intended to follow
the dictates of their consciences and the commands of their
newly translated Bible.
This placed the king in a very difficult position. He could
not possibly tolerate the heresies of his Dutch subjects, but
he needed their money. If he allowed them to be Protestants
and took no measures to save their souls he was deficient in
his duty toward God.
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