It was the first time that an army of the invincible Spanish
king had suffered such a humiliating defeat. It surprised the
world just as the Japanese victory of Mukden, in the Russian-
Japanese war, surprised our own generation. The Protestant
powers took fresh courage and Philip devised new means for
the purpose of conquering his rebellious subjects. He hired
a poor half-witted fanatic to go and murder William of
Orange. But the sight of their dead leader did not bring the
Seven Provinces to their knees. On the contrary it made them
furiously angry. In the year 1581, the Estates General (the
meeting of the representatives of the Seven Provinces) came
together at the Hague and most solemnly abjured their
``wicked king Philip'' and themselves assumed the burden
of sovereignty which thus far had been invested in their
``King by the Grace of God.''
This is a very important event in the history of the great
struggle for political liberty. It was a step which reached
much further than the uprising of the nobles which ended with
the signing of the Magna Carta. These good burghers said
``Between a king and his subjects there is a silent understanding
that both sides shall perform certain services and shall
recognise certain definite duties. If either party fails to live
up to this contract, the other has the right to consider it ter-
minated.
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