A brief sketch of this important personage, so far as regards her previous career, is reserved for the following chapter.

For the present it is sufficient to state the fact of the nomination.

In order to afford a full view of Philip's political arrangements before his final departure from the Netherlands, we defer until the same chapter, an account of the persons who composed the boards of council organized to assist the new Regent in the government.

These bodies themselves were three in number: a state and privy council and one of finance.

They were not new institutions, having been originally established by the Emperor, and were now arranged by his successor upon the same nominal basis upon which they had before existed.
The finance council, which had superintendence of all matters relating to the royal domains and to the annual budgets of the government, was presided over by Baron Berlaymont.