Antwerp, when it fell into the hands of the Spaniard, sank for ever from its proud position.

The city which Venetians but lately had confessed with a sigh to be superior in commercial grandeur to their own magnificent capital, had ceased to be a seaport.

Shut in from the ocean by Flushing--firmly held by an English garrison as one of the cautionary towns for the Queen's loan--her world-wide commerce withered before men's eyes.

Her population was dwindling to not much more than half its former numbers, while Ghent, Bruges, and other cities were diminished by two-thirds.
On the other hand, the commerce and manufactures of the United Republic had enormously augmented.

Its bitterest enemies bore witness to the sagacity and success by which its political affairs were administered, and to its vast superiority in this respect over the obedient provinces.
"The rebels are not ignorant of our condition," said Champagny, "they are themselves governed with consummate wisdom, and they mock at those who submit themselves to the Duke of Parma.