And who could wonder at such insolence, seeing that the army in Flanders, formerly the terror of heretics, had become since the truce so weak as to be the laughing-stock of the United Provinces?
If it was expensive to maintain these armies in the obedient Netherlands, let there be economy elsewhere, they urged.
From India came gold and jewels.

From other kingdoms came ostentation and a long series of vain titles for the crown of Spain.

Flanders was its place of arms, its nursery of soldiers, its bulwark in Europe, and so it should be preserved.
There was ground for these complaints.

The army at the disposition of the Archduke had been reduced to 8000 infantry and a handful of cavalry.

The peace establishment of the Republic amounted to 20,000 foot, 3000 horse, besides the French and English regiments.
So soon as the news of the occupation of Julich was officially communicated to the Spanish cabinet, a subsidy of 400,000 crowns was at once despatched to Brussels.