The Holland Society of New York - Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 117 text:

rf 3 ' eri n HOW THE DUTCH PRESERVED THE ' FREEDOM, IN BODY AND MIND, OP MIDDLE EUROPE, IN 1639. BY BREV. MAJOR-GEN. I. WATTS DE PEYSTER, NEW YORK, A.M., Litt. D., Ph.D., LL.D. ftwicel, Member of the Holland Society. T is very strange how, in two crises of modern European affairs, the English or British peo- ple arrogated to themselves the whole glory of two great victories, when, in pure honesty and sober truth, the Seven United States, or Prov- inces, of Holland, were in one case entitled to a full share of the glory-namely, in the destruction of the Invincible Armada, in 1588-and in the other case, Blucher and his Prussian army deserve the credit for the Hnal overthrow of i Napoleon, saving the British from annihilation at Waterloo. In the case of the Invincible Armada, 1588, Michelet especially tells us : Besides the Hollandzkh ships which joined with the English in attacking the ' Invincible Armada,' it should be borne in mind that the Siczfes of Holland had pefmzeied one Zhozesand of Meir mos! experzefzeed sezilofs io serve as wlzmieers on board fize QI