Prince of Orange, succeeded to the government of the Low Countries after the death of his father William, who was killed in 1584 by the fanatic Gérard. The young prince was then only eighteen years of age, but his courage and abilities were above his years. He was appointed captain-general of the United Provinces, and he reared that edifice of liberty of which his father had laid the foundations. Breda submitted to him in 1590; Zutphen, Deventer, Hulst, Nimeguen, in 1591. He gained several important advantages in 1592; and in the following year he made himself master of Gertruydenburg. When he had performed these splendid services, he returned to the Low Countries by the way of Zealand. His fleet was attacked by a dreadful tempest, in which he lost forty vessels, and he himself had very nearly perished. His death would have been considered by the Hollanders as a much greater calamity than the loss of their vessels. They watched over his safety with exceeding care. In 1594, one of his guards was accused of an intention to take away his life, and it was generally believed that he had been bribed to do this service by the enemies of the republic; but he fell a sacrifice at Bruges, either to his own fanaticism, or to the jealous anxiety of the friends of Maurice. The Prince of Orange defeated the troops of the Archduke Albert in 1597, and drove the Spaniards entirely out of Holland. In 1600 he was obliged to raise the siege of Dunkirk; but he took ample vengeance upon Albert, whom he again defeated in a pitched battle near Nieuport. Before the action, this great general sent back the ships which had brought his troops into Flanders. "My brethren," said he to his army, "we must conquer the enemy or drink up the waters of the sea. Determine for yourselves; I have resolved I shall either conquer by your bravery, or never survive the disgrace of being conquered by men in every respect our inferiors." This speech elevated the soldiers to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, and the victory was complete. Rhinberg, Grave, and Echuse, cities in Flanders, submitted in the following year to the conqueror. Maurice, however, not only laboured for the commonwealth, but also for himself. He coveted the sovereignty of Holland, but in the prosecution of his design was opposed by the pensioner Barneveldt. But the zeal and activity of this wise republican cost him his life. He was an Arminian; and at this time Maurice defended Gomar against Arminius. In 1619, the prince, taking advantage of the general odium under which the Arminians lay, found means to get Barneveldt condemned. His death, which was wholly owing to the ambition of the Prince of Orange, made a deep impression on the minds of the Hollanders. The truce with Spain having expired, Spinola laid siege to Breda in 1634; and in six months he took the place, though with great slaughter of his troops. The Prince of Orange, having proved unsuccessful in every attempt to raise the siege, died of vexation in 1625, at the age of fifty-five, being reputed the greatest warrior of his time. "The life of this stadtholder," says the Abbé Raynal, "was almost an uninterrupted series of battles, of sieges, and of victories. Of moderate abilities in everything else, he shone conspicuous in his military capacity. His camp was the school of Europe; and those who received their military education in his armies augmented, perhaps, the glory of their master. Like Montecucculi, he discovered inimitable skill in his marches and encampments; like Vauban, he possessed the talent of fortifying places, and of rendering them impregnable; like Eugene, the address to find subsistence for great armies in countries barren by nature, or ravaged by war; like Vendôme, the happy talent of calling forth, in the moment when they became necessary, greater exertions from his soldiers than could reasonably be expected; like Condé, that infallible quickness of eye which usually decides the fortune of battles; like Charles XII., the art of rendering his troops almost invincible to cold, hunger, and fatigue; like Turenne, the secret of making war with the least possible expense of human blood." The Chevalier Folard maintains that Maurice was the greatest commander of infantry since the time of the Romans. He studied the military art of the ancients, and applied their rules with great exactness in the various occurrences of war. He not only took advantage of the inventions of others, but he also enriched the science of war with several improvements. Telescopes were first used by him for military purposes; and, besides a kind of gallery in conducting a siege, and the plan of blockading a strong place, which were of his invention, he greatly improved the art by his method of pushing an attack with great vigour, and of defending, for the greatest length of time, and in the best manner, a place besieged. In short, the many useful things which he practised or invented placed him in the highest rank amongst military men. On one occasion, a lady of quality asked him, "Who was the first general of the age? Spinola?" replied he, "is the second." It was his constant practice, during sleep, to have two guards placed by his bed-side, not only to defend him in case of danger, but to awake him if there should be the least occasion. The war between Spain and Holland was never carried on with greater vigour and animosity than during his administration. The grand signior, hearing of the quantity of blood shed in this contest, thought that a great empire must be depending on the decision. When the object of so many battles was pointed out to him on a map, he said coldly, "If it were my business, I would send my pioneers, and order them to cast this little corner of earth into the sea." Maurice was succeeded by Frederick Henry, his brother.