XXXII
In those days it was that the Beggarmen, among whom were Lamme and Ulenspiegel, took the city of Gorcum by storm. And they were led in this enterprise by one Captain Marin. This Marin had once been a workman on the dikes, but now he bore himself with great haughtiness and effrontery, and he signed an agreement with Gaspard Turc, the defender of Gorcum, by which it was agreed that the city should capitulate on condition that Turc himself, together with the monks, citizens, and soldiers who had been shut up in the citadel, should be allowed to pass out freely, their muskets on their shoulders and with anything that they could carry with them—save only what belonged to the churches, which was to remain in the hands of the victors. But in spite of this agreement, Captain Marin, acting under an order from Messire de Lumey, detained nineteen monks as his prisoners, while the rest of the citizens were allowed to go free as had been promised.
And Ulenspiegel said:
“Word of a soldier, word of gold. Why has the captain been false to his promise?”
An old Beggarman answered Ulenspiegel:
“The monks are the sons of Satan, the canker of our nation, the shame of our country. Dogs are chained up—let the monks be also chained, for they are the bloodhounds of the Duke. Long live the Beggarmen!”
“But,” answered Ulenspiegel, “we must remember that my Lord of Orange, the Prince of Liberty, has ordered us to respect the property and the free conscience of all such as give themselves up into our power.”
Some of the older Beggarmen replied that the admiral could not do so in the case of the monks. “And he is master here,” they added. “It was he that took La Brièle. To prison with the monks!”
“A soldier’s word is a word of gold,” said Ulenspiegel. “Parole de soldat, parole d’or. Why should we ever break our word?”