Breda, 1590

ASPICIS ILIACAM, (QVID ENIM DISCRIMINIS?) ARCEM / NONNE, VIDES? LAXAT CLAVSTRA VIROSQVE SINON. / PRIMA NEOPTOLEMI HÆC NOSTRI VICTORIA: ACHILLE / QVI MAIOR, DICI SI PATIETVR, ERIT. H. Grotius

Four views of the capture on 4 March 1590 of Breda from Spanish forces, commanded by Paolo Lanzavecchia, by Dutch-English troops commanded by Maurice of Nassau (14 November 1567-23 April 1625) and Francis Vere (c.1560-18 August 1609). Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648).

Breda was the northernmost Habsburg stronghold and it was the first in a long list of captures to be made by Maurice of Nassau over the next few years. The town was taken by subterfuge: the Dutch and English troops were hidden in turf barges and shipped in to the city. The soldiers are shown in the top left view, gathering on the banks of the River Mark, preparing to embark on a barge; the next scene, top right, depicts the barge entering the city. At daybreak on 4 March (a Sunday) the Dutch and English left the boats and are shown in the third scene, bottom left, divided into two groups, one attacking the guards while the other assaults the arsenal. Finally, bottom right, the main cavalry and infantry troops, with Maurice and Francis Vere arrive.

The date of 1599 which is given in the old heading and old catalogue is an error. The Monogram Hh is identified by Nägler No.1034 as Heinrich Hondius the Elder and Younger. An example of this print without the monogram has been catalogued by Muller (FMH 990-a; vol.I, p.119) as published by Henrick Haestens; however, the example which does have the monogram (FMH 990-b) is recorded by Muller as published by Hendrick Hondius I.

The numbers which are present on each of these four views are not explained in an accompanying text in this collection. The Breda Museum has an example [call number not given] of this print which has three columns of letterpress text, printed in Delft (no date), which have been mounted in two columns, one down each side of the print. The title of this text is Waerachtich / Verhael / Ende / Af-beeldinghe / Van het kloec-dadich feyt / en vant innemen des kasteels ende Stadt / van Breda onder tbevel des hoochgheboren Prins Maurits / van Nassau, int jaer 1590 den 4 Martii. This text does have a key which explains the nine numbers on the print. 

Dolendo also made four very similar, small, rectangular etchings/engravings which were printed on one sheet. They were published in J.J. Orlers’s and H. van Haestens’s Den Nassauschen Lauren-Crans: Beschrijvinghe ende af-beeldinge van alle de victorien … de Staten der Vereenichde Nederlanden, Leiden, 1610 (see Rijksmuseum RP-P-OB-80.091). These four rectangular views also carry the same numbers which are explained in the letterpress text below the views:

1. Die stadt Seven-berghen
2. Het fort Nordam
3. Plaetsche daer die Soldaten by nacht int turfschip zijn ghegaen.
4. Plaetsche alwaer het Schip lach, na dat het vande Soldaten was inghehaelt.
5.Twee cordeguarden van dees scheeps-Soldaten overvallen.
6. Vyt-val ghedaen uyt het binnen-Hoff; gheresisteert, ende te rugghe-ghedreven.
7. Brugghe van’t Casteel, by die vande Stadt ende haere Soldaten verbrandt.
8. Poorte daer door zijn Excel. met ander ende meerder crijchs-volck is inghecomen.
9. T’vluchten der Italianen siende het Casteel verloren.

The Rijksmuseum (RP-P-OB-80.090) have assigned a date of  c.1597-1601 for the state of the print which is catalogued here. This state is probably a later printing of the issue which lacks the Hh monogram. In either case, it can be said that, although Grotius had indeed published a couple of Latin verses by the time he was eight, in 1591, (the year after the events portrayed in the print) it is more likely that these verses were published at a later date and after his matriculation from University in 1597 by which time he had published one Greek ode and two other Latin poems.