Before reaching
man's estate, he had formed the design of murdering the Prince of
Orange, 'who, so long as he lived, seemed like to remain a rebel
against the Catholic King, and to make every effort to disturb the
repose of the Roman Catholic Apostolic religion'. When but twenty
years of age, he had struck his dagger with all his might into a door,
exclaiming, as he did so, 'Would that the blow had been in the heart
of Orange!'"
In 1582, however, the news had gone out that Jaureguy had killed the
Prince at Antwerp, and Gerard felt that his mission was at an end. But
when the Prince recovered, his murderous enthusiasm redoubled, and
he offered himself formally and with matter-of-fact precision to the
Prince of Parma as heaven's minister of vengeance. The Prince, who had
long been seeking such an emissary, at first declined the alliance:
he had become too much the prey of soldiers of fortune who represented
themselves to be expert murders but in whom he could put no trust. In
Motley's words: "Many unsatisfactory assassins had presented themselves
from time to time, and Alexander had paid money in hand to various
individuals--Italians, Spaniards, Lorrainers, Scotchmen, Englishmen,
who had generally spent the sums received without attempting the
job.
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