WILLIAM OF ORANGE-NASSAU (WILLIAM THE SILENT)).

Important pamphlet issued by William the Silent in the first years of the Eighty Year's War (still on behalf of the King of Spain!), Placaet, onses heeren des coninckx, by den welcken, allen cooplieden toeghelaten wordt, op Hollandt ende Zeelandt te trafickeeren ende hanteren, met verbot dat niemant van Oosten ofte van Westen comende met schip nochte goeden sal moghen arriveren ofte synen coers nemen op Vlaenderen, Brabandt, Vrieslant ende andere provincien, hen vyandtlicken teghens den landen van Hollandt ende Zeelandt thoonende, etc.

      (Jan Canin I), 1574., Dordrecht, - Small 4to. Unbound. Woodcut printer's device of Jan Canin I, showing a lion holding a book surrounded by the words "Siet de leeuw uut den geslachte iuda de wortel davids heeft overwonnen apos" on title-page, 1 woodcut initial. (4) leaves. Very rare and important pamphlet issued on 18 May, 1574, and simultaneously published in 1574 by Jan Canin I in Dordrecht (two different issues), by Maritgen Simons in Delft, and by the widow H. Schinkel and A. Hendrickszoon also in Delft. Three of these variants start with the word 'Placcaet' instead of 'Placaet', and there are other small differences between the titles (the issue by Canin listed by Tiele for example with the word 'handteren' instead of 'hanteren' as in the title of our copy).The pamphlet contains a decree issued during the first years of the Eighty Year's war of independence of the Dutch provinces. One week after the publication, on the 26th of May, 1574, the second siege of Leyden started, ending at the 3rd of October with the liberation of the city from the Spaniards.The decree was issued by William the Silent, still on behalf of the official sovereign Philip II, king of Spain, in which William tries to close the borders of the provinces Holland and Zeeland (both loyal to the Prince) for ships coming from and going to the surrounding Dutch provinces of Flanders, Brabant, Friesland, (Gelderland and Overijssel), which were loyal to the Spanish king. It clearly shows the difficulties the Stadtholder William the Silent and the revolting provinces had with the hot issue of the sovereignty of the 'liberated' provinces, before they abjured the Spanish king in 1581. Good copy.- (Final leaf lacks small portion of lower blank corner; spine strengthened with paper strip). Typ. Bat. 6031 (3 copies); cf. Tiele 133, listing the simultaneously published variant, also issued by Jan Canin in Dordrecht.; Bor I, p. 498; none of the variants mentioned above in Knuttel. Bibliotheca Belgica IV, p.160, no. 3, reproducing the printer's device.