Philip Sidney Corp Booklet

knight, courtier, gentleman Sir

philip sidney (1554 – 1587)

Production and realisation Pavlov www.pavlovpubliceert.nl

Text Michiel Haans Editing Peter Cornet Ellen de Man Lapidoth Design Frederik de Wal

© Copyright Philip Sidney, 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a computer data file or published, in any form or manner, whether electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or any other method, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, BY UNKNOWN ARTIST, C.1576.

PORTRAIT OF ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICESTER,

BY STEVEN VAN HERWIJCK, C.1650.

PHILIP SIDNEY knight, courtier, gentleman

FOREWORD

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I

RESPECT & TRUST Youth & studies (1554 – 1571)

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II

COURTESY Grand Tour and diplomatic training (1572 – 1581)

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III DEDICATION

Knight and husband

(1581 – 1585)

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IV INTEGRITY

Battle at Zutphen & death

(1586 – 1587)

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A SPIRIT WITHOUT SPOT

FOREWORD

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Tempus volat, hora fugit. Time flies, the hour flees. And with it goes much of our collective memory. Once-important and famous events or people are forgotten and consigned to the quiet caverns of history. Louise Brooks was world-famous as an actress in the 1920s, but few people will recall her these days. Who still remembers Cleisthenes of Athens, Frederick III or James Knox? There’s a good chance that the next generation will more readily associate the name Vanilla Ice with a dessert than with the rapper from the 1990s. And sometimes history has become distorted. Often all that remains is an event which eclipses the actual individual and his deeds. O.J. Simpson became more renowned for the court case than for his career as a football player and film actor.

Occasionally this ‘historic depreciation’ is unjustified.

Certain people deserve to remain in the history books.

Philip Sidney is just such a person. Here and there quotations by him still flutter around, and there is still a forgotten statue, but in the year 2013 there are very few who know this poet and nobleman other than a handful of ­historians and literary academics. Things were once very

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different. In the seventeenth century no fewer than nine reprints (!) were made of his prose work, ‘Arcadia’, more than the collected works of Shakespeare. In its pomp and circumstance his funeral was only surpassed by the state funeral of Churchill in 1965. An actual cult sprang up around him following his death in 1587. Queen Elizabeth is said to have remarked that she would have liked to have bought back his life ‘with many millions’, and entire bookshelves have been written about him. Not surprisingly. Sir Philip was an exceptionally talented man. A diplomat, poet, military man and above all, the archetype of the complete gentleman. ‘The most accomplished nobleman of his times’, as he was called. A courtier with an enormous degree of ambition, who was almost forced into Machiavellian choices through political intrigues and scheming at court, but who persisted unshakeably along his own course. A man who died far too young and who we should continue to remember.

Gert Demmink Partner Philip Sidney

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‘The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity.’

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RESPECT & TRUST

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YOUTH & STUDIES (1554 – 1571)

Philip Sidney came from an aristocratic background. He was ‘born in silk sheets and grew up with a silver spoon’ as biographer Alan Stewart notes so strikingly. On 30 November 1554, ‘on Friday the last of November, being St. Andrews day, a quarter before five in the morning’ he first saw the light of day, in the splendid estate of Penhurst in the green hills of Kent, the family domain of mother Lady Mary Dudley and father Henry Sidney. The psalm-book recalls the happy event and allows no misunderstanding of the fact that this young nobleman stemmed from high beginnings: ...His godfathers were the great King Philip, King of Spain, and the noble John Russell Earl of Bedford.

And his godmother, the most virtuous Lady Jane Duchess of Northumberland his grandmother.

[Alan Stewart, Philip Sidney, 2000]

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That Spain’s King Philip II was named as his godfather requires some historical explanation. Philip Sidney was born during an extremely turbulent period in English history. A year earlier, in 1553, King Edward died and Protestantism had gained so many supporters in England that the Duke of Northumberland put forward a Protestant candidate for the throne: Lady Jane Grey. However her Catholic cousin Maria Tudor was far more loved by the people, and after just nine days Jane had to abdicate. She was succeeded by Mary, whose fanatical style of ruling quickly gained her the predicate ‘Bloody’. At the end of 1553 she launched a number of drastic measures to reintroduce Roman Catholicism into England. Lady Grey and the Duke were imprisoned and beheaded in the Tower of London.

However, the Duke of Northumberland had a daughter, Mary Dudley. She was married to Sir Henry Sidney, a nobleman who grew up in the court of King Edward. His aunts were the ladies-in-waiting to the young Mary Tudor, and perhaps this was the reason Sir Henry and his wife were not punished for the ‘shameful’ behaviour of Northumberland. The couple produced a son they named Philip, after the Spanish king, so as to somewhat appease Mary and her Spanish followers. The tactic succeeded, because the Sidneys were not pursued any further.

Thus the young Philip was able to grow up without concerns. He spent his initial years in gilt-edged lace clothing in the splendid Penhurst Place, a fourteenth-century

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PHILIP II OF SPAIN, BY SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA, AFTER 1570.

c­ astle hidden in the green hills south of London. This gigantic building, with an 18-metre-high hall, made a significant impression on the noble infant. He later described the castle in his novel, Arcadia: The house itself was built of fair and strong stone, not affecting so much any extraordinary kind of fineness, as an honourable representing of firm stateliness; the lights, doors and stairs, rather directed to the use of the guest than to the eye of the artificer, and yet, as the one chiefly heeded, so the other not neglected; each place handsome without curiosity, and homely without loathsomeness, not so dainty as not to be trod on, nor yet slubbered up with good fellowship – all more lasting than beautiful (but that the consideration of the exceeding lastingness made the eye believe it was exceeding beautiful).

When Philip was just eighteen months old his father, Sir Henry, decided to continue his career in Ireland: his political position had turned out to be too problematic to remain in England after all. He began work there as Lord Deputy (a type of viceroy) and with his wife spent most of his time in the Irish Athlone Castle. The young Philip remained in Kent and – like most noble youths of that time – was brought up by servants and ladies-in-waiting.

In the early years following his birth he was followed by three sisters, who all died young. Only in 1563, when Philip was already nine, was a brother born: Robert. At the age of seven he was given a private tutor, who taught him

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French and Latin and educated him in ‘suitable manners and morals’, as his parents wished.

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Philip turned out to be an industrious student, and even though his parents allowed him ‘complete freedom’ in his studies, he could almost always be found with his nose in a book: ‘Scarcely was he unoccupied at breakfast, and still more rarely at luncheon.’ At the age of nine Philip was enrolled as a pupil at Shrewsbury College, founded in 1552, where the ‘young gentlemen’ sat at their desks from six in the morning until six in the evening and where the iron rules of Calvin applied, under the watchful eye of rector Thomas Ashton. In 1561 some 260 boys were enrolled. One of them was Fulke Greville, who would later be known as Lord Brooke and would remain Philip’s best friend throughout his life. Philip’s oldest cousin James Harrington was also a pupil. Founder Ashton was happy with the arrival of these young aristocrats. The school register goes into great detail about the noble origins of Fulke and Sidney. Hardly surprising, given that they put what had been a fairly unknown country school up to that time, on the national map.

Shrewsbury changed Philip’s life. Suddenly he found himself not among lackeys and ladies-in-waiting, but among contemporaries. He read prose and poetry from the great Latin and Greek writers. Alongside Calvin’s catechism he learned French and the rules of rhetoric and poetic art. There was also theatre: the pupils performed

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classic plays every year which attracted many visitors. Of course such an elite upbringing doesn’t come cheaply.

Philip’s personal servant Thomas Marshall kept a logbook, showing exactly what money was being spent on: – Washing the linen of Philip and his companions, 3s 4d – Wiping and making clean their boots, 6d – Item, upon Monday the 10th day for the mending of the lock of Mr Philip’s coffer, and for an iron bolt for his chamber door, 12d.

– Item, upon Thursday the 13th day for black silk buttons 8d, for quills 2d, for a black silk lace 2d – Item, for a pen and inkhorn and sealing-wax, 6d.

– Item, for two quire of paper for example-books, phrases and sentences in Latin and French, 8d.

– Item, for mending a glass window in his chamber, 4d.

The money for all this came, naturally, from Philip’s father: ‘Sums of money received by me, Thomas Marshall, your Lordship’s humble servant, to the use of my young master Mr Philip Sidney in my care since your honour’s departure with my Lady from Westchester towards Ireland, namely Monday the 3rd of December, 1565’. In that year Philip’s father left for Ireland. He wrote a letter to his young son in 1566, thanking him for two earlier letters in Latin and French, and pointing out to him the importance of gratitude, piety, obedience and courtesy.

‘Think upon every word that you will speak before you utter it, and remember how nature hath ramparted up, as it were, the tongue with teeth, lips – yea, and hair without

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[outside] the lips, and all betokening reins and bridles for the loose use of that member. Above all things, tell no untruth; no, not in trifles.’

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In that same year the purse had to be dipped into more deeply for a trip to Oxford. Equipped with new ‘doublets, breeches, coats and shoes made of damask, velvet, silk and satin in a variety of colours and finished in silver and gold edging’, Philip travelled to Oxford under the supervision of the rector, there to attend with his uncle Robert Dudley (the renowned Earl of Leicester) the ceremonial entry of Elizabeth. The ‘most serene princess’ entered the city in an open triumphal carriage, preceded by a retinue of registrars and high functionaries, dressed in scarlet and gold and an ermine cloak. It must all have made an enormous impression on him. Equipped with a new saddle and a suitcase embossed with the family crest of the Dudleys, he rode back homewards.

In 1568, on his thirteenth birthday, Philip established himself definitively in Oxford, where he attended Christ Church College. His uncle ensured that he would come under the wing of tutor Thomas Cooper, the Protestant dean there. His ‘reader’ was Thomas Thornton, theologian and later Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, later praised fulsomely by Sidney. The feeling was in fact mutual: Thornton was in turn extremely grateful to Philip, because his ‘unaccustomed manner of writing’ ensured that Thornton obtained good references for a post as canon in Christ Church. This was Philip’s first appearance as a diplomat.

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In the intellectual world of Oxford Philip established contacts which would determine the rest of his career. He got to know the Catholic mathematician Thomas Allen, the historian Philip Camden (author of Britannia, the first book on the history of England), the explorer Walter Raleigh and Edmund Spenser, poet of the famous Faerie Queene.

Philip’s stay in Oxford was interrupted suddenly in April 1571 when plague broke out and the campus was closed for a year. Perhaps Sidney was also ill for some time, because an Oxford logbook of the time mentions £38 paid ‘for expenses of Mr Philip Sidney, in time of sickness at Reading, and other’. Whatever the case, educating the young Sidney was completed in 1571. Without an academic degree, to be sure, but this made little difference to youths of noble origin, and certainly not to Sidney, who had already proved himself entirely in three years: ‘nor could his tutors pour in so fast as he was ready to receive,’ according to a contemporary. Philip was ready for the next step in his life: joining the flourishing cultural world at the court of Elizabeth I.

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leave me, o love, which reachest but to dust Leave me, O Love, which reachest but to dust; And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things; Grow rich in that which never taketh rust; Whatever fades but fading pleasure brings.

Draw in thy beams and humble all thy might To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be; Which breaks the clouds and opens forth the light, That both doth shine and give us sight to see.

O take fast hold; let that light be thy guide In this small course which birth draws out to death, And think how evil becometh him to slide, Who seeketh heav’n, and comes of heav’nly breath.

Then farewell, world; thy uttermost I see: Eternal Love, maintain thy life in me.

From: Certain Sonnets

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‘Oh that good gentleman, have me commended unto him.’

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COURTESY

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GRAND TOUR AND DIPLOMATIC TRAINING (1572 – 1581)

At the end of the sixteenth century it was customary in England that after their education, young men of good upbringing would undertake an extended journey across the European continent: the Grand Tour. Here they would often follow a regular route past all the major cultural attractions, becoming acquainted with other cultures, languages and customs. Such a grand tour was also a sensible way for parents to let their sons sow their wild oats far from home while also preparing them for their future careers.

Philip Sidney undertook such a grand tour in 1572. Armed with a letter from his uncle Leicester for the British Ambassador in France, Philip arrived on the French mainland in 1572. His first destination was Paris, where he stayed for three months and met, among others, Louis of Nassau, brother of William of Orange. From the home

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of the English Ambassador he witnessed the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, the wholesale slaughter of French Protestants, where some 20,000 Huguenots were massacred under the supervisory eye of the king. It made a huge impression on his later views on Catholicism. The home front back in England was naturally very concerned about this dangerous situation, but Philip had already left.

Together with the 55-year-old Hubert Languet, a reformed diplomat, he crossed the Rhine, to spend the summer months together in Frankfurt, Strasbourg and Vienna. A close friendship developed between the two, and would last until Languet’s death in 1581. Languet introduced Philip to several heads of state and diplomats, and when Philip again departed in the autumn they continued to conduct an intense correspondence, keeping each other abreast of philosophical, religious and political issues.

The ‘Dutch issue’ was also mentioned in almost every letter: Languet kept insisting that the struggle against the Spanish occupiers was also an English issue. Sidney counted on a victory for Orange: ‘As far as the Dutch are concerned, truly I cannot see how it could go better.

Because even though that highly beautiful country is in flames, one should consider that the Spaniards will not be able to be driven out without such a conflagration,’ he wrote to Languet from Venice.

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QU EEN E LIZ ABE T H I OF E NGL AN D I N HER C ORON AT ION ROBE S, C.1 6 0 0 .

After a short stay in Cracow, Prague and a trip through Hungary, Sidney travelled on to Italy. Because of all the ‘spiritual dangers’ Languet had impressed on him, he decided to bypass Rome and to travel on to Venice and Padua, where he immersed himself further in Aristotle and the major Roman and Italian writers. He also made himself familiar with Italian and Spanish, which would later stand him in good stead in his diplomatic positions.

Back in Venice he had his portrait painted by Paolo Veronese, giving it later to Languet during a short visit to Vienna. In 1575 he left Antwerp to return to England. His Grand Tour had lasted three years, familiarising him with Europe’s complicated political relationships, new and classical literary trends and a variety of scientific disciplines.

Philip’s expectations of the English court were high. He was convinced he was contemplating a brilliant political career given his origins and education. But things turned out differently: in the initial years his activities comprised mainly ceremonial duties and a representative role.

Together with his parents and his sister Mary he participated in one of the first royal tours by Elizabeth, the Royal Progressions. Here the queen, in the company of an enormous retinue from the royal court, let herself be regaled by celebrations, musical performances, masquerades, hunts and bear-fights which could last weeks and were unrivalled in scope and spectacle.

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Little is known of Philip’s exact activities in these years.

We do know that he went to visit his father in Ireland in 1576, accompanied by the Earl of Essex, Walter Devereux.

Here he underwent his first military experience, when with his father he was able to surround a band of rebels in Dublin. These were long, rigorous journeys in the unwelcoming Irish nation and it was miles away from the dreams he had entertained as a child in Penhurst Place, of heroic campaigns and glorious chivalrous conquests.

During his Irish stay the Earl of Essex became ill and expressed the wish on his deathbed that Philip would marry his daughter Penelope, but for an unknown reason this wish was not fulfilled. Philip journeyed back to the court. Penelope would inspire him in the guise of Stella in his sonnet cycle, Astrophel and Stella.

In May 1577 Sidney departed again for the continent, this time for his first diplomatic mission, in the company of his friends Fulke Greville and Edward Dyer. Officially the assignment was to convey condolences to the German Emperor on the death of his father, but in reality it was to assess the political situation on the mainland for Elizabeth. She was in a delicate position between Catholic Spain on one side and the Protestant northern states like the Netherlands on the other. She wanted to remain friendly with both, in this way securing England’s position. It became a difficult task for Philip, who presented himself everywhere as an actual prince, nephew of the Earls of Leicester and Warwick and son of the Irish viceroy. He first visited Spanish Governor Don Juan (known

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particularly for his arrogance), who was immediately impressed by ‘that brave and high-minded Prince’. He then continued on to Heidelberg, where the Elector unfortunately appeared to be largely uninterested in a type of Protestant alliance. Then he undertook a maternity visit to the Netherlands, and met Prince William of Orange in Middelburg, along with Charlotte de Bourbon and Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde (mayor of Antwerp, William of Orange’s right-hand and the probable author of the Dutch national anthem). Things clicked immediately between Philip and the prince, who later complimented the English queen on ‘one of the ripest and greatest counsellors of Estate that at this day lived in Europe’ and suggested she should quickly promote Philip to a higher position. There was also discussion of a possible marriage between Philip and Marie of Nassau, the oldest daughter of the Prince of Orange. This would strengthen the relationship between both countries, while also opening the way for an administrative position (viceregent) for Philip in the Netherlands. In a letter to Elizabeth, William of Orange raised the idea of an EnglishDutch alliance, where Elizabeth would gain ports in Holland and Zeeland, in return for English ports being closed to Spanish ships.

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WI L L I AM I (1533-1584 ) , PRINCE OF ORANGE, CALLED WILLI A M THE SI L ENT, BY ADRI AE N T HOM ASZ. KEY , C.1570.

Back in England it turned out that the plans for a Protestant Alliance were not really able to get off the ground.

Elizabeth felt the power of the Dutch rebels to be too great, and decided to become engaged to Francis of Anjou, the Catholic Duke of Alençon (‘my little frog’) who was 22 years her junior, restoring the balance between Huguenots and Catholics. A visit followed by the duke and his retinue. As always, Sidney was laudatory about his beloved queen and wrote: Like sparkling gems her virtue draws the sight And in her conduct she is always bright When she imparts her thoughts, her words have force And sense and wisdom flow in sweet discourse.

Philip was less laudatory about the duke’s stay, and his betrothal to Elizabeth. A few months later, at the end of 1580, he wrote a subtle letter (probably partially at the request of a group of fellow Calvinists who were against any possible marriage), pointing out to her the dangers of her proposed marriage. Philip pointed out the duke’s origins and his involvement in the vicious slaughter of the Huguenots earlier in France. To a significant extent Anjou’s mother Catharine was responsible for the notorious St. Bartholomew’s Night in 1572, a low point in the continent’s religious quarrels.

Sidney made no friends with his courteous but extremely sincere letter. An exchange of words with the Earl of Oxford, the initiator of the wedding plan, almost led to a

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duel which was only avoided at the very last minute. The engagement between Anjou and the queen would eventually come to nothing, but the relationship between the queen and Sidney was upset. Sidney was made inactive for several years, and in political terms the years after 1580 were quiet for the courtier poet, giving him the opportunity to pursue his literary ambitions further.

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most feared and beloved, most sweet and gracious sovereign, O seek out excuses of this my boldness, and to arm the acknowledging of a fault with reasons for it, might better show I knew I did amiss, than any way diminish the attempt, especially in your judgment; who being able to discern lively into the nature of the thing done, it were folly to hope, by laying on better colours, to make it more acceptable. Therefore, carrying no other olive branch of intercession, than the laying of myself at your feet; nor no other insinuation, either for attention or pardon, but the true vowed sacrifice of unfeigned love; I will, in simple and direct terms (as hoping they shall only come to your merciful eyes), set down the overflowing of my mind in this most important matter, importing, as I think, the continuance of your safety; and, as I know, the joys of my life. And because my words (I confess shallow, but coming from the deep well-spring of most loyal affection) have delivered to your most gracious ear, what is the general sum of my travelling thoughts therein; I will now but only declare, what be the reasons that make me think, that the marriage with Monsieur will be unprofitable unto you; then will I answer the objection of those fears, which might procure so violent a refuge.

Introduction from Sidney’s ‘Letter to Queen Elizabeth’ (1580)

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‘If you neglect your work, you will dislike it; if you do it well, you will enjoy it.’ philip sidney

DEDICATION

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KNIGHT AND HUSBAND (1581 – 1585)

Sidney drew his conclusions following his experiences at court. He settled temporarily in Wilton, the home of his sister Mary, wife of the Earl of Pembroke. Here he found the ideal environment for devoting himself further to his literary occupations. He took great inspiration in this from Mary, who also wrote poetry. At her request he began his best-known work, The Countess of Pembroke’s Arcadia. It became a comprehensive work of prose, with splendid descriptions of nature and a wide variety of poetic forms, inspired as he was by the great Greek and Spanish novelists. In the Arcadia he also deployed a number of classical poetry forms, which was extremely modern at the time. Since the ‘father’ of English literature, Geoffrey Chaucer, little had in fact changed in the art of poetry. Sidney (again) encountered his former fellow student Edmund Spenser, who dedicated his Shepherd’s Calendar to him. With Spenser and his friends Fulke Greville and Edward Dyer, Sidney formed a small

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FRONTISPIECE TO ‘THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKE’S ARCADIA’

BY SIR PHILIP SIDNEY, 1605.

literary group, called the Areopagus, in imitation of the French Pleiade group.

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The most significant occurrences of Sidney’s life found their way into his literary works. In his poem Astrophel and Stella he sings the praises of the unhappy love of Penelope, with whom he could have been married had he said yes a few years earlier in Ireland. The year 1581 probably also saw the publication of his well-known pamphlet, The Defence of Poesie, in fact the first work of literary criticism in English history. In this brilliant argument Sidney sums up a number of criteria he believes poetry must meet. The essence of the piece is that the art of poetry is the ultimate medium for achieving greater insight and knowledge – even more than a historic or philosophical work, given that it manages to combine the factualness of history in an ideal manner with philosophy’s ethical focus.

Despite his enormous literary productivity in these years, for Sidney it was not literature but his political career which he regarded as his life’s main objective. After 1581 we also see no more works from his hand. On New Year’s Day 1581 he is back in the court, where he offers Elizabeth an item of jewellery, ‘consisting of a small whip set with diamonds and pearls’. Perhaps with this Sidney was alluding that he was and always would be a faithful courtier. In any case the gesture achieved its effect: over the following years he was visibly active in any number of commissions, and in 1583 he was even knighted, when

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he took the place of John Casimir of the Palatinate-Simmern, who was made a Knight of the Garter. For this mandate it was necessary that he held a knighthood. His name and title thus changed, and from then on he could introduce himself as Sir Philip Sidney of Penhurst.

The fresh new knight worked tirelessly on maintaining his foreign contacts. He received his old friends Languet, Casimir and Charles de l’Ecluse, and befriended the lawyer Jean Hotman. He also came in contact with Giordano Bruno, an influential Italian philosopher and one of the most enlightened minds of the time. He devoted his book Spaccio de la bestia trionfante to Sidney, and again Sidney was subjected to all manner of praise: ‘The Italian likes to talk with someone who can understand. The poetry in the book is under the criticism and protection of a poet; the philosophy is nakedly revealed to so clear an intellect as yours; and the heroic matters are directed to an heroic and noble mind, with which you have shown yourself to be endowed.’

Thanks to all his foreign contacts, Sidney received the requisite offers and invitations. Don Antonio, candidate for the Portuguese crown, invited Sidney to join him in Europe, but Elizabeth put a spoke in the works. Another plan was that he would lead a colonial enterprise in America, but this too turned out differently. At that time Philip was still unmarried, and in the year 1580 this naturally caused some raised eyebrows. His father, Sir Henry,

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made contact with Sir Francis Walsingham, the Secretary of State and Elizabeth’s ‘spymaster’ (or head of the secret service). His fifteen-year-old daughter Frances was in fact available. This snippet of news quickly spread through the court and in 1583 Sidney married Frances Walsingham, the Countess of Essex and Clanricarde.

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Sidney did however remain involved in the America plans. In parliament, where he represented Kent, he argued with great conviction for an expedition by Walter Raleigh to America. Sidney was convinced that England could affect Catholic Spain the most by eliminating that country’s help on the other side of the ocean. He proposed a large-scale naval operation, with a fleet led by Francis Drake. The problem was that Drake had very little inclination to share command with Sidney, and at the time Sidney was to receive a Portuguese delegation, he secretly informed the queen. She preferred to have her courtier closer to home. She appointed him Governor of Vlissingen/Flushing and General of the cavalry, a position Sidney had always coveted. On 16 November 1586 he left England in the company of his brother Robert and settled with his wife and new-born daughter Elizabeth at Fort Rammekens, Western Europe’s oldest fort.

The Netherlands was in chaos. The English soldiers had not been paid for ages, were barely trained and were poorly armed. The political situation in the Netherlands was also extremely tense. In their struggle against the Spanish the desperate provinces had long sought a new governor,

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after contacts with the Duke of Anjou turned into a fiasco.

Some contacts had already been established between England and the Netherlands, in which it had been agreed that Elizabeth would send reinforcement troops, against the surety of the cities of Vlissingen/Flushing, Den Briel/ Brill and Fort Rammekens. On 17 August 1585 the situation escalated when Antwerp fell to the Spanish, raising tensions to a peak. In great haste the Treaty of Nonsuch was signed, where England received the ‘surety’ cities and sent five thousand soldiers to the Netherlands to support the government troops, with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in command. His entry into Vlissingen followed in 1586, commanding more than a hundred ships, two hundred lords and gentlemen officers, with servants, pages, lackeys, kitchen staff, clergymen, musicians and actors. Prince Maurice and Sidney welcomed the Earl.

Receptions followed in Middelburg, Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Delft and Leiden, where the retinue was treated to fireworks, triumphal arches, speeches, eulogies and gigantic feasts.

But the gaiety of the entrances was short-lived. Leicester offered no resistance whatsoever to the Dutch welcomes, allowing himself to assume far too important a position with the Dutch. And this was not the intention: Elizabeth had assigned him to work with specific reserve and care.

The more power was accorded to England officially, the worse it would appear to the Spanish, with whom she was conducting secret negotiations. Through fear of disgrace, Leicester attempted to shift the blame to others.

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These developments were difficult for Sidney. He also encountered resistance from the Dutch. When Leicester promoted him to Colonel in charge of the Zeeuws regiment, the Dutch commanders immediately submitted a protest against the appointment of this inexperienced foreigner. Sidney was happy when he finally saw action.

Together with Prince Maurice he undertook a successful attack against the fortress of Axel. Sidney rewarded the soldiers who had swum across the moat handsomely from his own pocket. He believed that payment to the troops left much to be desired, and that part of their pay was deliberately being withheld. He asked Elizabeth many time to resolve this.

1586 was a grim year for Sidney. His father died in May, followed by his mother three months later. Given the tense situation in the Netherlands, he was not permitted to return to England to wind up their affairs and bid his farewell. Sidney nevertheless remained motivated and in September 1586 he joined Leicester’s army in Arnhem for his final military operation.

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AXEL (ZEELAND) CONQUERED BY MAURICE OF NASSAU, PRINCE OF ORANGE AND PHLIP SIDNEY, 1586, BY SIMON FRISIUS, C.1613.

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Ring out your bells, let mourning shows be spread; For Love is dead – All love is dead, infected With plague of deep disdain; Worth, as nought worth, rejected, And Faith fair scorn doth gain.

From so ungrateful fancy, From such a female franzy, From them that use men thus, Good Lord, deliver us!

Weep, neighbours, weep; do you not hear it said That Love is dead?

His death-bed, peacock’s folly; His winding-sheet is shame; His will, false-seeming holy; His sole exec’tor, blame.

From so ungrateful fancy, From such a female franzy, From them that use men thus, Good Lord, deliver us!

Let dirge be sung and trentals rightly read, For Love is dead; Sir Wrong his tomb ordaineth My mistress’ marble heart, Which epitaph containeth, “Her eyes were once his dart.”

From so ungrateful fancy, From such a female franzy, From them that use men thus, Good Lord, deliver us!

Alas, I lie, rage hath this error bred; Love is not dead; Love is not dead, but sleepeth In her unmatched mind, Where she his counsel keepeth, Till due desert she find.

Therefore from so vile fancy, To call such wit a franzy, Who Love can temper thus, Good Lord, deliver us!

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‘Thy necessity is greater than mine.’

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INTEGRITY

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BATTLE OF ZUTPHEN & DEATH (1586 – 1587)

The date is 22 September 1586. In the dead of night, in the thick mists of the Warnsveld forest, a Spanish convoy approaches Zutphen’s city walls. The convoy, led by Alfonso Felice de Avalos, the fifth Marquis of Pescara (who had already conquered Antwerp), comprised some two thousand fusiliers, cavalry and lance-bearers. They had arrived to relieve Zutphen, which had been besieged for some weeks by an English contingent of around 6,000 men, led by Robert Dudley, the first Earl of Leicester. Philip Sidney was also among the group; together with his brother he had volunteered to liberate the city from the Spaniards.

Thus far the Spanish convoy had not been spotted by Dudley and his men. A courier was despatched to quietly apprise Johan Baptiste van Taxis, the Spanish lieutenant in Zutphen, of the night-time arrival of the reinforcements. Taxis decided to ride out of the city with around a thousand soldiers, to form a single front against the huge

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English presence. But a thousand sets of armour, horses and wagons create a great deal of noise. English scouts were awoken and made great haste to tell the allied forces.

Cavalry and infantry mobilised and surged en masse towards the enemy hidden in the fog.

‘There came to my remembrance a vanity wherein I had taken delight, whereof I had not rid myself. It was the Lady Rich. But I rid myself of it, and presently my joy and comfort returned.’

It was a bloody battle. Certainly the English had the greater numbers, but became disorientated in the mist. Their Spanish opponents were better prepared for the terrain and the conditions. But above all: morale was low among the English troops. Earlier that year Philip had written to his father that the men were complaining bitterly. They had waited months for pay, and the court should not be surprised if they soon laid down their arms. That it would certainly not be his fault he noted in his letters: ‘A wise and faithful man should never be overtaken by regret, as long as he has fulfilled his duty, as it were, even if others should relinquish theirs.’ Philip regarded himself as a sensible and decent man of his word, who would continue to do his duty as he should at all times.

Back to the turmoil in the mist. The English losses were considerable, and it looked as though the Spanish would win this battle. Philip conducted a charge at least three times on horseback, in the hope of advancing the battle further in the fray. This time the consequence was fatal.

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During a manoeuvre his thigh-bone was shattered by a bullet. Heavily wounded, he was conveyed away. In this distress Philip remained the nobleman he had so long been – he gave a wounded soldier his water-bottle, with the words: ‘Thy necessity is greater than mine’. This fine example of magnanimity would become famous; even more, this phrase by Philip Sidney became one of the most famous quotes in English history. Philip believed the soldier craved water more than he did, the poet and the courtier, whose life had always been in the service of others. On a stretcher the hero was carried to Arnhem, where he died three weeks later as a consequence of traumatic fever, on Monday 17 October 1586 at two o’clock in the afternoon, at the age of 32.

Victory had gone to the Spanish – not least thanks to the appalling military leadership by Dudley. His officers William Stanley and Rowland York played a dubious role, not only by surrendering the redoubt in front of Zutphen to the Spaniards, but later also by squandering the city of Deventer to the enemy. Zutphen, Deventer and large areas to their east continued to be occupied by Spain for five more years, when they fell once more to the United Provinces following the Siege of Zutphen, in a campaign led

by Prince Maurice.

Sidney’s body was taken from Arnhem to Vlissingen, and was carried to England aboard his own ship. He was ­buried amid great pomp and circumstance in St. Paul’s Cathedral on 26 February 1587. The Earls of Leicester,

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Huntingdon, Pembroke and Essex took part in the ceremony, and all the Dutch regions were also richly represented. The queen, Leicester and many statesmen were in mourning for the greatest loss it had fallen to England to suffer.

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EPILOGUE

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Philip Sidney was held in high esteem in virtually all circles, from political to cultural. Initially this was because of his literary work. Not everything Sidney wrote has stood the test of time in the year 2013, but the most successful examples of his work rightly establish his high rank in the history of English literature, as one of the leading representatives of the English renaissance. His work and style were continued by great names like Shakespeare, Addison, Richardson and Cowper.

As a statesman and soldier Sidney did not play a leading role, yet it was certainly a determined one. Queen Elizabeth let him occupy a subordinate position for a considerable time, but despite this limitation he was able to make extremely good use of his diplomatic skills. The frankness with which he expressed his opinions sometimes brought him into conflict with those at the head of the court, but Sidney continued to argue for his beliefs and political convictions, no matter how difficult the circumstances. His exceptional virtue lay in the strength of his character and his unique gift as ‘the complete gentleman’.

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With a sword thou mayest kill thy father, and with a sword thou mayest defend thy prince and country.

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PHILIP SIDNEY A SPIRIT WITHOUT SPOT

A spirit without spot, a man of impeccable character. This accolade is carved in the plinth of the statue of Sir Philip Sidney in Zutphen.

Noble, righteous, single-minded, loyal, passionate, diplomatic, strategically astute and respected. With these character traits, Sir Philip Sidney was, in fact, a compliance manager avant la lettre. This is why, when we founded our company in 2008, we were proud to name it after him.

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INTEGRITY AND TRUST

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Almost five centuries on, Sir Philip Sidney would fit right into our team. Some things never change throughout the ages.

There were opposing interests of different parties at play in the foreign policy of Queen Elizabeth I. Achieving your goal in such arena requires knowledge and insight. Philip Sidney, adviser to the British Crown, knew how to get things done.

He understood the art of diplomacy like no other. He was admired for his tact and courtesy, but these were only exterior traits. Here was a diplomat who understood what this profession was really about: integrity and trust.

Things are no different now. Those operating in the international business world also have to contend with the conflicting interests of stakeholders. If you want to bring parties together, you have to step into the arena fully prepared. A carefully considered vision, strategy and policy are absolutely vital. But it is our firm belief that bringing parties together should always be based on trust. The success of a company stands or falls with the trust of the stakeholders; trust in the company, in the vision of management and in the (financial) accountability. Trust is not for sale, it is not a shiny layer, not a bow on a gift. Trust must be one of the pillars a company is founded on. Integrity has to be anchored in the corporate culture. This is where PHILIP SIDNEY can help: integrity, from the coffee machine to the boardroom.

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WALK THE TALK You don’t just get respect, you have to earn it. This applies to any organisation, but particularly to a compliance organisation like PHILIP SIDNEY. Anyone asking for transparency and uprightness from clients has to meet these very standards. Practice what you preach, it is that simple. It goes without saying that trust, integrity and uprightness are hardwired into the DNA of PHILIP SIDNEY. We always operate based on openness. We are honest in our dealings with our clients, but also loyal and discreet. We never lose sight of our clients’ interests and good name.

OUR EXPERIENCE The team at PHILIP SIDNEY has many years of experience in the international business world. In previous positions, we supported big multinationals and banks with legal and financial matters. But we also worked on ‘the other side’, at regulatory bodies like the Dutch Central Bank. We combine this wide-ranging experience and apply it to our current roles at PHILIP SIDNEY. We know the rules of doing business.

We know the market, the world of regulatory and licensing bodies. And we bring these two parties together with great care.

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OUR APPROACH

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‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’ This popular quote by Albert Einstein should be displayed above every compliance manager’s desk. International legislation and regulations are no piece of cake. This is a complex world of constant, fast change. But it is our job to understand it inside out and translate it to the day-to-day reality of our clients. We create compliance programmes and technology control plans which are understandable to everyone. We ensure that the compliance policy is not a ‘dead letter’ but a living, breathing frame of reference for the whole organisation.

A good compliance programme helps things progress and doesn’t impede. PHILIP SIDNEY doesn’t put a stop to your plans with a wagging finger. ‘Can’t do this, not allowed to do this,’ is not something you will hear us say anytime soon.

Instead, we come up with alternative scenarios.

Another hobbyhorse of PHILIP SIDNEY’S: no duplication, no hiatuses. By laying down a clear compliance framework or control plan, we are defining responsibilities; thus preventing inefficient working practices, as well as certain areas from being left unchecked. A critical test of effectiveness enables us to evaluate how well our compliance programme is working. What results does our work produce? Through training and communication, we ensure that compliance becomes an intrinsic part of day-to-day operations. The more this is the case, the less you will see us. Ultimately, we want to make ourselves redundant.

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IN PRACTICE No blueprint, no one-size-fits-all solution pulled out of the drawer. It goes without saying that PHILIP SIDNEY approaches every client, every assignment and case with a fresh perspective. Following intensive conversations with our clients, we begin to design the internal compliance programme. We do a risk analysis and list the relevant laws and regulations and create a framework with measures and procedures. The next step is implementation. Which department has to deal with this legislation and these regulations? What processes are affected? Who is responsible? These are the people we get to work with. In a lot of cases, this means that, apart from the boardroom, we also head into the field. Everyone in the organisation – and specifically the people bringing in the contracts – has to know and comply with the regulations and codes of conduct.

Clients can implement the recommended measures and procedures themselves. Some, however, choose to let us take care of part of this. For instance, we screen customers, suppliers and also transactions of our clients for straightforwardness. In other words, are these legitimate transactions and authorised and reliable parties?

As mentioned earlier, we feel right at home in the world of licensing and regulatory bodies. We help our clients apply for the permits and licences they need for specific transactions.

If our clients are contacted by regulatory bodies, we act as an intermediary. In case of a conflict, we stand by our clients and make sure that the situation comes to a good end.

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OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS

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Complying with regulations while simultaneously seizing opportunities. That is our mission for clients. PHILIP SIDNEY immerses itself in the world of its clients. We research the market and help companies identify, assess and manage risks. We map risks and examine what impact they have on the client’s operational management. We advise our clients on how to deal with risks: take (accept), treat (manage), transfer (pass on to third party/insure) or terminate (end).

When doing so, we specifically don’t focus on what can’t be done but rather on what can be done. Many of our clients are involved in innovation and development. As they are pioneers in the market, so are we. Where feasible, we present ingenious solutions to new problems.

WHO ARE OUR CLIENTS? We work for companies, banks, insurance companies and supply chains & delivery channels. Our client base consists mostly of companies involved in trade and related sectors.

Anyone who has to deal with trade restrictions related to the development and transfer of technology, the sale, transport, financing and (re)insuring of goods will find the required knowledge and expertise at our company. Whether you are active in Research & Development, Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals, Manufacturing, the Energy sector (oil & gas/offshore), Logistics, Banking, Private Equity, Trust and/or (Re)Insurance, PHILIP SIDNEY is the right partner for

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you. We provide support in the field of UN, US, EU sanctions & export controls (military and dual-use items, including ITAR) anti-money laundering legislation (specifically tradebased money-laundering) and anti-corruption and anti-bribery legislation (OECD, FCPA, UK Bribery Act).

We are happy to help you carry out a risk analysis, tailormade to the nature, size of your company or institution.

Based on this, we can advise you on setting up an internal compliance programme and drawing up policies and procedures, including on ERP and other business support systems. We are always happy to implement a compliance programme together with you, thus ensuring a lasting result.

Naturally, we also gladly assist you with your daily operations. We carry out technology and goods classifications for you, checking them with the authorities, submit (re-)export or transit licence applications and help you with a complete transaction due diligence, for example with regard to comprehensive financial sanctions and dual-use goods, but also to money laundering risks. We screen all your customers, suppliers, agents and distributers based on all sorts of lists (denied persons, PEP, UBO et cetera).

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SOAPBOX

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PHILIP SIDNEY advises organisations on risk management and compliance, but also looks beyond the company walls.

We make connections, see the big picture and have views on this. Strong views! For example, on the increasing regulatory burden. We feel the responsibility to share these views.

That is why we regularly enter into discussions with legislators and regulators on the issue of how to encourage companies, without new sector legislation, to behave differently.

We also like to get on our soapbox. We look for opportunities to make our views public. Consequently, PHILIP SIDNEY frequently publishes essays and white papers, for example on the impact of legislation and regulations on various sectors, also compared to other countries.

IN CONCLUSION is to clients what Sir Philip Sidney was to Queen Elizabeth I: loyal, strategically astute and decisive. In our vision, loyalty means: to be loyal to the client and provide the best possible advice to them in any circumstances, wherever in the world. We are transparent, righteous and helpful. We weigh the risks and point out possibilities: providing perspective. We know the market and the relevant legislation and regulations of our clients like the back of our hand. We talk to regulatory bodies and the people who matter. We draw on our expertise to create opportunities for the client from this cocktail of knowledge. We look for the right PHILIP SIDNEY

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way to get things done. Even if this requires ingenuity and creativity. Sir Philip Sidney, our historical predecessor, summarised this beautifully for us: either I will find a way, or I will make one.

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