One of them was Lamoral Count of Egmont, the most brilliant and popular of the high nobility.

Though a favorite of Charles V on account of his proved ability as a soldier, his frankness and generosity, he was neither a sober nor a weighty statesman.

The popular proverb, "Egmont for action and Orange for counsel," well characterized the difference between the two leading members of the Council of State.

William, prince of Orange, lacking the brilliant qualities of Egmont, far surpassed him in acumen and in strength of character.

From his father, William Count of Nassau-Dillenburg, [Sidenote: William the Silent, 1533-84] he inherited important estates in Germany near the Netherlands, and by the death of a cousin he became, at the age of eleven, Prince of Orange--a small, independent territory in southern France--and Lord of Breda and Gertruidenberg in Holland.