[Sidenote:  Trial and Imprisonment of Grotius.]

Many of the princes of Europe expressed their dissatisfaction at these proceedings:  none so much as the French monarch.  To him, the great merit of Barneveldt had been long known.  He considered that the conduct of Prince Maurice was likely to involve the United Provinces in troubles, of which Spain might take advantages.  From personal regard to Barneveldt, and with a view of terminating the discord, the monarch sent an ambassador extraordinary to the United States, and ordered him to join Du Maurier, his ambassador in ordinary, in soliciting them in favour of the accused, and in labouring to restore the public tranquillity.  The ambassadors executed their commission with the greatest zeal.  They made many remonstrances, and had several audiences both with the States and the Prince.  The States, instigated by the Prince, expressed great indignation at the proceedings of the ambassadors.

All the accused were respectably allied, and had many friends:  numerous applications were made in their favour.  They undeviatingly demeaned themselves with the firmness and modest dignity of conscious innocence.  They persisted in denying the guilt attributed to them, and in protesting against the competency of the tribunal.  They made no degrading submission.  At a subsequent time, a son of Barneveldt having been condemned to death, his mother applied to Prince Maurice, for his pardon.  The Prince observed to her, that she had made no such application in behalf of her husband; “No,” she replied, “I know my son is guilty, I therefore solicit his pardon; I knew my husband was innocent, I therefore solicited no pardon for him.”

[Sidenote:  CHAP.  VII. 1618—­1621.]

On Monday morning, May 13, 1619, Barneveldt was informed that he was to be executed upon that day.  He received the notification of it with great firmness; he inquired whether Grotius and Hoogerbetz were to suffer:  being answered in the negative, he expressed much satisfaction, observing that “they were of an age to be still able to serve the republic.”

“The scaffold for his execution,” says Burigni, “was erected in the Court of the Castle at the Hague, facing the Prince of Orange’s apartments.  He made a short speech to the people, which is yet preserved in the Mercure Francoise.  ‘Burghers!’ he said, ’I have been always your faithful countryman; believe not that I die for treason:  I die for maintaining the rights and liberties of my country!’ After this speech, the executioner struck off his head at one blow.  It is affirmed that the Prince of Orange, to feast himself with the cruel pleasure of seeing his enemy perish, beheld the execution with a glass; the people looked on it with other eyes:  many came to gather the sand wet with his blood, to keep it carefully in phials; and the crowd of those, who had the same curiosity, continued next day, notwithstanding all they could do to hinder