Utrecht, the capital of the Leicestrians, had already been deprived of its constitution.  The magistracy was, according to law, changed every year.  A list of candidates was furnished by the retiring board, an equal number of names was added by the governor of the Province, and from the catalogue thus composed the governor with his council selected the new magistrates for the year.  But De Villiers, the governor of the Province, had been made a prisoner by the enemy in the last campaign; Count Moeurs had been appointed provisional stadholder by the States; and, during his temporary absence on public affairs, the Leicestrians had seized upon the government, excluded all the ancient magistrates, banished many leading citizens from the town, and installed an entirely new board, with Gerard Proninck, called Deventer, for chief burgomaster, who was a Brabantine refugee just arrived in the Province, and not eligible to office until after ten years’ residence.

It was not unnatural that the Netherlanders, who remembered the scenes of bloodshed and disorder produced by the memorable attempt of the Duke of Anjou to obtain possession of Antwerp and other cities, should be suspicious of Leicester.  Anjou, too, had been called to the Provinces by the voluntary action of the States.  He too had been hailed as a Messiah and a deliverer.  In him too had unlimited confidence been reposed, and he had repaid their affection and their gratitude by a desperate attempt to obtain the control of their chief cities by the armed hand, and thus to constitute himself absolute sovereign of the Netherlands.  The inhabitants had, after a bloody contest, averted the intended massacre and the impending tyranny; but it was not astonishing that—­so very, few years having elapsed since those tragical events—­they should be inclined to scan severely the actions of the man who had already obtained by unconstitutional means the mastery of a most important city, and was supposed to harbour designs upon all the cities.

No, doubt it was a most illiberal and unwise policy for the inhabitants of the independent States to exclude from office the wanderers, for conscience’ sake, from the obedient Provinces.  They should have been welcomed heart and hand by those who were their brethren in religion and in the love of freedom.  Moreover, it was notorious that Hohenlo, lieutenant-general under Maurice of Nassau, was a German, and that by the treaty with England, two foreigners sat in the state council, while the army swarmed with English, Irish, end German officers in high command.  Nevertheless, violently to subvert the constitution of a Province, and to place in posts of high responsibility men who were ineligible—­some whose characters were suspicious, and some who were known to be dangerous, and to banish large numbers of respectable burghers—­was the act of a despot.

Besides their democratic doctrines, the Leicestrians proclaimed and encouraged an exclusive and rigid Calvinism.