Meantime the Advocate, much distressed at the animosity of England bursting forth so violently on occasion of the appointment of a divinity professor at Leyden, and at the very instant too when all the acuteness of his intellect was taxed to keep on good or even safe terms with France, did his best to stem these opposing currents.  His private letters to his old and confidential friend, Noel de Carom, States’ ambassador in London, reveal the perplexities of his soul and the upright patriotism by which he was guided in these gathering storms.  And this correspondence, as well as that maintained by him at a little later period with the successor of Aerssens at Paris, will be seen subsequently to have had a direct and most important bearing upon the policy of the Republic and upon his own fate.  It is necessary therefore that the reader, interested in these complicated affairs which were soon to bring on a sanguinary war on a scale even vaster than the one which had been temporarily suspended, should give close attention to papers never before exhumed from the musty sepulchre of national archives, although constantly alluded to in the records of important state trials.  It is strange enough to observe the apparent triviality of the circumstances out of which gravest events seem to follow.  But the circumstances were in reality threads of iron which led down to the very foundations of the earth.

“I wish to know,” wrote the Advocate to Caron, “from whom the Archbishop of Canterbury received the advices concerning Vorstius in order to find out what is meant by all this.”

It will be remembered that Whitgift was of opinion that James was directly inspired by the Holy Ghost, and that as he affected to deem him the anointed High-priest of England, it was natural that he should encourage the King in his claims to be ‘Pontifex maximus’ for the Netherlands likewise.

“We are busy here,” continued Barneveld, “in examining all things for the best interests of the country and the churches.  I find the nobles and cities here well resolved in this regard, although there be some disagreements ‘in modo.’  Vorstius, having been for many years professor and minister of theology at Steinfurt, having manifested his learning in many books written against the Jesuits, and proved himself pure and moderate in doctrine, has been called to the vacant professorship at Leyden.  This appointment is now countermined by various means.  We are doing our best to arrange everything for the highest good of the Provinces and the churches.  Believe this and believe nothing else.  Pay heed to no other information.  Remember what took place in Flanders, events so well known to you.  It is not for me to pass judgment in these matters.  Do you, too, suspend your judgment.”

The Advocate’s allusion was to the memorable course of affairs in Flanders at an epoch when many of the most inflammatory preachers and politicians of the Reformed religion, men who refused to employ a footman or a housemaid not certified to be thoroughly orthodox, subsequently after much sedition and disturbance went over to Spain and the Catholic religion.