“The publishing and spreading among the community,” continued Barneveld, “of M. Winwood’s protestations and of many indecent libels are also doing much mischief, for the nature of this people does not tolerate such things.  I hope, however, to obtain the removal according to his Majesty’s desire.  Keep me well informed, and send me word what is thought in England by the four divines of the book of Vorstius, ‘De Deo,’ and of his declarations on the points sent here by his Majesty.  Let me know, too, if there has been any later confession published in England than that of the year 1562, and whether the nine points pressed in the year 1595 were accepted and published in 1603.  If so, pray send them, as they maybe made use of in settling our differences here.”

Thus it will be seen that the spirit of conciliation, of a calm but earnest desire to obtain a firm grasp of the most reasonable relations between Church and State through patient study of the phenomena exhibited in other countries, were the leading motives of the man.  Yet he was perpetually denounced in private as an unbeliever, an atheist, a tyrant, because he resisted dictation from the clergy within the Provinces and from kings outside them.

“It was always held here to be one of the chief infractions of the laws and privileges of this country,” he said, “that former princes had placed themselves in matter of religion in the tutelage of the Pope and the Spanish Inquisition, and that they therefore on complaint of their good subjects could take no orders on that subject.  Therefore it cannot be considered strange that we are not willing here to fall into the same obloquy.  That one should now choose to turn the magistrates, who were once so seriously summoned on their conscience and their office to adopt the Reformation and to take the matter of religion to heart, into ignorants, to deprive them of knowledge, and to cause them to see with other eyes than their own, cannot by many be considered right and reasonable.  ‘Intelligenti pauca.’”

[The interesting letter from which I have given these copious extracts was ordered by its writer to be burned.  “Lecta vulcano” was noted at the end of it, as was not unfrequently the case with the Advocate.  It never was burned; but, innocent and reasonable as it seems, was made use of by Barneveld’s enemies with deadly effect.  J.L.M.]

Meantime M. de Refuge, as before stated, was on his way to the Hague, to communicate the news of the double marriage.  He had fallen sick at Rotterdam, and the nature of his instructions and of the message he brought remained unknown, save from the previous despatches of Aerssens.  But reports were rife that he was about to propose new terms of alliance to the States, founded on large concessions to the Roman Catholic religion.  Of course intense jealousy was excited at the English court, and calumny plumed her wings for a fresh attack upon the Advocate.  Of course