Grotius was spokesman.  Maurice had accused the States of Holland of mutiny and rebellion, and the distinguished Pensionary of Rotterdam now retorted the charges of mutiny, disobedience, and mischief-making upon those who, under the mask of religion, were attempting to violate the sovereignty of the States, the privileges and laws of the province, the authority of the, magistrates, and to subject them to the power of others.  To prevent such a catastrophe many cities had enlisted Waartgelders.  By this means they had held such mutineers to their duty, as had been seen at Leyden, Haarlem, and other places.  The States of Utrecht had secured themselves in the same way.  But the mischiefmakers and the ill-disposed had been seeking everywhere to counteract these wholesome measures and to bring about a general disbanding of these troops.  This it was necessary to resist with spirit.  It was the very foundation of the provinces’ sovereignty, to maintain which the public means must be employed.  It was in vain to drive the foe out of the country if one could not remain in safety within one’s own doors.  They had heard with sorrow that Utrecht was thinking of cashiering its troops, and the speaker proceeded therefore to urge with all the eloquence he was master of the necessity of pausing before taking so fatal a step.

The deputies of Utrecht answered by pleading the great pecuniary burthen which the maintenance of the mercenaries imposed upon that province, and complained that there was no one to come to their assistance, exposed as they were to a sudden and overwhelming attack from many quarters.  The States-General had not only written but sent commissioners to Utrecht insisting on the disbandment.  They could plainly see the displeasure of the Prince.  It was a very different affair in Holland, but the States of Utrecht found it necessary of two evils to choose the least.

They had therefore instructed their commissioners to request the Prince to remove the foreign garrison from their capital and to send the old companies of native militia in their place, to be in the pay of the episcopate.  In this case the States would agree to disband the new levies.

Grotius in reply again warned the commissioners against communicating with Maurice according to their instructions, intimated that the native militia on which they were proposing to rely might have been debauched, and he held out hopes that perhaps the States of Utrecht might derive some relief from certain financial measures now contemplated in Holland.

The Utrechters resolved to wait at least several days before opening the subject of their mission to the Prince.  Meantime Ledenberg made a rough draft of a report of what had occurred between them and Grotius and his colleagues which it was resolved to lay secretly before the States of Utrecht.  The Hollanders hoped that they had at last persuaded the commissioners to maintain the Waartgelders.