It was a melancholy spectacle.  No commonwealth could be more fortunate than this republic in possessing two such great leading minds.  No two men could be more patriotic than both Stadholder and Advocate.  No two men could be prouder, more overbearing, less conciliatory.

“I know Mons. Barneveld well,” said Sir Ralph Winwood, “and know that he hath great powers and abilities, and malice itself must confess that man never hath done more faithful and powerful service to his country than he.  But ‘finis coronat opus’ and ’il di lodi lacera; oportet imperatorem stantem mori.’”

The cities of Holland were now thoroughly “waartgeldered,” and Barneveld having sufficiently shown his “teeth” in that province departed for change of air to Utrecht.  His failing health was assigned as the pretext for the visit, although the atmosphere of that city has never been considered especially salubrious in the dog-days.

Meantime the Stadholder remained quiet, but biding his time.  He did not choose to provoke a premature conflict in the strongholds of the Arminians as he called them, but with a true military instinct preferred making sure of the ports.  Amsterdam, Enkhuyzen, Flushing, being without any effort of his own within his control, he quietly slipped down the river Meuse on the night of the 29th September, accompanied by his brother Frederic Henrys and before six o’clock next morning had introduced a couple of companies of trustworthy troops into Brielle, had summoned the magistrates before him, and compelled them to desist from all further intention of levying mercenaries.  Thus all the fortresses which Barneveld had so recently and in such masterly fashion rescued from the grasp of England were now quietly reposing in the hands of the Stadholder.

Maurice thought it not worth his while for the present to quell the mutiny—­as he considered it the legal and constitutional defence of vested right—­as great jurists like Barneveld and Hugo Grotius accounted the movement—­at its “fountain head Leyden or its chief stream Utrecht;” to use the expression of Carleton.  There had already been bloodshed in Leyden, a burgher or two having been shot and a soldier stoned to death in the streets, but the Stadholder deemed it unwise to precipitate matters.  Feeling himself, with his surpassing military knowledge and with a large majority of the nation at his back, so completely master of the situation, he preferred waiting on events.  And there is no doubt that he was proving himself a consummate politician and a perfect master of fence.  “He is much beloved and followed both of soldiers and people,” said the English ambassador, “he is a man ‘innoxiae popularitatis’ so as this jealousy cannot well be fastened upon him; and in this cause of religion he stirred not until within these few months he saw he must declare himself or suffer the better party to be overborne.”

The chief tribunal-high council so called-of the country soon gave evidence that the “Sharp Resolution” had judged rightly in reckoning on its hostility and in nullifying its decisions in advance.