Nevertheless, two days afterwards, a writing was exhibited, drawn up by Menin, in which another elaborate effort was made to alter the Queen’s determination.  This anxiety, on the part of men already the principal personages in a republic, to merge the independent existence of their commonwealth in another and a foreign political organism, proved, at any rate; that they were influenced by patriotic motives alone.  It is also instructive to observe the intense language with which the necessity of a central paramount sovereignty for all the Provinces, and the inconveniences of the separate States’ right principle were urged by a deputation, at the head of which stood Olden-Barneveld.  “Although it is not becoming in us,” said they, “to enquire into your Majesty’s motives for refusing the sovereignty of our country, nevertheless, we cannot help observing that your consent would be most profitable, as well to your Majesty, and your successors, as to the Provinces themselves.  By your acceptance of the sovereignty the two peoples would be, as it were, united in one body.  This would cause a fraternal benevolence between them, and a single reverence, love, and obedience to your Majesty.—­The two peoples being thus under the government of the same sovereign prince, the intrigues and practices which the enemy could attempt with persons under a separate subjection, would of necessity surcease.  Moreover, those Provinces are all distinct duchies, counties, seignories, governed by their own magistrates, laws, and ordinances; each by itself, without any authority or command to be exercised by one Province over another.  To this end they have need of a supreme power and of one sovereign prince or seignor, who may command all equally, having a constant regard to the public weal—­considered as a generality, and not with regard to the profit of the one or the other individual Province—­and, causing promptly and universally to be executed such ordinances as may be made in the matter of war or police, according to various emergencies.  Each Province, on the contrary, retaining its sovereignty over its own inhabitants, obedience will not be so promptly and completely rendered to the commands of the lieutenant-general of your Majesty, and many, a good enterprise and opportunity, will be lost.  Where there is not a single authority it is always found that one party endeavours to usurp power over another, or to escape doing his duty so thoroughly as the others.  And this has notoriously been the case in the matter of contributions, imposts, and similar matters.”

Thus much, and more of similar argument, logically urged, made it sufficiently evident that twenty years of revolt and of hard fighting against one king, had not destroyed in the minds of the leading Netherlanders their conviction of the necessity of kingship.  If the new commonwealth was likely to remain a republic, it was, at that moment at any rate, because they could not find a king.  Certainly they did their best