There had been an inclination at first on the part of his judges to treat him as a criminal, and to require him to answer, standing, to the interrogatories propounded to him.  But as the terrible old man advanced into the room, leaning on his staff, and surveying them with the air of haughty command habitual to him, they shrank before his glance; several involuntarily, rising uncovered, to salute him and making way for him to the fireplace about which many were standing that wintry morning.

He was thenceforth always accommodated with a seat while he listened to and answered ‘ex tempore’ the elaborate series of interrogatories which had been prepared to convict him.

Nearly seven months he had sat with no charges brought against him.  This was in itself a gross violation of the laws of the land, for according to all the ancient charters of Holland it was provided that accusation should follow within six weeks of arrest, or that the prisoner should go free.  But the arrest itself was so gross a violation of law that respect for it was hardly to be expected in the subsequent proceedings.  He was a great officer of the States of Holland.  He had been taken under their especial protection.  He was on his way to the High Council.  He was in no sense a subject of the States-General.  He was in the discharge of his official duty.  He was doubly and trebly sacred from arrest.  The place where he stood was on the territory of Holland and in the very sanctuary of her courts and House of Assembly.  The States-General were only as guests on her soil, and had no domain or jurisdiction there whatever.  He was not apprehended by any warrant or form of law.  It was in time of peace, and there was no pretence of martial law.  The highest civil functionary of Holland was invited in the name of its first military officer to a conference, and thus entrapped was forcibly imprisoned.

At last a board of twenty-four commissioners was created, twelve from Holland and two from each of the other six provinces.  This affectation of concession to Holland was ridiculous.  Either the law ’de non evocando’—­according to which no citizen of Holland could be taken out of the province for trial—­was to be respected or it was to be trampled upon.  If it was to be trampled upon, it signified little whether more commissioners were to be taken from Holland than from each of the other provinces, or fewer, or none at all.  Moreover it was pretended that a majority of the whole board was to be assigned to that province.  But twelve is not a majority of twenty-four.  There were three fascals or prosecuting officers, Leeuwen of Utrecht, Sylla of Gelderland, and Antony Duyck of Holland.  Duyck was notoriously the deadly enemy of Barneveld, and was destined to succeed to his offices.  It would have been as well to select Francis Aerssens himself.