The conduct of the military operations by land was to be directed by Dort, Leyden, and Enkbuizen, in conjunction with the Count de la Marck.  A pledge was likewise exchanged between the estates and the pleni-potentiary, that neither party should enter into any treaty with the King, except by full consent and co-operation of the other.  With regard to religion, it was firmly established, that the public exercises of divine worship should be permitted not only to the Reformed Church, but to the Roman Catholic—­the clergy of both being protected from all molestation.

After these proceedings, Count de la Marck made his appearance before the assembly.  His commission from Orange was read to the deputies, and by them ratified.  The Prince, in that document, authorized “his dear cousin” to enlist troops, to accept the fealty of cities, to furnish them with garrisons, to re-establish all the local laws, municipal rights, and ancient privileges which had been suppressed.  He was to maintain freedom of religion, under penalty of death to those who infringed it; he was to restore all confiscated property; he was, with advice of his council, to continue in office such city magistrates as were favorable, and to remove those adverse to the cause.

The Prince was, in reality, clothed with dictatorial and even regal powers.  This authority had been forced upon him by the prayers of the people, but he manifested no eagerness as he partly accepted the onerous station.  He was provisionally the depositary of the whole sovereignty of the northern provinces, but he cared much less for theories of government than for ways and means.  It was his object to release the country from the tyrant who, five years long, had been burning and butchering the people.  It was his determination to drive out the foreign soldiery.  To do this, he must meet his enemy in the field.  So little was he disposed to strengthen his own individual power, that he voluntarily imposed limits on himself, by an act, supplemental to the proceedings of the Congress of Dort.  In this important ordinance made by the Prince of Orange, as a provisional form of government, he publicly announced “that he would do and ordain nothing except by the advice of the estates, by reason that they were best acquainted with the circumstances and the humours of the inhabitants.”  He directed the estates to appoint receivers for all public taxes, and ordained that all military officers should make oath of fidelity to him, as stadholder, and to the estates of Holland, to be true and obedient, in order to liberate the land from the Albanian and Spanish tyranny, for the service of his royal Majesty as Count of Holland.  The provisional constitution, thus made by a sovereign prince and actual dictator, was certainly as disinterested as it was sagacious.