AMSTERDAM DETERMINES UPON RESISTANCE.

357 given to him to negotiate with Louis, the Prince of Orange showed himself no less solicitous than his grandmother for his personal interests. After demanding the military pay due to him, he wrote to the States-General for authority to claim the King of France's protection to secure him in the possession of his dominions, especially the Lordship of Grave, which he thought seemed exposed to a speedy occupation by the French army. The States of Holland granted him this authority upon sufferance,' whilst De Groot had replied to Louvois, who offered him a protection for his country house, that he would rather see it set fire to, than be spared any evils which might be inflicted upon the lowest subject in the States.' At the same time, the Prince of Orange wrote a letter to Fagel, in which he desired him to ask the StatesGeneral that he might be permitted to negotiate with the King of France in his own personal interests.'

It was not the Prince of Orange, but the town of Amsterdam, which, after having been the first to advise resistance, set itself against the proposals for peace. On June 28, 1672, the Town Council assembled to hear the report of the deputies to the States of Holland, sent by the Pensionary Hop. They had returned to the Hague the evening before, and made it known that in their absence full powers had been given to De Groot to negotiate. The Council at once authorised them to renew their opposition. Some of the councillors, Valkenier, Backer, Andrew de Graeff, and John Corver, as well as the burgomaster, Henry Hoeuft, were moreover commissioned to draw up a form of protest. The council, on receiving this scheme, proudly proclaimed that instead of negotiating for Holland alone there ought to be a common agreement with the other provinces as to the means of resisting the enemy with courage and vigour, and preventing him from making another step towards these provinces.' 'We have thought it well,' wrote the burgomaster the next day to their deputies in the States, to communicate to you the unanimous resolution of the town, in which the burgomaster and the thirty-six councillors concur.' The Council having, moreover, decided to remain sitting, took occasion to notify to

the people in case of need that they had taken no part in the negotiations. Their determination to resist sufficed indeed to satisfy and tranquillise the inhabitants. It was publicly announced that all the councillors were ready to sacrifice themselves for the safety of the town, of religion, and of liberty, and that they would continue to defend them to the last extremity.

This determined resistance was no doubt encouraged by the eloquent and patriotic speeches, delivered, according to the historians of the time, in somewhat declamatory terms, by the burgomaster, Valkenier, and the grand bailiff, Gerard Hasselaar. The deputies of Amsterdam communicated this bold resolve to the Assembly of the States of Holland. They further protested by the angry voice of their Pensionary Hop against the resolution which in their absence had given free powers of negotiation to De Groot, and the next day they tried to bring round to their views those deputies who had not assisted at the last sitting of the States. But they remained alone. In fact, the deputies of Schiedam and Edam brought back the consent of their Town Councils to the negotiations. As to those of Purmerend and Horn, in spite of instructions to the contrary they easily allowed themselves to be convinced of the necessity for a treaty. In defence of the unjust accusation of weakness against the determination which had been come to by the assembly, the deputies of Gonda and Rotterdam, supported by the nobles, and the deputies of Dordrecht, Delft, and Haarlem, represented that the plenipotentiaries were not authorised to allow the territory of the Seven Provinces to be dismembered, nor even to dispose of an unlimited sum, and that the question now was how to save the republic by peace instead of allowing it to be ruined by war. The deputies of Amsterdam, taking these explanations into account, softened their tone; but in spite of strong remonstrances from the Pensionary of Leyden, Burgersdyck, they demanded that their opposition should be entered in the minutes.

The interests of the republic were fortunately as well served by the party favourable to the negotiations as by that which

CHANCES OF SAFETY FOR THE REPUBLIC.

359

opposed them. In fact they offered a means of safety if peace could be purchased at a reasonable price. It sufficed moreover for them to be entered upon to check, if not to arrest, the progress of the enemy. They would enable the States-General to wait for foreign aid, which thanks to their alliances they had at hand, and to provide means of defence if all hopes of an acceptable peace should have to be abandoned. The negotiations thus prevented the ruin of the United Provinces from becoming inevitable. On the other hand the opposition was not without its advantages: it was a safeguard against any temptation to make greater concessions and sacrifices than the republic could submit to, and prevented the acceptance of peace at any price.

However difficult the situation, all was not yet lost. A month had no doubt sufficed to place at the mercy of Louis XIV. the formerly flourishing and prosperous republic to whose arbitration four years previously he had had to submit. There had been few examples of so rapid a downfall, carrying with it at the first shock the power of a state which the greatest monarchies in Europe had latterly had to take into account. But the ruin of the republic, which had hitherto seemed imminent, was nevertheless averted. The inundations had prevented her destruction and she might await safety either in the continuance of the war which she was now in a position to maintain, or by proposals of peace which it was for her interest to enter into, if only to gain time.

Unable to prevent the disasters which had overwhelmed him, the Grand Pensionary had done all that a great statesman and a brave patriot could do to repair them. The government over whose destinies he presided could not avert the storm, but it had made a valiant resistance, and had succeeded in preventing the damage from being irretrievable. But having thus done the work, John de Witt was not to receive the honour. Power was slipping from his hands, whilst a cruel death awaited him. There was nothing left for him but to yield his place to the Prince of Orange, and the happiness of saving the republic was thus reserved for the last descendant of the stadtholders.

CHAPTER XIII.

A CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT-THE

RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF THE

STADTHOLDERSHIP, AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.

A restoration imminent-John de Witt considered as the enemy of the Prince of Orange-The public misfortunes attributed to him-His vain attempts to prevent or repair them-Vivien is assigned to him as a coadjutor in his office of Grand Pensionary-Attempted assassination at the Hague-His wounds-Condemnation and execution of Jacob van der Graef-His accomplices protected by the Prince of Orange-Cornelius de Witt in the same danger as his brother--General rising-Re-establishment of the Stadtholdership in 'Zealand-Sedition at Dordrecht-Resistance of Cornelius de Witt to the repeal of the Perpetual Edict-The example set by Dordrecht followed by the entire province-The States of Holland reduced to powerlessness Proposal for a change of government-It is supported by the Council of Amsterdam-Reservations made on the subject of the nomination of the magistrates of the town-The Prince of Orange elected Stadtholder of Holland and Zealand, under the name of William III.-The States-General appoint him captain- and admiral-general for life-Congratulations sent to him-Letter from his grandmother-He is solemnly invested with his office-Great position made for him-Negotiations— Proposals transmitted by De Groot to Louis XIV.-Exactions of the King of France-Report made by De Groot to the States of Holland-Deliberations Opinion of the Prince of Orange-Speech of Van Beuningen -Refusal to accept the King of France's conditions of peace-Measures attempted with the King of England-Secret negotiations entered into with Charles II. by the Prince of Orange-Offers made to him-He repulses them Treaty of Heeswyck between Louis XIV. and Charles II.-William III. declares himself in favour of a continuation of the war-Declaration of the States-General-Secret negotiations continued between the Prince of Orange and the King of England-They are in vain-Letter from Charles II. to the Prince of Orange-Military operations-Progress of the King of France's conquests-Taking of Nimeguen-Louis XIV. checked by the inundations before Bois-le-Duc-His return to France-Resistance offered to the Bishop of Münster-Siege of Groningen-He is forced to raise it--Termination of the naval expedition-Holland saved by a storm from the landing of the enemy's troops-India ships brought back to port-Services rendered by Ruyter-Organisation of the defence-Financial measures: forced loans-Information furnished by De Witt-Increase of the strength of the army-Louis XIV. gives up the prisoners of war-Choice of com

A RESTORATION IMMINENT.

361 manders: restoration of discipline-The powers granted to the Prince of Orange restore confidence to the United Provinces-Necessity for foreign aid -Assistance from Spain-Negotiations with the Emperor - Treaty of the Hague Co-operation of the Elector of Brandenburg: his junction with Montécuculi-Insufficiency of this intervention-It nevertheless contributes to the deliverance of the republic.

THESE public disasters, which roused to frenzy the popular irritation, could not fail to prepare and precipitate a change of government. The United Provinces, reduced to their last extremity, had to find a deliverer. The Prince of Orange appeared predestined for the post which had belonged to his ancestors. It seemed only right that he should inherit it; he had all the prestige of the past, which forms part of the life of nations. To the attractions of youth he joined a precocious gift of command. He was a man who could make himself obeyed by his impenetrable reserve, his immovable composure, his unconquerable obstinacy, and even by the curt and concise manner in which he gave his orders without allowing of any misunderstanding or discussion. The authority which he exercised as captain-general brought him very near to that which he coveted as stadtholder, whilst the restrictions, rather apparent than real, which were laid upon him, seemed to absolve him of all responsibility in the misfortunes of his country. He did not fail to profit by this position of affairs. Those who held the reins of government,' he wrote later to the States of Zealand, 'wished most unjustly to deprive us of the dignities which our ancestors held with such advantage to this State, and they further restricted to such narrow limits those which by special favour they were good enough to leave to us that we were thus incapable of rendering any service.'

The party which had remained faithful to the Prince of Orange, and to which was added those whom a desire for, or a prevision of, the change of government, rallied around him, suddenly put forward his claims as rights, and not content with asking for an extension of the young Prince's military power, by the conferring on him of the command of captain-general for life, with all the prerogatives that might appertain to it, they also claimed for him the civil authority,