The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland, 1610-12 | Page 8

by his Majesty, told them that to have Vorstius as successor to
Arminius was to fall out of the frying-pan into the fire, and handed
them a "catalogue" prepared by the King of the blasphemies, heresies,
and atheisms of the Professor. "Notwithstanding that the man in full
assembly of the States of Holland," said the Ambassador with headlong
and confused rhetoric, "had found the means to palliate and plaster the
dung of his heresies, and thus to dazzle the eyes of good people," yet it
was necessary to protest most vigorously against such an appointment,
and to advise that "his works should be publicly burned in the open
places of all the cities."
The Professor never was admitted to perform his functions of theology,

but he remained at Leyden, so Winwood complained, "honoured,
recognized as a singularity and ornament to the Academy in place of
the late Joseph Scaliger."--"The friendship of the King and the heresy
of Vorstius arc quite incompatible," said the Envoy.
Meantime the Advocate, much distressed at the animosity of England
bursting forth so violently on occasion of the appointment of a divinity
professor at Leyden, and at the very instant too when all the acuteness
of his intellect was taxed to keep on good or even safe terms with
France, did his best to stem these opposing currents. His private letters
to his old and confidential friend, Noel de Carom, States' ambassador in
London, reveal the perplexities of his soul and the upright patriotism by
which he was guided in these gathering storms. And this
correspondence, as well as that maintained by him at a little later period
with the successor of Aerssens at Paris, will be seen subsequently to
have had a direct and most important bearing upon the policy of the
Republic and upon his own fate. It is necessary therefore that the reader,
interested in these complicated affairs which were soon to bring on a
sanguinary war on a scale even vaster than the one which had been
temporarily suspended, should give close attention to papers never
before exhumed from the musty sepulchre of national archives,
although constantly alluded to in the records of important state trials. It
is strange enough to observe the apparent triviality of the circumstances
out of which gravest events seem to follow. But the circumstances were
in reality threads of iron which led down to the very foundations of the
earth.
"I wish to know," wrote the Advocate to Caron, "from whom the
Archbishop of Canterbury received the advices concerning Vorstius in
order to find out what is meant by all this."
It will be remembered that Whitgift was of opinion that James was
directly inspired by the Holy Ghost, and that as he affected to deem
him the anointed High-priest of England, it was natural that he should
encourage the King in his claims to be 'Pontifex maximus' for the
Netherlands likewise.
"We are busy here," continued Barneveld, "in examining all things for
the best interests of the country and the churches. I find the nobles and
cities here well resolved in this regard, although there be some
disagreements 'in modo.' Vorstius, having been for many years

professor and minister of theology at Steinfurt, having manifested his
learning in many books written against the Jesuits, and proved himself
pure and moderate in doctrine, has been called to the vacant
professorship at Leyden. This appointment is now countermined by
various means. We are doing our best to arrange everything for the
highest good of the Provinces and the churches. Believe this and
believe nothing else. Pay heed to no other information. Remember what
took place in Flanders, events so well known to you. It is not for me to
pass judgment in these matters. Do you, too, suspend your judgment."
The Advocate's allusion was to the memorable course of affairs in
Flanders at an epoch when many of the most inflammatory preachers
and politicians of the Reformed religion, men who refused to employ a
footman or a housemaid not certified to be thoroughly orthodox,
subsequently after much sedition and disturbance went over to Spain
and the Catholic religion.
A few weeks later Barneveld sent copies to Caron of the latest
harangues of Winwood in the Assembly and the reply of My Lords on
the Vorstian business; that is to say, the freshest dialogue on
predestination between the King and the Advocate. For as James
always dictated word for word the orations of his envoy, so had their
Mightinesses at this period no head and no mouthpiece save Barneveld
alone. Nothing could be drearier than these controversies, and the
reader shall be spared as much, as possible the infliction of reading
them. It will be necessary, however, for the proper understanding of
subsequent events that he should be familiar with portions