42 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1704. 



strove to subdue their valiant fore- 

 fathers. The condition of there- 

 public was much more criticnl in 

 1672, than at the present period. 

 Not only some towns, but three 

 entire provinces, had fallen into tlie 

 handiof the French ; and tiie afJaii-s 

 of the republic were desperate in 

 the extreme : bu-t though sm - 

 Tonnded by victorious enemies on 

 every side, and reasonably past all 

 hope, still their brave ancestors 

 would not despond : they resolute- 

 ly called foi'th all the resources of 

 fhe state, — thry eiwployed theui 

 with equal prudence andcourag<i, — 

 they undauntedly faced the riie- 

 mv, — they nobly hazarded their 

 jives and all that was dear to tliem 

 in rcpellinp: hiin from, tbeir *;oun- 

 try, — and they happily succeeded, 

 to thea!>lonibhrntnt and admiration 

 of all Europe. Examples like these 

 flaimed the imiistion of their pos- 

 terity : and he hoped the Dutch at 

 the present day would shew them- 

 selves worthy desceudants of their 

 valiant progenitors. 



Such was the gereral purport of 

 the various addresses, issued occa- 

 sionally to the people of tlie Seven 

 Uniied Hiovinces : but the etiect 

 produced by them fell far short of 

 tiie wishes of those who framed 

 them. They were powerfully 

 counteracted by the spirit of dis- 

 content that had been increasing 

 amonc; the Dutch e\.'>r since the 

 coew ive interference of Prussia in 

 the affairs of the republic. The 

 Dutch complained, that ever since 

 their Stadtholders had intermarried 

 V'ith Toyal ho-jses, ih.cy had dis- 

 dained the station essigned them in 

 the commonwealth, and had never 

 ceased to use their keenest endea- 

 vours to subvert it, in order to 

 render thepiselves absolute masters 



of the state.' F'erein they were 

 con«taHtly abetted by those sove- 

 reigns with wiiom they had fornieei 

 far^iiiy connections. When dis;- 

 eusied with this conduct of the 

 Stadtholder, they had, on the de- 

 mise of Xing William ot England, 

 declined the renewal of this office, 

 in order to be free from tlie dan- 

 gers attending it. The intrigues of 

 a collaveral branch of the House of 

 Orange, seconded by tlie many in- 

 terested adherents who sought its 

 exaltation for their private ends, 

 procured it a matrimonial alliance 

 with the royal family of Greai. , 

 Britain, hoping, through so power- 

 ful a medium, to restore it to tl.c 

 dignity of the Stadtlwlder. Thii 

 being ajccomplished, much against 

 the sense of a majority of the priti- 

 cipnl people in the different pro- 

 vinces, a number of regulation.; 

 passed, whereby the Stadtholderatc 

 was converted almost into a mo- 

 narchy. It was made hereditary 

 both in the males and females, and 

 additional prerogatives annexed to 

 the office. Thus the United Pro- 

 vinces became in reality a king- 

 dom, and, like some other kingdoms 

 in Europe, were made subservient 

 to the views and politics of the 

 reigning ftmily. The interest of 

 the Stadtholderian family, it M-as 

 everywhere alleged in the pro- 

 vinces, wasalonc consulted by those 

 monarchs with whom it was thro* 

 marriages connected. Ihe interest 

 of the state, it was said, required 

 peace with ail nations j but that of 

 the Stadtholder being only secon- 

 dary, and subordinate to the courts 

 to whom he was related, he would 

 of course gi\e them the prefer- 

 ence, and act according to their di- 

 rections. I'hus the late Stadtholder 

 was governed by the councils ol 



Great 



