STATE PAPERS. 



227 



us a successful i^sue, by driving the 

 enemy from our territory, and by 

 the conquering arms of the states, 

 with our friends and allies, remov- 

 ing the seat of war into the ene- 

 my's own country. "We now see, 

 however, high and mighty lords, 

 a wonderful revolution in the state 

 of affairs, attended with the loss 

 of the greater part of our advanta- 

 ges, the enemy having penetrated 

 and advanced near our frontiers ; 

 and instead of our carrying on the 

 war offensively, they have forced us 

 to act in our defence. 



It is under such circumstances, 

 that it behoves all those who more 

 or less bear a share in conducting 

 public affairs to step forward, with 

 their undisguised sentiments, and 

 cordially take the lead of the good 

 inhabitants, and by such means ce- 

 ment a mutual confidence, with- 

 out which the country cannot be 

 saved. 



With this view, I once more ap- 

 pear before you in this assembly, 

 to declare to your high mighti- 

 nesses, from thebottomof mylieart, 

 that f am ready and firmly deter- 

 mined, supported by the wise and 

 vigourous measures of your high 

 mightinesses, and the lords of the 

 respective prQvinces, to sacrifice 

 my life in defence of our country; 

 and also to a.-surc you, that I do 

 by no means despair of saving the 

 slate, if we, with additional courage 

 and fortitude, under the goodne-s 

 of Providence, employ the ready 

 and effectual means in our power; 

 and finally to declare to your high 

 It mightinesses, that 1 hold the least 

 neglect of such necesary exertions, 

 and every indication of desipondeu- 

 cy and fear, as inevitablv tending 

 towards th« irretrievable loss of our 

 Country. 



I will, no more than last year, 

 conceal the real danger; the true 

 knowledge of this danger being re- 

 quisite to call in aid every possible 

 means of resistance. Still werewe 

 to consult the history of our repub- 

 lic, we shovild find circumstances of 

 peril, compared to which tlie pre- 

 sent appears to vanish. 



Our brave ancestors fought and 

 obtained their liberty and indepen- 

 dence in the midst of such difiicul- 

 ties, as human foresight could not 

 reasonably hope to .surmount ; not- 

 withstanding which, did they con- 

 stantly spurn at all the insidious o- 

 vertures oflfered them ; theythought 

 themselves more secure in manfully 

 facing the dangers of war, tlian 

 suffering themselves to be deceived 

 by a treacherous peace. While 

 king Philip and his adherents con- 

 tinued to be considered as enemies, 

 our forefathers had to defend them- 

 selves only against open hos- 

 tilities ; but had the enemy in ap- 

 pearance become friends and bro- 

 thers, the weapons of deceit, se- 

 duction and corruption, would have 

 proved far more alarming than a 

 state of open warfare. Are we to 

 suppose the present situation worse 

 than that in 1672, when not only 

 single towns, but three provinces 

 of the union were in possession of 

 tiie enemy? Or that of 174/, '.\hen 

 all Dutch Flanders and the strong 

 frontier of Eergen-op-Zoom were 

 lost ? Or lasiJy,' than that of 1 793, 

 the recent evt nts of wli'ch were too 

 well known? If neither our an- 

 cestors nor ourselves, during those 

 periods, shewed symptoms of dcs- 

 pondeicy, how disgraceful would 

 It be in us, under our present cir- 

 cumstances, did we enter on the 

 defence of the slate without ener- 

 gv and determinedcouraiie ! V/ere 

 ' Q '^ "we 



