Chap. II. Efiablijhment of the Dutch Eaft-India Company. 925 
to render the meaneft Country a Paradife, and the moft 
diftreffed and deje&ed of the human Race* the braved: 
Soldiers, and the moft enterprising Seamen. 
Such a Hiftory would particularly (hew, that Provi- 
dence can conduct, by the moft unlikely Means, the no- 
bleft Defigns to the higheft Degree of Perfedion, and 
lay the Ground-work of the moft exalted Power and Li- 
berty in the midft of Tyranny and Oppreffion. For moft 
evident it is, that if the Spaniards had not purfued the 
moft barbarous Plan of Politicks in Reference to their 
Subjects in the Low-Countries , the Republick of the Uni- 
ted, Provinces had never exifted, nor had the People of 
Holland ever arrived at any Part of that Wealth, Dignity 
and furprizing Power, as for the two laft Centuiies they 
have enjoyed. It is the peculiar Glory of the Almighty, 
to produce Order out of Confufion, Good out of Evil, 
Strength and Happinefs out of Weaknefs and Mifery, and 
of this, no Period of Hiftory affords us a more illuftrious 
Inftance, than that which is to be the Subject of the pre- 
fers Section. It was the Bigotry of the Spaniards , and 
their illegal Introduction of the bloody Inquifition into the 
Netherlands , that introduced that Firmnefs to their religi- 
ous Principles, and that zealous Concern for the Liberty 
of Conicience, which has proved the Source of the Gran- 
deur of the Dutch, It was the barbarous, as well as arbi- 
trary Government of the Duke of Alva , Cardinal Gran- 
ville^ and fuch Minifters of Oppreffion, that eftablifhed 
thole Notions of civil Liberty, that enabled the diftreffed 
Inhabitants of the Low-Countries to eftablifh a Form of 
Government capable of procuring and maintaining their 
Freedom •, and it was the Meafures taken to curb, to dif- 
trefs, and to ruin the little Trade they then had, which 
forced thefe People upon thofe Methods that in a very 
fmail Space of Time rendered them the moft confiderable 
trading Republick the World ever faw. 
It muft be allowed, that of all the Monarchs that were 
ever feized with a Paffion for univerfal Empire, there ne- 
ver was one who feemed to have it more in his Power to 
gratify Ambition in its largeft Extent, than Philip the 
Second of Spain, who was not led thereto by the Encite- 
ments of Minifters more capable than himfelf, but form- 
ed his own Schemes, and condu&ed them with fuch Wif- 
dom and Policy, that if the End he aimed at had been 
attainable by human Abilities, one could fcarce conceive 
how he came to be fruftrated in his Defign. He had 
gained the Court of Rome entirely to his Intereft, and was 
thereby able to bend the predominant Religion in Europe 
to his Purpofes. He had the whole Force of the Spanifh 
Monarchy, and of the Houfe of Aujtria in Germany at his 
Command ; the greateft maritime Power in the World was 
at his Difpofal, a great Part of Italy was in his Poffeffion ; 
he had a ftrong Party in England , and a ftronger in France , 
and all the Riches in the Indies flowed into his Coffers ; but 
what was ftill of greater Confequence, he had the moft 
able Minifters, and the moft experienced Generals, ana 
the beft difciplined Troops in the World at his Devotion; 
all which Advantages were doubled by his Skill in making 
ule of them ; for he had a Soul above the Reach of For- 
tune, and a Capacity more extenfive than his Dominions ; 
fo that had he undertaken what was in the Power of Man 
to atchieve, he had eafily and happily performed it ; but 
as his Project was without Bounds, fo the Methods he 
ufed, tho* wifely contrived, and generally fpeaking, well 
carried into Execution, proved not only fruitlefs, but fo 
diffipated the Wealth and Strength of his Empire, that as 
he died himfelf of Difcontent, fo he left the Spanijh Mo- 
narchy under an incurable Confumption. 
But amongft all the vaft Defigns which this Monarch 
formed, that which was beft digefted, was attended with 
the worfe EffeCts. He knew, that a Monopoly of Trade, 
was the firft Step to univerfal Empire, and therefore form- 
ed a Plan for fixing the whole Trade of the World to his 
Dominions. It was with this View, that he fet on Foot 
two Schemes which proved abortive indeed, but which 
will eternally prove the Strength of that Genius which de- 
vifed them. The firft was the feizing and fecuring the 
Sound, or narrow Paffage into the Baltick , by which he 
hoped to become Mafter of all the Trade of the North ? 
The other was building a City of his own Name in the 
Numb, 63. 
Streights of Magellan , and eftabliftiing fuch a Colony 
there, as might put it out of the Power of other Nations 
to trouble the Commerce of the South-Seas , or find a Paf- 
fage that Way to the Eajl- Indies. But failing in thefe 
Defigns, he turned his Thoughts another Way, and find- 
ing that his revoked Subjects in the Netherlands , began 
to make a great Figure in Trade, efpecially after the Ruin 
of the City of Antwerp , he refolved £0 cut them Oiort in 
that, as much as lay in his Power, and being become 
Mafter ol Portugal he abfolutely forbid them all Com- 
merce, not only with the Indies , but in the Commo- 
dities of the Indies, which they had hitherto purchafed at 
Lijbon , and with great Profit to themfelves, had diftri- 
buted to the northern Parts of Europe. It was by this 
Prohibition, exprefsly calculated for the Ruin of their 
Trade, that the Inhabitants of the Low-Countries were 
compelled to thofe Undertakings which have fince made 
them Lords of India. If the Spaniards had never for- 
bid them, they had never thought of going thither ; if 
they had remained the foie Carriers of Spices, or even 
been allowed a realonable Proportion of that Trade, they 
had never been the Proprietors of it. 
But the making this unexpected Stroke at their Com- 
merce, at a Juncture when they had many rich Merchants 
amongft them, and their Country fwarmed with able Sea- 
men, inftead of damping their Spirits, and depriving 
them of all Hopes, excited them to form a multitude of 
Projects for averting this Evil, more efpecially when they 
found that his Cathoiick Majefty remained firm to his 
Point, and actually caufed their Ships to be feized, and 
fuch as were on Board them to be imprifoned. This con- 
vinced them, that they muft either abandon all Thoughts 
of this Commerce, or ftrike out fome new Rout for them* 
feives, which was fo much the more difficult, becaufe 
even while they lived under the Spanijh Yoke, they had 
never been permitted to make Voyages to the Indies . 
They derived, however, fome Afiiftance from the Mer- 
chants who had fettled among them, after the taking of 
Antwerp , for they were better acquainted with the Spanijh 
Trade, and with the Method ufed in carrying it on, and 
it was thofe People who advifed the taking into their Ser- 
vice fuch Seamen and Pilots as had ferved under Sir Fran- 
cis Drake , the famous Candijh , and other Englijh Com- 
manders of Note. The Informations gained from thefe 
People, gave them fuch Lights, that by Degrees, their 
Merchants began to think an Indian Expedition practica- 
ble, and began likCwife to be willing to run the Flazard 
of fuch an Undertaking, from the ProfpeCt of the prodi- 
gious Profit that muft neceffarily accrue to them, if they 
met with Succefs, which bore fcarce any Proportion to the 
Expence neceffary for making fuch a Trial. 
2. Among others, James Valk , and Chrijlopher Roeltius, 
the one Trealurer, and the other Penfioner to the States of 
Zealand , in Conjunction with feveral Merchants, par- 
ticularly Balthafar Moucheron , John Janfon , Charles Dirk 
Van Os, and many others, took up a Refolution to open a 
Paffage into the Indies , from whence they were unjuftly 
excluded by the Emperor Charles V. and Philip the Se- 
cond, King of Spain. They conceived, that by fleering 
North-Eaft, they might run along the Coaft of Fartary , 
and fo reach Cathay , China , Japon , India, and the Phi- 
lipine and Molucca Iflands : The Execution of this Project 
was committed to two excellent Mariners, William Barenix , 
and James Heemjkirh , and afterwards to divers others ; but 
hitherto the Almighty has not favoured the Difcovery of 
that Paffage, or of the People that live in thofe Climates, 
while they were in queft of this Northern Paffage. One 
Cornelius Houtman , a Dutchman , happen’d to be in Portu- 
gal , and there fatisfied his Curiofity by a diligent Enquiry 
into the State of the Eafi-Indies , and the Courfe that one 
muft fleer, in order to come at it. He had frequent Con- 
ferences upon this SubjeCt with the Portugeze, who gave 
Notice of it to the Court. 
At that Time, all Foreigners were prohibited to make 
fuch Enquiries ; and upon that Score Houtman was put in 
Prifon, and ordered to ftay there ’till he paid a heavy 
Fine : In order toraife fuch a confiderable Sum of Money, 
he addreffed himfelf to the Merchants of Anfer dam, and 
gave them to underftand, that if they would pay his Fine, 
si C he 
