GROTIUS. 
3$; 
claims of Portugal. It alfo claimed the general liberty 
of the feas, which afterwards produced an anfwer to it 
by the learned Selden. Another patriotic work which 
foon followed was "his treatife De Antiquitate Reipublica 
Batavce , intended to prove the’-continued freedom and 
independence of the Batavian nation from the Roman 
times. The public thanks of the States, accompanied 
by a prefent, teftified their fatisfaCtion with this per¬ 
formance. 
On the death of the penfioner of Rotterdam, in 1613, 
the place was offered by the city to Grotius, who made 
it the condition of his acceptance that he thould never 
be turned out again, as he then forefaw the agitations 
which were impending in confequence of the i'pirit of 
party. His condition was allowed ; and this important 
poll gave him a feat in the affembly of the States of 
Holland, and afterwards in the States-general. At this 
time fome differences fubfffted between the Dutch and 
Englifh on account of the claim made by the latter of an 
exclufive right of filhery in the Greenland feas. Grotius 
was fent to England on this bufinefs, and difplayed much 
knowledge of . the fubjeCt and power of argument in his 
dilputes with the Englifh miniftry. He was received 
with refpeCl by king James, who always entertained a 
regard for learning; and he contracted an intimate friend- 
Ihip with Cafaubon, then refiding in England, and who 
refenibled him by the profoundnefs of his erudition, and 
by his ardent defire of procuring a fraternal union among 
Chriftians. 
After his return from England, he was appointed to 
draw up the edict of the States intended to reftore tran¬ 
quillity ; but its i'pirit was too tolerant, and it was too 
favourable to the Arminians, not to give great offence 
to the oppofite party, which was fupported by the ffia- 
jority of the people and clergy. As the powerful city 
of Amfferdam openly favoured the contra-remonftrants 
or Gomarifts, Grotius was joined in a deputation fent 
from the States, in order to perfuade the magiftrates of 
that place to concur in their meafures ; but his elabo¬ 
rate fpeech on this- occalion failed of fuccefs. Prince 
Maurice found it for the "intereft of his power, to main¬ 
tain the caufe of the contra-remonftrants, and induced 
the States-general to determine.upon the convocation of 
a national fynod at Dort. In the mean time he marched 
with a body of troops to difarm the militia which feve- 
ral towns had raifed upon the authority of the particular 
ftates. Grotius, with Hoogerbetz, was fent to Utrecht 
to prepare that city for refinance; but, being deferted 
by the garrifon, they were obliged to retire. Maurice 
followed his blow by ordering the arreft of the grand- 
penfionary, with that of Grotius and Hoogerbetz, on 
the 29th of Auguft, 1618. They were confined in the 
caftle of the Hague, and the wife of Grotius was denied 
all accefs to him. A petition from'the city of Rotter¬ 
dam to prince Maurice, requefting the liberation of their 
pentionary, was without effect; as was likewife a depu¬ 
tation to the States-general, praying that he and the 
others might be tried according to the cuftom of the 
country. In the mean time the fynod fat, and the Ar- 
minian party was.entirely overthrown. Its principal 
sninifters were depofed and banifhed, and its opinions 
were folemnly condemned. The trial of Barneveldt 
followed, and that venerable patriot was brought to the 
fcaffold. See the article Barneveldt, vol. ii. p. 733. 
That of Grotius commenced on May 18, 1619. He ob¬ 
jected to the jurifdi&ion of the States-general over him, 
and to the judges of their appointment, but his objec¬ 
tions were over-ruled. After examinations conducted 
with much rigour, he was declared guilty upon a num¬ 
ber of charges, on the greater part of which he was 
never examined, and which in general were incurred 
only in confequence of following the orders of the States 
of Holland and the town of Rotterdam; and he was fen- 
ienced to imprjfonrnent for life, w ith a confifcation of 
diis jeiiate. 
The place of his confinement was the fortrefs of Louve- 
ftein, neqr Gorcum, in South Holland. His wife nobly 
refufed to accept of the fum allowed by the States for 
his maintenance, declaring that the was able to.fupport 
him out of her own fortune. She at length obtained 
permiifion to be his fellow-prifoner; and in one of his 
Latin poems he has feelingly deferibed the light and 
comfort which her prefence brought him in his prifon- 
gloom. The greatnefs of her mind elevated her above 
feminine lamentation, and her foie ftudy was to alleviate 
the rigour of his fate. He poffeffed another great con- 
folation in his love for letters, which led him to refume,, 
with renewed ardour, the ffudies he had intermitted, 
and made the hours of captivity glide away almoft un¬ 
counted. He informs his friend Voffius that he had re¬ 
turned to the ftudy of the law, which was his leading 
occupation. The reft of his time was devoted to mora¬ 
lity, and particularly to the collection and tranftation of 
all the maxims of the Greek poets from Stobaeus, and 
all the fragments of the comic and tragic writers. He 
employed the Sundays in reading arguments in favour 
of the Chriftian revelation, and in drawing up notes on 
the New Teftament. It was in prifon that he compofed 
in Dutch verfe the treatife On the Truth of the Chrif¬ 
tian Religion,-which was the ground-work of his famous 
work De Veritate. He alfo wrote in Dutch, Inftitutions 
of the Laws of Holland-; thus confulting the good of his 
countrymen, even while fuftering under their harlhnefs 
and prejudice. His faithful wife, meantime, did not 
ceafe to meditate- his deliverance. He had been per¬ 
mitted to borrow books of his friends, which, when 
perufed, were fent back in a cheft to Gorcum along 
w’ith his foul linen. His guards were at firft rigorous in 
fearching the cheft; but having repeatedly found no¬ 
thing fufpicious, they began to relax in their vigilance. 
On this negligence the wife of Grotius founded a pro¬ 
ject of getting him conveyed away concealed in a cheft. 
She peri'uaded him to agree to the attempt; and caufed 
him to make trial how he could bear the pofture and 
confinement, after holes were bored in the cheft for the 
admiffion of air. She had mentioned to the commandant’s 
wife, whofe hufband was abfent, that it was her inten¬ 
tion to fend away a large load of books, in order to pre¬ 
vent her hufband from injuring himfelf by ftudy. At 
the time appointed, Grotius entered the cheft, and was 
w’ith difficulty carried down a ladder by two foldiers.. 
One of them, furprifed at its weight, faid, in a kind of 
jeft then proverbial, “ There muft be an Arminian in 
it.” She anfwered coolly, that there were indeed Ar¬ 
minian books. The foldier, however, thought proper 
to inform the commandant’s wife of the circumftance; 
but Hie, already prepared, would not permit it to be 
examined. A maid who was in the fecret accompanied 
the cheft in the boat to Gorcum, and there got it con¬ 
veyed to the houfe of a friend of her matter's. Grotius 
quitted it uninjured, dreffed himfelf like a mafon with 
a trowel in his hand, and proceeded through the market¬ 
place, to a boat which carried him to a town in Brabant,, 
whence he took a carriage to Antwerp. This happy 
efcape was effected on March 22, 1621. His heroic wife 
in’ the mean time kept up a belief that he was confined 
to his bed by ilinefs, till, learning his fafety, the con- 
fefled the deed. She was detained in clofe cuftody by ^ 
the enraged commandant, till a petition which the pre- 
fented to the States-general procured her difeharge. 
The afylum which Grotius chofe was France. The 
ambafiador of that country at the Hague, DuMaurier,. 
had been clofely connected with him, and had.interfered 
with vigour in favour of Barneveldt and the reft of the 
party. He furnithed Grotius with letters of recommen¬ 
dation, who belides received afturances of the royal pro¬ 
tection from the prefident Jeannin. He arrived at Paris 
in April, and was received with -much friendthip by 
fome leading men. lie was followed, however, by the 
hatred of his countrymen; who, by the medium of their 
ambaffadorsj. 
