The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland, 1618-19 | Page 9

request to the Prince not to come to Utrecht;

that the communication of the message, in regard to disbanding the
Waartgelders, to his Excellency had been postponed after the deputies
of the States of Holland had proposed a delay in that disbandment; that
those deputies had come to Utrecht of their own accord; . . . . that they
had judged it possible to keep everything in proper order in Utrecht if
the garrison in the city paid by Holland were kept quiet, and if the
States of Utrecht gave similar orders to the Waartgelders; for they did
not believe that his Excellency would bring in troops from the outside.
He said that he knew nothing of a new oath to be demanded of the
garrison. He stated that the Advocate, when at Utrecht, had exhorted
the States, according to his wont, to maintain their liberties and
privileges, representing to them that the right to decide on the Synod
and the Waartgelders belonged to them. Lastly, he denied knowing who
was the author of The Balance, except by common report.
Now these statements hardly amounted to a confession of abominable
and unpardonable crimes by Ledenberg, nor did they establish a charge
of high-treason and corrupt correspondence with the enemy against
Barneveld. It is certain that the extent of the revelations seemed far
from satisfactory to the accusers, and that some pressure would be
necessary in order to extract anything more conclusive. Lieutenant
Nythof told Grotius that Ledenberg had accordingly been threatened
with torture, and that the executioner had even handled him for that
purpose. This was however denied by the judges of instruction who had
been charged with the preliminary examination.
That examination took place on the 27th September. After it had been
concluded, Ledenberg prayed long and earnestly on returning to prison.
He then entrusted a paper written in French to his son Joost, a boy of
eighteen, who did not understand that language. The youth had been
allowed to keep his father company in his confinement, and slept in the
same room.
The next night but one, at two o'clock, Joost heard his father utter a
deep groan. He was startled, groped in the darkness towards his bed
and felt his arm, which was stone cold. He spoke to him and received
no answer. He gave the alarm, the watch came in with lights, and it was
found that Ledenberg had given himself two mortal wounds in the
abdomen with a penknife and then cut his throat with a table-knife
which he had secreted, some days before, among some papers.

The paper in French given to his son was found to be to this effect.
"I know that there is an inclination to set an example in my person, to
confront me with my best friends, to torture me, afterwards to convict
me of contradictions and falsehoods as they say, and then to found an
ignominious sentence upon points and trifles, for this it will be
necessary to do in order to justify the arrest and imprisonment. To
escape all this I am going to God by the shortest road. Against a dead
man there can be pronounced no sentence of confiscation of property.
Done 17th September (o. s.) 1618."
The family of the unhappy gentleman begged his body for decent burial.
The request was refused. It was determined to keep the dead secretary
above ground and in custody until he could be tried, and, if possible,
convicted and punished. It was to be seen whether it were so easy to
baffle the power of the States-General, the Synod, and the Stadholder,
and whether "going to God by the shortest road" was to save a culprit's
carcass from ignominy, and his property from confiscation.
The French ambassadors, who had been unwearied in their endeavour
to restore harmony to the distracted Commonwealth before the arrest of
the prisoners, now exerted themselves to throw the shield of their
sovereign's friendship around the illustrious statesman and his fellow-
sufferers.
"It is with deepest sorrow," said de Boississe, "that I have witnessed the
late hateful commotions. Especially from my heart I grieve for the
arrest of the Seignior Barneveld, who with his discretion and wise
administration for the past thirty years has so drawn the hearts of all
neighbouring princes to himself, especially that of the King my master,
that on taking up my pen to apprize him of these events I am gravely
embarrassed, fearing to infringe on the great respect due to your
Mightinesses or against the honour and merits of the Seignior
Barneveld. . . . My Lords, take heed to your situation, for a great
discontent is smouldering among your citizens. Until now, the Union
has been the chief source of your strength. And I now fear that the King