added Herr von Nordwyk.
"Whoever has eyes to see and ears to hear, knows the views of the
gentlemen belonging to the old city families, who are reared from
infancy as future magistrates; and I speak not only of Leyden, but the
residents of Gouda and Delft, Rotterdam and Dortrecht. Among a hundred,
sixty would bear the Spanish yoke, even do violence to conscience, if
only their liberties and rights were guaranteed. The cities must rule
and they themselves in them; that is all they desire. Whether people
preach sermons or read mass in the church, whether a Spaniard or a
Hollander rules, is a matter of secondary importance to them. I except
the present company, for you would not be here, gentlemen, if your views
were similar to those of the men of whom I speak."

"Thanks for those words," said Dirk Smaling, "but with all due honor to
your opinion, you have painted matters in too dark colors. May I ask if
the nobles do not also cling to their rights and liberties?"

"Certainly, Herr Dirk; but they are commonly of longer date than yours,"
replied Van Bronkhorst. "The nobleman needs a ruler. He is a lustreless
star, if the sun that lends him light is lacking. I, and with me all the
nobles who have sworn fealty to him, now believe that our sun must
and can be no other person than the Prince of Orange, who is one of
ourselves, knows, loves, and understands us; not Philip, who has no
comprehension of what is passing within and around us, is a foreigner
and detests us. We will uphold William with our fortunes and our lives
for, as I have already said, we need a sun, that is, a monarch--but the
cities think they have power to shine and wish to be admired as bright
stars themselves. True, they feel that, in these troublous times, the
country needs a leader, and that they can find no better, wiser and more
faithful one than Orange; but if it comes to pass--and may God grant
it--that the Spanish yoke is broken, the noble William's rule will seem
wearisome, because they enjoy playing sovereign themselves. In short:
the cities endure a ruler, the nobles gather round him and need him.
No real good will be accomplished until noble, burgher and peasant
cheerfully yield to him, and unite to battle under his leadership for
the highest blessings of life."

"Right," said Van flout. "The well-disposed nobility may well serve as
an example to the governing classes here and in the other cities, but
the people, the poor hard-working people, kn