in this letter, "has made you
acquainted, with my high esteem, for his learning, and the good
services he did me; but he could not express, how dear I hold his
memory, and the effects of his great labours. If gold, or silver,
could do any thing towards redeeming such a valuable life, I would
gladly employ all, I am mistress of, for that purpose."

She concludes by asking his widow, for all the manuscripts "of that
learned man, whose works had given her such pleasure." The Queen assures
her, that "they could not fall into better hands," and that, "the
author, having been useful to her in his lifetime, it was not just that
she should be deprived, after his death, of the fruits of his labours."

It remains to mention, that, after the death of Grotius, his wife
communicated with the Church of England: this, it is said, she did in
conformity to the dying injunctions of her husband: it is certain, that
Grotius respected the Church of England. His wife died at the Hague, in
the communion of the Remonstrants. Through life, she was uniformly
respected; and, whenever the services of Grotius, to sacred and profane
literature, are recorded, her services to him, should be mentioned with
praise.

CHAPTER XIV.

HISTORICAL MINUTES OF THE REVOLUTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SEVEN
UNITED PROVINCES, FROM THE DEATH OF WILLIAM II. TILL THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS.

1680-1815.

In some of the preceding pages, the principal events in the history of
the Seven United Provinces, till the death of William II, in 1680, have
been briefly mentioned: in the present chapter, we shall insert a
summary account of the revolutions of their government, till the present
time.

XIV. 1.

_William III._

1650-1702.

William III. was born after the death of William II. his father.
Immediately after that event, his mother claimed for him the
stadtholderate, and all the other dignities, pre-eminences, and rights,
which his father and grandfather had enjoyed; but, so great, at that
time, was the public jealousy of the ambitious views of the house of
Orange, that the States General would not even take her claims into
deliberation. A general assembly of the States was held in 1661. They
confirmed the Treaty of Union, of 1579; attributed to themselves, the
appointment of all civil and military offices; placed the army under the
authority of the provinces and municipalities, and inv