iculty. The soldier insisted on its being opened, to see what was in
it; he even went and informed the Commandant's wife that the weight of
the chest gave him reason to think there was something suspicious
contained in it, and that it would be proper to have it opened. She
would not; whether it was that she was willing to wink at the thing, or
through negligence: she told him that Grotius' wife had assured her
there was nothing but books in it; and that they might carry it to the
boat. It is affirmed that a soldier's wife who was present, said there
was more than one example of prisoners making their escape in boxes. The
chest however was put into the boat, and Grotius' maid, who was in the
secret, had orders to go with it to Gorcum, and put it into a house
there. When it came to Gorcum, they wanted to put it on a sledge; but
the maid telling the boatman there were some brittle things in it, and
begging of him to take care how it was carried, it was put on a horse,
and brought by two chairmen to David Dazelaer's, a friend of Grotius,
and brother-in-law to Erpenius, having married his sister[112]. When
every body was gone, the maid opened the chest. Grotius had felt no
inconvenience in it, though its length was not above three feet and a
half. He got out, dressed himself like a mason, with a rule and a
trowel, and went by Dazelaer's back-door, through the market-place to
the gate that leads to the river, and stept into a boat which carried
him to Valvic in Brabant. At this place he made himself known to some
Arminians; and hired a carriage to Antwerp, taking the necessary
precautions not to be known by the way: it was not the Spaniards he
feared, for there was then a truce between them and the United
Provinces. He alighted at Antwerp at the house of Nicholas Grevincovius,
who had been formerly a Minister at Amsterdam; and made himself known to
no body but him. It was on the 22d of March, 1621, that Grotius thus
recovered his liberty.

In the mean time it was believed at Louvestein that he was ill; and to
give him time to get off, his wife gave out that his illness was
dangerous; but as soon as she learnt by the maid's return that he was in
Brabant, and consequently in safety, she told the guards, the bird was
flown. They informed the Commandant, by this time returned from Heusden,
who hastened to Grotius's wife, and asked her where she had hid her
husband? She answered he might search for him: but being much pressed
and