Our preachers pretend to have won this right against the Countship, the gentlemen, nobles, and others, and that it belongs to them." It is easy to see that this was a grave, constitutional, legal, and historical problem not to be solved offhand by vehement citations from Scripture, nor by pragmatical dissertations from the lips of foreign ambassadors.
"I believe this point," continued Barneveld, "to be the most difficult question of all, importing far more than subtle searchings and conflicting sentiments as to passages of Holy Writ, or disputations concerning God's eternal predestination and other points thereupon depending.

Of these doctrines the Archbishop of Canterbury well observed in the Conference of 1604 that one ought to teach them ascendendo and not descendendo." The letters of the King had been very favourably received both in the States-General and in the Assembly of Holland.

"You will present the replies," wrote Barneveld to the ambassador in London, "at the best opportunity and with becoming compliments.

You may be assured and assure his Majesty that they have been very agreeable to both assemblies.

Our commissioners over there on the East Indian matter ought to know nothing of these letters." This statement is worthy of notice, as Grotius was one of those commissioners, and, as will subsequently appear, was accused of being the author of the letters.
"I understand from others," continued the Advocate, "that the gentleman well known to you--[Obviously Francis Aerssens]--is not well pleased that through other agency than his these letters have been written and presented.