truly such men without vanity we have amongst our States;
pard on me if I avouch them for such at this time, what ever
you judge them; the Beast they ride and rule, I mean that
of many heads, is grown resty and skittish, and will kick and
fling, maugre all the skill they have; and although in the generall,
they like Foxes, are concentred in one knot at the tail
onely, looking and drawing severall ways, or if you will, like
Solomons Bulls, each turned to a different point, yet the one
could doe Sampsons work against his Enemies, and the other
with brazen strength and boldness, beare up the sea upon
their backs. But above all, our respective Magistrates of Holland
bear the Bell; and as the wisdome of the Spaniards was
admirable in the cure of that late dangerous paroxisme of
Naples, so I doubt not but God will in his goodnesse make
our Steermen as fortunate in carrying on our Hulk through
all these surges and tossings.
Our severall Interests, Fashions, Religions, and Adversaries,
are like so many cross winds and waves, that beat her sides.
This appears in the blew books and black mouthes in every
street and corner, which you must wonder the lesse at, if you
remember your own Scene in your late War, what humors
your Presses bewrayed and sent over to us: for every Hogshead
now must be working & yeesting, and they say that rotten
diseases are best cured by spitting. This I say the rather,
that you be the lesse troubled at such kind of spawling, for
it may be offensive to nice stomacks.
But that you may see we are not destitute of Friends abroad,
Brandenburgh hath promised us 10000 men, whether
it be his Mother-ni-law the old Princesse of Orange, that
hath wrought him to it, or Count Williams perswasions,
who by his late marriage is become his Brother-in-law, or to
oblige our States to the restoring of his Towns which they
garrison for him, or whether only a wyne sprung Bravado
conceived at the late wedding at Cleave, I cannot tell, nor
need to care; for our State is like to be as little the better
for any help from the Elector of Brandenburgh, as the King
of England was from his brother the Duke of Curland; and