TUESDAY July 12. 1651
From Leyden this 20 of July stilo novo.
SIR, I failed you the last week having little to write of & I love not
to. coin, as the manner of some is; for indeed the most that
goes about here, is like our Brasse and Alchimy ghelt, salse and adulterate
stuffe, did not the authority of some Grandees and Gallants among
us mint it, and disperse it, by whose stamp it goes currant over
the country, it would not passe, as it doth not among sober men,
only some drive a trade with it, and hope to thrive by it: such kind
of Brasse stuffe is the newes of Cromwels routing over and over, and
Ruperts dominiering in the Straits, your ships not daring to look him
in the face, with whole heaps of the like stamp, whereof our Courts
at the Hague are the Mint, Bank and Burse.
But leaving them, I shal endevour to trade with you in truth. Our
great Assembly after a sufficient expence of time and mony, tell us
they will now rise, having se[unr]ed the Militia, and established Religion,
which two things although you deride as a bringing forth but
of two mice after a long lying in, yet you seem to have layen longer,
and not to have produced so much. As a memoriall of the union of
the Provinces, a piece of money shall be coyned with this inscription
(if my informer fails not) Staut fœrdere junctiœ ficut junct a rupes, being
confederated & united, they stand as immoveable as a rock, though
my fear is, that this rock may rend, and that others are not so like to
split upon us, as we are one upon another: and what ever become of
us among our selves, our fear is no lesse of splitting upon English
Rocks. We had an old Motto you know, in your famous Elizabeths
time, when your land and others were like to clash, that wee were
then like two earthen pitchers floating, si collidimur, frangimur, if wee
dash one another we may both look to it. In order to which on our
part it is resolved, that three Extraordinaries be sent to you, whereof
old Jodchimy to be one, who the others are is not yet known by us
private men. The Amsterdammers propound Myn Heer Schaep to bee
one of them, but some of the other Provinces seem averse, for that
Amsterdam hath a Borrel in France. Some talk there is of Monsieur de
Vet of Zealand, who hath the repute of an honest man. Two Basons &
Ewers of gold, of 1000. l. each will be brought to be given your
Embassadors, because they refused money, yet a thing in course, and
never was a greater present offered to any by us, the Emperours Embassadors
not exceeding that: but an inkling we have here, as if it be
the minde of your State to suffer none of theirs to receive Presents,
such things many times blinding the eyes, and weighing downe
the scales of wise men. I look upon this as one piece of your gallantry.