consented to, yet he introduced it by force. The brewers who
would not agree to it had their beer given over to the soldiers.
So it was enforced, but it caused great strife and discontent.

>From this time forward the Director began to divide the people
and to create factions. Those who were on his side could do
nothing amiss, however bad it might be; those who were opposed
to him were always wrong even if they did perfectly right, and
the order to reckon half an offence a whole one was then
strictly enforced. The jealousy of the Director was so great
that he could no bear without suspicion that impartial persons
should visit his partisans.

After the war was, as the Director himself said, finished--
though in our opinion it will never be finished until the
country is populated--every one hoped that this impost would
be removed, but Director Kieft put off the removal until the
arrival of a new Director, which was longed for very much.
When finally he did appear,<1> it was like the crowning of
Rehoboam, for, instead of abolishing the beer-excise, his
first business was to impose a wine-excise and other
intolerable burdens, so that some of the commonalty, as they
had no spokesman, were themselves constrained to remonstrate
against it. Instead however of obtaining the relief which
they expected, they received abuse from the Director.
Subsequently a written answer was given them, which the
Director had, as usual, drawn up at such length and with such
fulness that plain and simple people, such as are here, must
be confused, and unable to make anything out of it. Further
attempts have accordingly been made from time to time to