the King was to risk his head. He, at least, would never repose
confidence in him, having been deceived too often. The King cherished
the maxim, 'hereticis non est servanda fides;' as for himself he was
'calbo y calbanista,' and meant to die so.

The formal interchange of documents soon afterwards took place. The
conversation thus held between the different parties shows, however, the
exact position of, affairs. There was no change in the intentions of
either; Reformers or Royalists. Philip and his representatives still
contended for two points, and claimed the praise of moderation that their
demands were so few in number. They were willing to concede everything,
save the unlimited authority of the King and the exclusive maintenance of
the Catholic religion. The Prince of Orange, on his side, claimed two
points also--the ancient constitutions of the country and religious
freedom. It was obvious enough that the contest was, the same in
reality, as it had ever been. No approximation had been made towards
reconciling absolutism with national liberty, persecution with
toleration. The Pacification of Ghent had been a step in advance. That
Treaty opened the door to civil and religious liberty, but it was an
agreement among the provinces, not a compact between the people and the
monarch. By the casuists of Brussels and the licentiates of Louvain, it
had, to be sure, been dogmatically pronounced orthodox, and had been
confirmed by royal edict. To believe, however, that his Catholic Majesty
had faith in the dogmas propounded, was as absurd as to believe in the
dogmas themselves. If the Ghent Pacification really had made no breach
in royal and Roman infallibility, then the efforts of Orange and the
exultation of the Reformers had indeed been idle.

The envoys accordingly, in obedience to their instructions, made a formal
statement to the Prince of Orange and the states of Holland and Zealand,