not have been unnatural, but he was willing to supply money for his
assassination. At the same time he was careful to insist that this
pecuniary advance was by no means a free gift, but only a loan to be
repaid by his more bloodthirsty brother upon demand with interest.
With a businesslike caution, in ghastly contrast with the foulness of the
contract, he exacted a note of hand from Stoutenburg covering the whole
amount of his disbursements. There might come a time, he thought, when
his brother's paper would be more negotiable than it was at that moment.

Korenwinder found no difficulty in discounting Groeneveld's bills, and
the necessary capital was thus raised for the vile enterprise. Van Dyk,
the lean and hungry conspirator, now occupied himself vigorously in
engaging the assassins, while his corpulent colleague remained as
treasurer of the company. Two brothers Blansaerts, woollen manufacturers
at Leyden--one of whom had been a student of theology in the Remonstrant
Church and had occasionally preached--and a certain William Party, a
Walloon by birth, but likewise a woollen worker at Leyden, agreed to the
secretary's propositions. He had at first told, them that their services
would be merely required for the forcible liberation of two Remonstrant
clergymen, Niellius and Poppius, from the prison at Haarlem.
Entertaining his new companions at dinner, however, towards the end of
January, van Dyk, getting very drunk, informed them that the object of
the enterprise was to kill the Stadholder; that arrangements had been
made for effecting an immediate change in the magistracies in all the
chief cities of Holland so soon as the deed was done; that all the
recently deposed regents would enter the Hague at once, supported by a
train of armed peasants from the country; and that better times for the
oppressed religion, for the Fatherland, and especially for everyone
engaged in the great undertaking, would begin with the death of the
tyrant. Each man taking direct part in the assassination would receive