The Black Tulip

othic houses, with its canals like large mirrors, in which its steeples and its almost Eastern cupolas are reflected,-the city of the Hague, the capital of the Seven United Provinces, was swelling in

here, on the charge of attempted murder preferred against him by the surgeon Tyckel

which we are about to add might appear quite supererogatory; but we will, from the very first, apprise the reader-our old friend, to whom we are wont on the first page to promise amusement, and with w

, was forty-nine years of age, when the Dutch people, tired of the Republic such as John de Witt, the Grand Pensionary of Holland, understood it, at once conceived a

igures of the brothers De Witt, those Romans of Holland, spurning to pander to the fancies of the mob, and wedding themselves with unbending fidelity to liberty without licentiousness,

the pressure of whose material power Holland had been made to feel in that marvellous campaign on t

ece of their spite. Their national pride held him up as the Mithridates of the Republic. The brothers De Witt, therefore, had to strive against a double difficulty,-against the force of

the Grand Monarch loomed in the future, was William, Prince of Orange, son of William II., and grandson, by his mother Henrietta Stuart, o

hope which the young Prince might have entertained of one day becoming Stadtholder. But God laughs at the presumption of man, who wants to raise and prostrate the powers on earth without consulting the King above; and the fickleness and caprice of the Dutch

m the Orangist rabble, who besieged him in his house at Dort, he stoutly refused to sign the act by which the office of Stadtholder was restored. Moved by the tear

on that day he escaped from

ishes of his fellow citizens. Only a few days after, an attempt was ma

rs being a constant obstacle to their plans, they changed their tactics, and tried

nces does occur, history is prompt to record the name of the chosen one, and to hold him up to the admiration of posterity. But when Satan interposes in human affairs to cast a shadow upon some

of this dastardly plot was one Tyckelaer whom we

al of the Perpetual Edict-had, from hatred against William of Orange, hired an assassin to deliver the new Republic of its new Stadtholder; and he, Tyckelaer was th

72, Cornelius de Witt to be arrested; and the noble brother of John de Witt had, like the vilest criminal, to undergo, in one of the apartments of the town pr

ons as their ancestors were to their faith, are able to smile on pain: while being stretched on the rack, he recited with a firm voice, and scanning the lines according

e sentencing Cornelius to be deposed from all his offices and dignities; to pay all

me gratification to the passions of the people, to whose interests Cornelius de

for ingratitude, have in this respect to yield precedence to the Dutch. They

tedness to the best interests of his country, taking with him into the retirement of private life the hatred of a host of enemies, and the fresh scars of wounds inflicted by

eagerly waiting for the time when the people, by whom he was idolised, should have made of t

as crowding towards the Buytenhof, to witness the departure of Cornelius de Witt from prison, as he was going to exil

their eyes with the spectacle; there were many who went there to play an active part in it, and to

d for was the spectacle, always so attractive to the mob, whose instinctive

streaming with blood, covered with shame?" And was not this a sweet triumph for the burghers of the Hague, whose envy

reover, will there not, from the Buytenhof to the gate of the town, a nice little opportunity present itself to throw some handfuls of dirt, or a few stones, at t

e Hague, Cornelius would certainly not be allowed to go into exile, where he will renew his intrigues

r than walk; which was the reason why the inhabitants o

r plan settled in his mind, was one of the foremost, being paraded about by th

ination, the attempts which he pretended Cornelius de Witt had made to corrupt him; the sums of money which were promised, a

, called forth enthusiastic cheers for the Prince of Orange, and g

the iniquitous judges, who had allowed such a detestable

ispered, "He will be off

ing for him at Schevening, a Fren

rah for Tyckelaer!" th

at at the same time with Cornelius his brother John, who is as

money, with the money for our vessels, our arsenals,

o depart!" advised one of the patriots

son, to the prison!

aster, cocking their muskets, brandishing their hatch

their impassibility than all this crowd of burghers, with their cries, their agitation, and their threats. The men on their horses, indeed, stood like so many statues, under the eye

ass of the populace, but also the detachment of the burgher guard, which, being placed opposite the Buytenh

ange! Down wit

angry by their own shouts, and as they were not able to understand how any one could have courage without showing it by cries, they attribut

them single-handed, merely lifting his sword an

er guard, what are you advanc

their muskets, re

ange! Death to

than to gloomy ones. 'Death to the traitors!' as much of it as you like, as long as you show your wishes only

to his men, he gave

ers, r

caused the burgher guard and the people to fall back, in a deg

f his profession; "be easy, gentlemen, my soldiers will not fire a shot; bu

we have muskets?" roared the

beg you to observe also that we on our side have pistols, that the pistol carries

tors!" cried the e

ficer, "you always cry the same thi

of his troops, whilst the tumult grew

one of their victims, the other, as if hurrying to meet his fate, passed, at a distance of not more t

his coach with his servant, and quietly

the turnkey, who howe

way my brother, who, as you know, is condemne

k the gates of the prison, had greeted him and admitted him int

eighteen, dressed in the national costume of the Frisian women, who, with pretty d

ood and fair Rosa;

ed, "I am not afraid of the harm which h

s it you ar

harm which they are

ou mean to speak of the peo

u hear

but when they see us perhaps they will grow calme

the contrary," muttered the girl, as, on an

what you say i

ng his way, he

d, who consequently has never read anything, and yet with

an he had been on entering the prison, the Grand Pe