At any rate, if it were not rapidly gaining ground, it would be neither for want of discord among the Protestants nor for lack of Jesuits to profit by it.
"I do not understand," said he in reply, "nor is it generally considered certain that from the differences and disturbances that the Hollanders are having among themselves there has resulted the conversion of any of them to our blessed Catholic faith, because their disputes are of certain points concerning which there are different opinions within their sect.
There has always been a goodly number of priests here, the greater part of whom belong to the Company.

They are very diligent and fervent, and the Catholics derive much comfort from them.

To send more of them would do more harm than good.

It might be found out, and then they would perhaps be driven out of Holland or even chastised.

So it seems better to leave things as they are for the present." The Spanish government was not discouraged however, but was pricking up its ears anew at strange communications it was receiving from the very bosom of the council of state in the Netherlands.