"The nobleman needs a ruler.

He is a lustreless star, if the sun that lends him light is lacking.

I, and with me all the nobles who have sworn fealty to him, now believe that our sun must and can be no other person than the Prince of Orange, who is one of ourselves, knows, loves, and understands us; not Philip, who has no comprehension of what is passing within and around us, is a foreigner and detests us.

We will uphold William with our fortunes and our lives for, as I have already said, we need a sun, that is, a monarch--but the cities think they have power to shine and wish to be admired as bright stars themselves.

True, they feel that, in these troublous times, the country needs a leader, and that they can find no better, wiser and more faithful one than Orange; but if it comes to pass--and may God grant it--that the Spanish yoke is broken, the noble William's rule will seem wearisome, because they enjoy playing sovereign themselves.