History of Protestantism in the Netherlands - James Aitken Wylie

unsettled times. Many of the principal inhabitants
had fled; numbers of the judges and officers of the
revenue had abandoned their posts, to the great
detriment of justice and the loss of the finances.
William filled up these vacancies with Protestants,
deeming them the only thoroughly trustworthy
persons in a contest that was to determine which of
the two faiths was to be the established religion of
Holland.
Before opening the campaign, the Prince of
Orange took a step toward the settlement of the
religious question. It was resolved that both Papists
and Protestants should enjoy the public exercise of
their worship, and that no one should be molested
on account of his religion, provided he lived
quietly, and kept no correspondence with the
Spaniards.[5] In this William obeyed the wishes of
the great body of the people of Holland, who had
now espoused the Reformed faith, and at the same
time he laid a basis for unity of action by purging
out, so far as he could, the anti-national element
from the public service, and took reasonable
precautions against surprise and treachery when
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