Free Political Propositions

Heavy bleed-through from the reverse side, showing the inverted title "VOOR-REDEN".

To fill this empty space, I add here a certain Extract from the Book of Considerations and Examples of State, printed by Jan Jacobsz. Dommekracht, in Amsterdam, 1660. Concerning the fact that if one continues to govern in Holland by the same maxims, Holland will certainly go to ruin, page 176.

That Holland has been burdened with such great loads that it—notwithstanding its blessed situation in the middle of Europe, on the Sea and powerful Rivers, notwithstanding that bold traversing of the Sea in winter times and far-lying lands, notwithstanding that bold lending and constant labor, notwithstanding the great thrift, meager food and drink of its Inhabitants—must necessarily struggle against death with such a government and will certainly have to come to such a gruesome fall that one could not easily point out in Histories similar examples of miseries come upon civilized peoples through bad government (and not through military force from outside), who nevertheless had contributed so much to their own preservation, if one had only been willing to spend it well.