BR<}AD  ADVICE.                                277
do these wicked regents behave themselves towards them ? It is very dangerous to live under such a government.
B. The English, in thousands and an hundred thousand families, are our neighbors, so to speak ; and there are some Swedes, or Hollandish Swedes, who have wedged themselves in, God knows how, between them and us I Our directors have so conducted towards them, taking from English harbors ships of persons trading with the English, that much bad blood exists ; but that nation are not easily led to excesses. If, however, their High Mightinesses, or the government of our Fatherland, do not see to it in time, our nation will, by means of such scoundrels, come short; for the English, while they might have gone along smoothly, being once offended, are very sensitive. Matters have transpired between us and them, which would not be tolerated if every thing should be examined into, as it ought to be, by us as well as by them.
E.    Is there no boundary-line between you and them ?
B. There is no trifling difficulty about that, with which the sovereigns of both nations may be troubled. I would that that matter was settled.
E. But how came the Swedes there ? What pretense have they there ?
B. You may well ask that ? but what is known to me, I will keep in my sleeve, in order to see if they who are the cause of it will not remedy the same ; for Jan Prins, who is the-commander there, obtains cargoes and ships from Holland. I cannot understand how men so lost to all shame live in our Fatherland. But I say no more. God help or God destroy those who so contrive to injure us, and send to him openly guns, powder, and lead, in order to sell them to the Indians, and ultimately to murder our people.
H. Is there no counsel ia Holland against all such villainy ?
B. There is in Holland counsel more than enough against it, if they who receive it would only adopt it.
How easily could those who were appointed regents be required to state their birth-place and condition, and their subsequent lives then be inquired into, in order that such notorious scoundrels should not be appointed to high places over us ! Or it might be left to the Commonalty to seek out one or more persons, according to their pleasure, or to contrive other means, so that at least open murderers, thieves,