"In 1668, France having seized upon the Spanish Netherlands, Holland
united with England and Sweden to check the power of the French monarch;
but Charles II., subsidized by Louis XIV. of France, deserted his ally.
England and France united, won Sweden over, and formed a league against
Holland. Louis invaded Holland with an army six times as large as the
Dutch could bring into the field, and conquered three provinces. The
quarrel between the house of Orange and the party headed by the Grand
Pensionary still continued to rage. The supreme power was in the hands
of the States General. De Witt proposed to establish the government of
Holland in the East India possessions, as Portugal did in Brazil, rather
than submit. The representative of the house of Orange encouraged the
people to resist at home, and declared that he would 'die in the last
ditch.' As the formation of the country rendered it exceedingly probable
that the 'last ditch' was to be found somewhere in Holland, the advice
of this Prince of Orange was adopted. The popular current turned in his
favor, and against the Grand Pensionary, who was murdered by a mob at
The Hague.