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Supposed Spanish-catholic plot against Dutch trade in the Indies

[MIDDELGEEST, Simon van, and/or Willem USSELINCX?]. ADAMS, Yemant (pseudonym).
Raedtsel. Ieghelijck doet geern wat Naer dat Discourssen ende vescheyden Droomen op de Handel vanden Vrede in Neder-landt zijn uytgheghaen: ..., of men niet soude connen raden wat in Spangien tusschen den Coninck ende den Monick omgaet, ...

A fictitious secret conversation between a monk and the King of Spain, with a drop-title.

A fictitious secret conversation between a monk and the King of Spain, with a drop-title.



(Amsterdam?, 1608). Small 4to. Modern limp boards. A fictitious secret conversation between a monk and the King of Spain, with a drop-title. (7) pp.

One of the most popular pamphlets included in the famous banned Bye-Korf collection, existing in at least 7 printings under several different titles, with frequent reference to the Dutch trade in the Indies. It takes the form of a supposed dialogue between a monk (Pater Johan Ney) and the King of Spain (Jan Neyen was the King's representative in the peace negotiations). The King is offended that the Dutch are not satisfied with the mere independence he has already offered, but think they should be free to trade all over the world. "Even in the East and West Indies?" he asks shocked, and the monk replies that they indeed dare to assert so in writing and in speech. The King says he offered peace principally to keep the Indies and would rather remain at war than lose them.
When the monk urges him to delay the return to war as long as possible, due to the unfavourable circumstances, he replies that they must double-cross the Dutch and try to stir up internal disputes among them (the monk should be good at that for monks are experts at lying without blushing!). The monk says the Dutch are too clever and have already learned not to trust Spain or the monks, and the only hope is to temporarily grant them all the freedoms they demand and attempt to double-cross them later. The king admits he sees no other option, but fears it will make the Dutch rich and him poor. The monk assures him that when he later takes back the Netherlands he will get all those riches back as well. So the King sends him off to The Hague to negotiate, but the monk fears for the worst: "they will have already dreamed of and discovered before I arrive what we have secretly discussed, it will already be in print, and people will walk around with it as with a new almanac"! The author makes no secret of having imagined the conversation, but includes occasional Spanish words or even sentences to give it an air of authenticity.

The pamphlet was a response to the 4 May 1607 cease fire and beginnings of peace negotiations with Spain, and in 1608 it was issued with all three editions of the Nederlandtsche Bye-Korf before it was banned with most of the pamphlets on 27 August 1608. "Yemant Adams" (Someone Adams) probably merely means a son of Adam, and has been variously interpreted as the lawyer and VOC share-holder Middelgeest or the WIC advocate Usselincx.
More study is needed to determine the chronology of the numerous printings (Knuttel 1418-1423, with still more distinguished in the STCN, all apparently between May 1607 and August 1608), and which were issued with which editions of the Bye-Korf. The present copy appears to be printed on the same paper stock as the third edition of the Bye-Korf, watermarked: pot (bearing the letter "M" and with the base delineated with a double line) topped by grapes, but some copies apparently of the same printing show a different stock, watermarked: gothic "p" topped by a flower. The latter or a very similar mark also appears in another printing (Knuttel 1422) and in the only printing of Asher 26-28/26, which must precede the first printing of the Bye-Korf.
A clever banned pamphlet, with frequent references to the Indies and a prophesy of the printing of the pamphlet itself.

Good copy.- (Only slightly browned; boards splitting on spine).
Asher 26, 27 or 28/5; Knuttel 1421; Tiele 657; cf. Simoni A 13 (other ed.); OCLC WorldCat (2 copies apparently of Knuttel 1420); not in Alden & Landis; JCB; for Middelgeest, see NNBW II, cols. 917-918.

Related Subjects: 17th Century  East Indies  Low Countries  Pamphlets  Spain  Trade  VOC  West Indies  WIC 

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