On his return to Holland, Grotius, in compliance with his father's desire, entered on the profession of law ; and at the age of seventeen, lie began to plead with distinguish ed ability and success. He retained his fondness, however, for classical and literary pursuits, and continued to prose cute his general studies with ardour in those intervals of leisure which his laborious profession allowed, and which supplied the place of recreation, chiefly by affording a change of employment. When he was in his 24th year, lie was appointed attorney-general of Holland, Zealand, and West Friezland, and filled his high office with such talents and integrity, that the salary attached to it was aug mented.
In 1613 he removed to Rotterdam, to engage in the duty of pensionary, or chief magistrate of that city, as succes sor of the recently deceased Elias Barnevelt, brother of John, his early patron and friend. At this time, religious controversy ran high in the United Provinces between the Calvinists, or Gomarists as they have been called, front Francis Gomar of Bruges, and the Armenians, especially with respect to grace and predestination. Grotius, amidst the heat' of the contending parties, conducted himself with such prudence and moderation, as to retain for a considera ble time the respect of both. lie was also admitted into the assembly of the states of Holland ; and as he had writ ten in defence of the right of the Dutch to trade with India, lie was sent to England, to adjust the differences which had arisen between the merchants of the two countries. He succeeded in the object of his mission, and received marks of regard from James I. At his return home, he found the United Provinces divided and distracted by quarrels about religion ; and while he had the affliction to see that true patriot and able politician, John Barnevelt, sacrificed to a faction, under the pretence of treason and heresy, to gratify its own ambitious projects, Grotius him self most narrowly escaped sharing his melancholy fate. Barnevelt was tried by twenty-six commissioners deputed from the Seven Provinces, and, in terms of the sentence of this cruel tribunal, was beheaded in 1619. Grotius, who had been warmly attached to him, and who was suspected, by the bigots of the day, of favouring the Armenians, was involved in his disgrace. He was arrested in August 1618, and in May following was condemned to perpetual imprisonment, and to have all his property confiscated. He was strictly confined in the castle of Louvestein, near Gorcum. a Here he remained," says Dumourier, " with out any other consolation than the company of his wife, and of books which his friends were permitted to send to him. A large trunk was usually sent filled with books,
which he returned after having devoured them, (apes les avoir devotes,) and it was during this imprisonment that he translated Stobceus. But his confinement lasted only about two years, as he was happily delivered from it by the address of his wife, Mary Reygelsberg.* She, having re that his guards (tired with frequently searching the great cnest filled with linen or books, that passed be tween the prison and Gorcum) allowed it at length to be transmitted without opening it, advised her husband to place himself in it, after having made holes with a vvimble in the part of it over his face, to allow him to breathe. lie entered into the scheme, and was thus carried to the house of one of his friends at Gorcum, whence he went to Ant werp by the ordinary conveyance, after having passed through the market-place at Gorcum, disguised as a ma. son with a rule in his hand. his wife, who had so dex terously managed the affair, pretended that her husband was much indisposed, in order to afford time for.his escape; but when she supposed him to be in a place of safety, she told the guards that the bird was flown. It was at first intended to prosecute her, with a view of having her con fined in her husband's stead but she was liberated by a majority of votes, and she was universally praised for hav ing restored her husband to freedom. This took place in March 1621." Dumouricr Memoires de liollande. Gro tius, thus happily delivered, secretly left Antwerp in the following month, and repaired to France, where he ex perienced powerful protection, and was introduced to Louis XIII. who bestowed on him a pension of 3000 firms, which he enjoyed for about ten years. Prince Maurice, the enemy of Barnevelt, and persecutor of Grotius, died in 1625 ; and it is a circumstance highly honourable to Grotius, that in his History of the Netherlands, from the departure of Philip II. till 1608, which was not published till after the author's death, he relates the splendid achieve ments of this prince with the utmost fidelity, and without alluding to the harsh treatment which he had suffered from him. The brother of Maurice, Prince Henry Fre deric, entertained the most friendly disposition towards and would gladly have recalled him, but was deterred by the jealousy of his political opponents, which still existed with unabated force.