Oliver had just entered on his period of Arbitrariness, or Government without a Parliament, when Milton received the following letter in Latin from Leo de Aitzema, or Lieuwe van Aitzema, formerly known to him as agent for Hamburg and the Hanse Towns in London, but now residing at the Hague in the same capacity (IV. 378-379). Aitzema, we may now mention, was a Frieslander by birth, eight years older than Milton, and is remembered still, it is said, for a voluminous and valuable _History of the United Provinces_, consisting of a great collection of documents, with commentaries by himself in Dutch.[1] This had not yet been published. [Footnote 1: See Article _Aitzema_ in Bayle's Dictionary.] "To the honourable and highly esteemed Mr. John Milton, Secretary to the Council of State, London. "Partly because Morus, in his book, has made some aspersions on you for your English Book on Divorce, partly because many have been inquiring eagerly about the arguments with which you support your opinion, I have, most honoured and esteemed Sir, given your little work entire to a friend of mine to be translated into Dutch, with a desire to have it printed soon. Not knowing, however, whether you would like anything corrected therein or added, I take the liberty to give you this notice, and to request you to let me know your mind on the subject. Best wishes and greetings from "Your very obedient "LEO AITZEMA[1] "Hague: Jan. 29, 1654-5." [Footnote 1: Communicated by the late Mr. Thomas Watts of the British Museum, and published by the late Rev. John Mitford in Appendix to Life of Milton prefixed to Pickering's Edition of Milton's Works (1851).] Milton's answer, rather unusually for him, was immediate. TO LEO VAN AITZEMA.