Chapter II. The Dutch in English Literature

    Hard things against the Dutch - Andrew Marvell's satire - The 
    iniquity of living below sea-level - Historic sarcasms - "Invent 
    a shovel and be a magistrate" - Heterogeneity - Foot warmers - A 
    champion of the Hollow Land - The Dutch Drawn to the 
    Life - Dutch suspicion - Sir William Temple's opinion - and Sir 
    Thomas Overbury's - Dr. Johnson's project - Dutch courtesy - Dutch 
    discourtesy - National manners - A few phrases - The origin of 
    "Dutch News" - A vindication of Dutch courage.

To say hard things of the Dutch was once a recognised literary pastime. At the time of our war with Holland no poet of any pretensions refrained from writing at least one anti-Batavian satire, the classical example of which is Andrew Marvell's "Character of Holland" (following Samuel Butler's), a pasquinade that contains enough wit and fancy and contempt to stock a score of the nation's ordinary assailants. It begins perfectly: -