The prince set out on June 8, and visited all the “privileged” towns.  The result was more than disappointing.  The Council of the premier municipality, Dordrecht, set the example by declaring that they were answerable only to the Estates of the Province.  Schiedam, Alkmaar, Edam and Monnikendam gave the same reply.  Delft and Haarlem were willing to receive the prince as stadholder, but not the deputation.  Amsterdam, under the influence of the brothers Andries and Cornelis Bicker, went even further and after some parleying declined to admit either the deputation or the prince.  On June 25 William returned to the Hague bitterly chagrined by his reception and determined to crush resistance by force.

The stroke he planned was to seize the representatives of six towns which had been specially obstinate in their opposition, and at the same time to occupy Amsterdam with an armed force.  His preparations were quickly made.  On July 30 an invitation was sent to Jacob de Witt, ex-burgomaster of Dordrecht, and five other prominent members of the Estates of Holland, to visit the prince.  On their arrival they were arrested by the stadholder’s guard, and carried off as prisoners to the Castle of Loevestein.  William had meanwhile left the execution of the coup-de-main against Amsterdam to his cousin William Frederick.  The arrangements for gathering together secretly a large force from various garrisons were skilfully made, and it was intended at early dawn to seize unexpectedly one of the gates, and then to march in and get possession of the town without opposition.  The plan, however, accidentally miscarried.  Some of the troops in the night having lost their way, attracted the notice of a postal messenger on his way to Amsterdam, who reported their presence to the burgomaster, Cornelis Bicker.  Bicker at once took action.  The gates were closed, the council summoned, and vigorous measures of defence taken.  William Frederick therefore contented himself with surrounding the city, so as to prevent ingress or egress from the gates.  On the next morning, July 31, William, having learnt that the surprise attack had failed, set out for Amsterdam, determined to compel its surrender.  The council, fearing the serious injury a siege would cause to its commerce, opened negotiations (August 1).  The prince, however, insisting on unconditional submission, no other course was open.  Amsterdam undertook to offer no further opposition to the proposals of the States-General, and was compelled to agree to the humiliating demand of the stadholder that the brothers Bicker should not only resign their posts in the municipal government, but should be declared ineligible for any official position in the future.