poet Willem Bilderdijk (his son Dirk on the other hand admired Bilderdijk very much) and preferred theologians like Prof Johannes van der Palm of the University of Leiden. Van der Palm was a keen (although quite conservative) supporter of textual criticism but dismissed higher criticism. Van Hogendorp preferred to read Van der Palm's (highly conservative) reconstruction of the text of the New Testament. When he was suffering from gout and unable to attend Church on Sunday, he used to read devotional literature. His brother Dirk His older brother, Dirk van Hogendorp (1761-1822), a military, was a General in the army of Napoleon and governor of Eastern Prussia. After Napoleon's escape from Elba and subsequent return to France, Dirk immediately sided with the Emperor. Napoleon named him governor of Nantes during his last hundred days in power. After the defeat of the Emperor, Dirk moved to Brasil and became a landowner. Other relatives He was the great-great-great-grandfather of Audrey Hepburn. Trivia When he was unable to sell his country estate at Adrichem, he ordered the demolition of the manor house in 1809. He was a self-declared Liberal. (To today's standards he would be a Liberal conservative.) He was very pro-British and a staunch supporter of Free trade. Van Hogendorp spoke several languages. He was fluent in English, French, Dutch, Latin and Greek. French was his mother tongue. He preferred English literature. He was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church and belonged to its more moderate wing. He used to read the New Testament in Greek. During his later years he made use of the Bible commentaries of Prof Dr Johannes van der Palm, a former Patriot. The Dutch conservative liberal party, VVD, considers Van Hogendorp as a liberal thinker, a precursor of Thorbecke. References External links 1762 births 1834 deaths Vice-presidents of the Council of State (Netherlands) Members of the Council of State (Netherlands) Politicians from Rotterdam Gijsbert Karel