On 13 December 1599, Grotius – only 16 years old at the time - took the oath of office to become an advocate in The Hague, the administrative center of the Republic. Although he would often complain that he missed spending time on passions like history and poetry, Grotius quickly gained a remarkable reputation as a skilled advocate. In 1607, Van Oldenbarnevelt put him forward for the office of advocate-fiscal, the public prosecutor and legal adviser of the provinces of Holland and Zeeland.