When he was about thirty years old CORNELISl van VORST became involved in a political embroglio which sent him into exile. During the first decade of the 17th century the Republic of the Netherlands was practically in a state of civil warfare, which had its inception in a dispute or religious controversy between two learned theologians, Profs. Arminius and Gomarus, and had become a political feud. The reactionaries under the Prince of Orange-Nassau were on one side and the liberals who were headed by such leaders as the eminent statesman John van Oldenbarnevelt and the renovmed lawyer-author Hugo Grotius 1 were in the opposition. (See Motley's Life of John van Barnevelt)

Opposing factions were battling in Utrecht in 1610, and a group of liberals who wished to gain control of the government were plotting to capture the commander of the city and his soldiers. Among the plotters were Jacob Aertsz van Wijckereloot and CORNELISl van VORST, Ebbenwercker. When their plans were discovered the participants were imprisioned and their leader, Canter, was taken to the gallows. Both van Wijckersloot and CORNELIS were banished from the Netherlands by a comnittee of the Estates General, the Estates of the Province of Utrecht and the municipal court of Utrecht, a joint body which investigated the affair. (See dossier No.387, Federal Archives Utrecht.) As is evident from the hearings, CORNELIS played only a very minor part in this attempt. The actual court records are preserved in the Federal Archives at the Hague ( Inventory Musschenbroek 1922: No. 15) They do not disclose any particulars about CORNELIS only that he had been
present at one of the meetings of the plotters.

CORNELIS van VORST went to Italy, where he continued working at his trade, wood carving; according to the MS genealogy, He “eft lang in Italien gewoont ende werckte seer wel in Ebbenwout" (has lived for a long time in Italy and is very proficient in woodcarving.)

When nine years later a general amnesty was decreed for those who had taken part in the events of 1610,
CORNELIS was at liberty to return to his native land, but it is possible that he remained for a while in foreign lands, for on Mar 26, 1621, his wife Beatrix geboren van Utrecht (born in Utrecht) appeared before a Notary Public at Antwerp.

After the death of Hendrick van Voorst, the pewter-founder, father of CORNELIS, his business was continued by CORNELIS' brother, Joost, at their father's house in the Schoutensteeg; as stated in the MS
genealogy: "Joost neemt de winckel wear” (attends to the store.) Their sister Maychgen and another sister
Petronella, who had married the turner-wood carver, Wijnalt Jacobsz van Dorsten, had previously sold their
1/4 shares in the paternal home to Joost and on Apr. 28, 1625, (Schepens Records Utrecht,) CORNELIS
"borger t' Utrecht" (burgher of Utrecnt) also sold his 1/4 interest in the property to his brother Joost, who now
became sole owner.

The next year, on Apr. 7, 1626, CORNELIS van VORST appeared before Notary Public W. van Galen at Utrecht (pros. Suppl. No. 1968) and made the following agreement which is quoted in full: "CORNELIS van VORST, ebbenwercker, als bijde E. Heeren Bewinthebberen der West Indische Compagnie ter camere tot
Amstetredam aengenomen wesende omne te reysen naer Nieuw Nederlandt, Maecte Machtich Herman Jacobss. van Snellenberch ende Jacob Cosijns, mede ebbenwercker ende borgers t' Utrecht, omme te outfangen alle penningen als hem competerende sijn van eenige persoonen in Vranckrijcl: woonachtig--."
Translated this reads "CORNELIS van VORST, ebbenwercker, having been engaged by the Directors of the West India Company of the Amsterdam Chamber to go to New Netherland, gives power of Attorney to Herman Jacobsz van Snellenberch and Jacob Cosijns, also ebbenwerckers and burghers of Utrecht, to collect some money due him from certain-persons living in France."

Only a short time after this CORNELIS, left for the colony, sailing on the same ship with Isaac de Rasiere, first secretary of New Netherland, the "Het Wapen Imsterdam" (The Arms of Amsterdam, which must have left Holland shortly before May 15, 1626, date of its arrival at Plymouth, England, and reached Fort Amsterdam, New Netherland, on July 27th, less than three months after the arrival of Director Peter Minuit.

Whether CORNELIS van VORST had a wife living at the time of his leaving the fatherland is uncertain, but
Beatrix van der Laen, his first wife, died after Mar. 26, 1621. Her appearance before a Notery at Antwerp on that date is the last record found regarding her. The exact date of her death is not known.

He was the Superintendent of the estate of Michael Pauw.