History of the United Netherlands, 1590-1599, Vol. III. Complete

to Henry to prevent th

of Henry to elevate

tates-Embarkation of

ew with Queen Elizabe

f Elizabeth for repay

mbassy to England-Fin

n and th

f this fatal peace. Admiral Justinus of Nassau, natural son of William the Silent, was associated with Barneveld in the mission, a brave fighting man

the parties in order to separate them, and to break up that united strength which otherwise he could never resist. The king was accordingly called upon to continue the war against the common enemy, and the States-General offered, over and above the four hundred and fifty thousand florins promised by them for

ying on the war either to Fonquerolles or to Hurault de Maisse; but he certainly could make no repro

e their departure for France

century. The human tragi-comedy seems ever to repeat itself with the same bustle, with the same excitement for immediate interests, for the development of the instant plot or passing episode, as if the universe began and ended with each generation-as in reality it would appear to do for the great multitude of the actors. There seems but a change of masks, of costume, of phraseology, combined with a noisy but eternal monotony. Yet while men are produced and are whirled away again in endless succession, Man remains, and to all appearance is perpetual and immortal even on this earth. Whatever science acquires man inherits. Whatever steadfastness is gai

ed with the fever and whirl of our own times, in which the stupendous powers of steam and electricity are ever-ready to serve the most sublime or the most vulgar purposes of mankind. Whether there were ever a critical moment in which a rapid change might have been effected in royal or national councils, had telegraphic wires and express trai

ared might be fatal to its national existence, and concerning which there seemed a momentary hesitation. Yet Barneveld and Justinus of Nassau, altho

for their journey-carriages, horses, hosts of servants, and beds, fortunate enough if they found roads and occasionally food-Barneveld and Nassau were furnished with three ships of war, while another legation on its way to England had embarked in two other vessels of the same c

hem in a stately manner to a house called the king's mansion, which he politely placed at their disposal. "As we learned, however," says Barneveld, with

n Dieppe, they started at dawn on their jour

Loire and partly by the road, as far as Tours. Here they were visited by nobody, said Barneveld, but fiddlers and drummers, and were execrably lodged. Nevertheless they thought the town in other respects agreeable, and apparently beginning to struggle out of the general desolation of, France. On the end April they slept at Langeais, and on the night of the 3rd reached Saumur, where they were disappointed at the absence of the illustrious Duplessis Mornay, then governor of that ci

them that he found "matters entirely arranged for a peace." This would be very easily accomplished, he said, for France and England, but the great difficulty was for the Netherlan

hem in the city. The same evening they waited on the widowed princess of Orange, Louisa of Coligny, then residing temporarily with her son in Angiera, and were informed by her that the king's mind was irrevocably fixed on peace. She communicated, however, the advice of her step-son in law, the Duke of Bouillon, that they should openly express

were conducted to the king, who was walking in the garden of the fortress. Henry received them with great demonstrations of respect, assuring them that he considered the States-G

tached to the mission, especially his son and Hugo Grotius, then a lad of fifteen, but who had already gained such distinction at Leyden that Scaliger, Pontanus; Heinsius, Dousa, and other professo

oys that the matter of peace and war was decided. The general of the Franciscans, sent by the pope, had been flitting very busily for many months between Rome, Madrid, Brussels, and Paris, and there could

hey were endeavouring to cause water to run up hill. Villeroy, De Maisse, and Buzanval came to them to recount, by the king's order, everything that had taken place.

asurer had avowed the same opinions as his sovereign, had declared himself to be a man of peace, and had exclaimed that peace once made he would sing "Nunc dimitte servum tuum Domine." Thereupon, at the suggestion of the legate, negotiations had begun at Vervins, and although nothing was absolutely concluded, yet Sir Robert Cecil, having just been sent as special ambassador from the queen, had brought no propositions whatever of assistance in carrying on the war, but plenty of excuses ab

eal interests and his real purposes were peace. Much excellent diplomacy, much ringing of bells, firing of artillery, and singing of anthems in royal chapels, and much disappointment to honest Dutchmen, might have

gain to himself, was about to break his solemn promises to his allies and leave them to their fate,

their friend, but gave them to understand that there was not the sli

neral. Accordingly they sent, through the hands of the princess, four pieces of damask linen and two pieces of fine linen to the king's sister, Madame Catherine, two pieces of linen

teem in which the Netherland f

r the whole ground, resuming with his usual vigour all the arguments by which the king's interest and honour were proved to require him to desist from the peace negotiations. And the orator had as much success as is usual with those who argue against a foregone conclusion. Everyone had made up his mind. Everyon

y pondered, he said, all the arguments used by the States to dissuade him from the negotiation, and had found them of much weight. The necessities of his kingdom, however, compelled him to accept a period of repose. He would not, however, in the slightest degree urge the States to join in the treaty. He desired their security, and would aid in maintaining it. What had most vexed him was that the Protesta

n to elect a prince. Barneveld replied that the general inclination was rather for a good republic. The government, however, he said, was not of the people, but aristocratic, and the state was administered according to laws and charters by the principal inhabitants, whether nobles or magistrates of c

ould be supported by the Queen of England and the King of Franc

n to be discharged like a pistol-shot fu

was sufficiently adroit i

ue the war, to rescue all the Netherlands from the hands of the Spaniards and their adherents, and thus render the States eternally obl

repeating that repose

thus suggested was a very safe one to offer. He had thoroughly satisfied himself during the period in which he had been baffled by the southwest gales at the Brill and by the still more persistent head-winds which he had found prevailing at the French court, that it was hopeles

unicated, next day, to Cecil the proposition thus made by the king. Su

n places concerning his affection for the Netherlands, and the bitter necessity which compelled him to desert the alliance, Henry again referred to his

grant their request. The course pursued by his Majesty, they said, would be found very hard of digestion by the States, both in rega

er of his mistress, the Duchess of Beaufort, then lying in childbed. Here he drew wide open the bed-curtains, and bade them kiss the lady. They complied, and begging the duch

had been hoped; and for anything useful accomplished, after such an expenditure of time, money, and eloquenc

, and on the 25th were safely lodged with the resident minis

hley and Buckhurst, were determined upon peace. They knew that the queen was also heartily weary of the war and of the pugnacious little commonwealth which had caused her so much expense. But they knew, too, that Henry, having now secured the repose of his own kingdom, was anything but desirous that his des

ce, make use of the cautionary towns in her negotiations with Philip. At any rate, said Francis Aerssens, then States' mini

uld wish to see her exchequer reimbursed by people who, as she believed, were rolling in wealth, the fruit of a contraband commerce which she denied to her own subjects, and who were in honour bound to pay their debts to her now, if they wished her aid to be contin

thirty years, during fifteen of which she had herself actively assisted them-these republican Calvinists should, refuse to return to the dominion of thei

y ill-humour. Olden-Barneveld recounted to her the results of their mission to France, and said that from beginning to end it had been obvious that there could be no other issue. The king was indiffe

ry. She had written with her own hand, she said, to tell him that she never had believed him capable o

h him at once in peace negotiations; at least so far as to discover what the enemy's intentions might be. She added, pettishly, that if Prince Maurice and other func

l two points-obedience to God, which meant submission to the pope; and obedience to the king, that was to say, subjection to his despotic author

give the States any further assistance; that she would leave them to their fate; that her aid rendered in their war had lasted much longer than the siege of Troy di

ent very difficult matter. She ought to believe that it was not evil passion, nor ambition, nor obstinacy that prevented the States from joining in these negotiations, but the determination to maintain their national existence, the

er. The States-General could not accept a prince without placing themselves under his absolute authority, and th

een Philip and the States meant their unconditional subjugation and the complete abolition of the Protestant religion. Least of all did the Queen of England require information

ination to get back her money overpower

y be their master; especially if France and England should guarantee them against any infraction of their rights. By the living God! by the living God! by the living God! she swore over and ov

oney and her pains had by no means been wasted, that the enemy had been brought to shame and his finances to confusion; and urging her, without pa

to be provided for? how am I ever to get back my money? who is to pay the garrisons of Brill and Flush

queen was in a very evil temper, and took no pain

ination, who had repeatedly attempted the invasion of her realms with the whole strength of the most powerful military organization in the world, whose dearest wish on earth was still to accomplish her dethronement and murder, to extirpate from England the religion professed by the majority of living Englishmen, and to place upon her vacant throne a Spanish, German, or Italian prince, was as much her enemy as h

, whether between nations or individuals, without much wrangling? Meantime her Majesty held excellent security in two thriving and most important Netherland cities. But had the States consented to re-establish the Spanish aut

erences with meagre results. The Englishmen urged that the time had come for the States to repay the queen's advances, to relieve her from future subsidies, to assume the payment of the garrisons in the cautionary towns, and to furnish a force in d

ost every day by the queen's commissioners at the Hague and by the States' resident minister at London. Olden-Barneveld and the admiral had been sent forth by the Staten in what in those days was considered great haste to prevent a concl

n arranged to expire-according to the original limitation-with a peace, and that as the States could now make peace and did not choose to

reaty of 1585 presupposed-to wit, with security for the Protestant religion and for the laws and l

with the enemy. Should she decide to treat, she would not be unmindful of their interests, she said, nor deliver them over into the enemy's hands. She repeated, however, the absurd opinion that there were means enough of making Philip nominal sovereign of all the Netherlands,

ds to the cardinal or the Infanta should prove true, which she doubted, wheth

in, but that they had no more confidence in the cardi

e no secret of his opinions in favour of negotiation, said that the contracts made by monarchs should always be interpreted reasonably, and pronounced a warm eulogy on the course pursued by th

ld content themselves with remarking that in their opinion even kings and princes were bound by their contracts, o

y, without, passports. or despatches of recal, and

courier, after them to express his regrets at the unsatisfactory termination to their mission: "My mistress knows very well," s

and a special message was despatched to the Hague as to the arrangement of the debt. "

very thrifty and acute bargainers as

, on her part, fixed the sum total of the debt at nearly a million and a half sterling, and required instant payment of at least one hundred thousand pounds on account, besides provision for a considerable annual

while, meantime, Barneveld had hardly had time to set his foot on his native shores before he was sent back again to England at the h

envoys were disposed, in the exhausting warfare which was so steadily draining their finances, to pay dow

n actual cash, and held the threatened negotiation with S

republican envoys travelled again

States to the enemy, who was ten times more powerful than her Majesty in kingdoms, provinces, number of subjects, and money. He had the pope, the emperor, the Dukes of Savoy and Lorraine, and the republic of Genoa, for his allies. He feared that the war might come upon England, and that they might be fated on one single day to win or lose all. The queen possessed no mines, and was obliged to carry o

d. He answered that, although the King of Spain was unquestionably very powerful, the Lord God was still stronger; that England and the Netherlands together could maintain the empire of the seas, which was

to admit Philip as sovereign, and then to attempt

t there was no confidence to be placed by her in any other power, and

ds. To thrust one's head into the lion's mouth, while one's friends urge moderat

izabeth sent for Olden-Barneveld and Caron and demanded their ultimatum within twenty

thousand, so long as the war should last, but they claimed the right of redeeming the cautionary towns at one hundred thousand pounds eac

into a great rage, refused the terms, swore that she would instantl

stated that she would not treat with the enemy. S

f this the envoys undertook on the part of the States to refund in annual payments of thirty thousand pounds, while the remaining four hundred thousand should be provided for by some subs

bone of contentio

case England were invaded by the common enemy, the States should send to the queen's assista