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THE LIFE AND DEATH of JOHN OF BARNEVELD, ADVOCATE OF HOLLAND
WITH A VIEW OF THE PRIMARY CAUSES AND MOVEMENTS OF THE THIRTY YEARS' WAR
By John Lothrop Motley, D.C.L., LL.D.
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Volume 88
The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, v3, 1610
CHAPTER IV.
Difficult Position of Barneveld—Insurrection at Utrecht subdued by the States' Army—Special Embassies to England and France—Anger of the King with Spain and the Archdukes—Arrangements of Henry for the coming War—Position of Spain—Anxiety of the King for the Presence of Barneveld in Paris—Arrival of the Dutch Commissioners in France and their brilliant Reception—Their Interview with the King and his Ministers—Negotiations—Delicate Position of the Dutch Government— India Trade—Simon Danzer, the Corsair—Conversations of Henry with the Dutch Commissioners—Letter of the King to Archduke Albert— Preparations for the Queen's Coronation, and of Henry to open the Campaign in person—Perplexities of Henry—Forebodings and Warnings —The Murder accomplished—Terrible Change in France—Triumph of Concini and of Spain—Downfall of Sully—Disputes of the Grandees among themselves—Special Mission of Condelence from the Republic— Conference on the great Enterprise—Departure of van der Myle from Paris.
There were reasons enough why the Advocate could not go to Paris at thisjuncture. It was absurd in Henry to suppose it possible. Everythingrested on Barneveld's shoulders. During the year which had just passedhe had drawn almost every paper, every instruction in regard to the peacenegotiations, with his own hand, had assisted at every conference,guided and mastered the whole course of a most difficult and intricatenegotiation, in which he had not only been obliged to make allowancefor the humbled pride and baffled ambition of the ancient foe of theNetherlands, but to steer clear of the innumerable jealousies,susceptibilities, cavillings, and insolences of their patronizingfriends.
It was his brain that worked, his tongue that spoke, his restless penthat never paused. His was not one of those easy posts, not unknown inthe modern administration of great affairs, where the subordinatefurnishes the intellect, the industry, the experience, while the blandsuperior, gratifying the world with his sign-manual, appropriates theapplause. So long as he lived and worked, the States-General and theStates of Holland were like a cunningly contrived machine, which seemedto be alive because one invisible but mighty mind vitalized the whole.
And there had been enough to do. It was not until midsummer of 1609 thatthe ratifications of the Treaty of Truce, one of the great triumphs inthe history of diplomacy, had been exchanged, and scarcely had thisperiod been put to the eternal clang of arms when the death of a lunaticthrew the world once more into confusion. It was obvious to Barneveldthat the issue of the Cleve-Julich affair, and of the tremendousreligious fermentation in Bohemia, Moravia, and Austria, must sooner orlater lead to an immense war. It was inevitable that it would devolveupon the States to sustain their great though vacillating, their generousthough encroaching, their sincere though mos