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HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS
From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year's Truce—1609
By John Lothrop Motley
MOTLEY'S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 70
History of the United Netherlands, 1598
Mission of the States to Henry to prevent the consummation of peace with Spain—Proposal of Henry to elevate Prince Maurice to the sovereignty, of the States—Embarkation of the States' envoys for England—Their interview with Queen Elizabeth—Return of the envoys from England—Demand of Elizabeth for repayment of her advances to the republic—Second embassy to England—Final arrangement between the Queen and the States.
The great Advocate was now to start on his journey in order to make asupreme effort both with Henry and with Elizabeth to prevent theconsummation of this fatal peace. Admiral Justinus of Nassau, naturalson of William the Silent, was associated with Barneveld in the mission,a brave fighting man, a staunch patriot, and a sagacious counsellor; butthe Advocate on this occasion, as in other vital emergencies of thecommonwealth, was all in all.
The instructions of the envoys were simple. They were to summon theking to fulfil his solemnly sworn covenants with the league. The States-General had never doubted, they said, that so soon as the enemy had begunto feel the effects, of that league he would endeavour to make acomposition with one or other of the parties in order to separate them,and to break up that united strength which otherwise he could neverresist. The king was accordingly called upon to continue the war againstthe common enemy, and the States-General offered, over and above the fourhundred and fifty thousand florins promised by them for the support ofthe four thousand infantry for the year 1598, to bring their wholemilitary power, horse and foot, into the field to sustain his Majesty inthe war, whether separately or in conjunction, whether in the siege ofcities or in open campaigns. Certainly they could hardly offer fairerterms than these.
Henry had complained, and not unreasonably, that Elizabeth had made nooffers of assistance for carrying on the war either to Fonquerolles or toHurault de Maisse; but he certainly could make no reproach of that natureagainst the republic, nor assign their lukewarmness as an excuse for hisdesertion.
The envoys were ready to take their departure for France on the last dayof January.
It might be a curious subject to consider how far historical events aremodified and the world's destiny affected by the different materialagencies which man at various epochs has had at his disposal. The humancreature in his passions and ambitions, his sensual or sordid desires,his emotional and moral nature, undergoes less change than might be hopedfrom age to age. The tyrant; the patriot, the demagogue, the voluptuary,the peasant, the trader, the intriguing politician, the hair-splittingdiplomatist, the self-sacrificing martyr, the self-seeking courtier,present essentially one type in the twelfth, the sixteenth, thenineteenth, or any other century. The human tragi-comedy seems everto repeat itself with the same bustle, with the same excitement forimmediate interests, for the developme