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 this
juncture. It was absurd in Henry to suppose it possible. Everything
rested on Barneveld's shoulders. During the year which had just passed he
had drawn almost every paper, every instruction in regard to the peace
negotiations, with his own hand, had assisted at every conference, guided
and mastered the whole course of a most difficult and intricate
negotiation, in which he had not only been obliged to make allowance for
the humbled pride and baffled ambition of the ancient foe of the
Netherlands, but to steer clear of the innumerable jealousies,
susceptibilities, cavillings, and insolences of their patronizing
friends.

It was his brain that worked, his tongue that spoke, his restless pen
that never paused. His was not one of those easy posts, not unknown in
the modern administration of great affairs, where the subordinate
furnishes the intellect, the industry, the experience, while the bland
superior, gratifying the world with his sign-manual, appropriates the
applause. So long as he lived and worked, the States-General and the
States of Holland were like a cunningly contrived machine, which seemed
to 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 that
the ratifications of the Treaty of Truce, one of the great triumphs in
the history of diplomacy, had been exchanged, and scarce