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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. 82
History of the United Netherlands, 1608
Designs of Henry IV.—New marriage project between France and Spain Formal proposition of negotiating for a truce between the States and Spain—Exertions of Prince Maurice to counteract the designs of Barneveld—Strife between the two parties in the republic—Animosity of the people against Barneveld—Return of the Spanish commissioners—Further trifling—Dismissal of the commissioners— Close of the negotiations—Accidental discovery of the secret instructions of the archdukes to the commissioners—Opposing factions in the republic—Oration of President Jeannin before the States-General—Comparison between the Dutch and Swiss republics— Calumnies against the Advocate—Ambassador Lambert in France— Henry's letter to Prince Maurice—Reconciliation of Maurice and Barneveld—Agreement of the States to accept a truce.
President Jeannin had long been prepared for this result. It was also byno means distasteful to him. A peace would not have accorded with theulterior and secretly cherished schemes of his sovereign, and during hisvisit to Paris, he had succeeded in persuading Henry that a truce wouldbe far the most advantageous solution of the question, so far as hisinterests were concerned.
For it had been precisely during that midsummer vacation of the Presidentat Paris that Henry had completed his plot against the liberty of therepublic, of which he professed himself the only friend. Another phaseof Spanish marriage-making had excited his ever scheming and insidiousbrain. It had been proposed that the second son of the Spanish kingshould espouse one of Henry's daughters.
The papal Nuncius asked what benefit the King of Spain would receive forhis share, in case of the marriage. The French king replied by plainlydeclaring to the Nuncius that the United States should abstain from andrenounce all navigation to and commerce with the Indies, and shouldpermit public exercise of the Catholic religion. If they refused, wouldincontinently abandon them to their fate. More than this, he said, couldnot honestly be expected of him.
Surely this was enough. Honestly or dishonestly, what more could Spainexpect of the republic's best ally, than that he should use all hisefforts to bring her back into Spanish subjection, should deprive her ofcommerce with three-quarters of the world, and compel her to re-establishthe religion which she believed, at that period, to be incompatible withher constitutional liberties? It is difficult to imagine a moreprofligate or heartless course than the one pursued at this junctureby Henry. Secretly, he was intriguing, upon the very soil of theNetherlands, to filch from them that splendid commerce which was thewonder of the age, which had been invented and created by Dutchnavigators and men of science, which was the very foundation of theirState, and without which they could not exist, in order that he mightappropriate it to himself, and transfer the East India Company to France;while at Paris he was solemnly engaging