Country; that indeed he wished its preservation on account of the friends and the small estate he had in it; but that he had given himself entirely to Sweden, and was not so ignorant, not to know how much it imported Sweden that whilst she was in arms the Dutch should continue the war; nor so dishonest, to give counsels contrary to the interest of Sweden and of the High Chancellor, to whom he owed every thing; and that if his Eminence would put it in his power to do some service to France, he would much more chearfully refute these calumnies by his actions, than by his words.  The Cardinal resumed an air of serenity, said several obliging things, and assured him that for the future he would behave to him with more openness.  He reconducted him a pretty way, politely excusing himself that he did not go farther lest he should be oppressed by the croud that wanted to speak to him.

[266]The Duke of Parma arriving about this time at Paris to negotiate with the Court of France, great difficulties arose with regard to the ceremonial.  The Pope’s Nuncios, Mazarin, and Bolognetti, and the other Ambassadors, would not visit him because they could not agree about the manner in which he should receive them:  the English and Swedish Ambassadors did not even send their Coaches to meet him, because they knew that those of the Nuncios would take the precedence.  The Duke of Weymar came to Paris in spring 1636.  Grotius[267], who was extremely circumspect, was in doubt whether he should pay him the first visit:  and before he determined, he wanted to see what the English Ambassador would do.  The Duke sent him his compliments, and the Ambassadors coming to an agreement to wait first on that Prince[268], Grotius went to see him, and was extremely well received:  the Duke returned his visit.  As it was through the mediation of the Count d’Avaux that the truce of twenty-six years between Sweden and Poland was concluded, Queen Christina[269] ordered her Ambassador to return her thanks to the King of France.  Grotius obtained an audience, April 17, 1636, at Chantilly, and gave an account of what passed at it in a letter to her Majesty, dated April 24[270].  Having presented to the King the Queen of Sweden’s letter, his Majesty assured him, that he interested himself most sincerely in her Majesty’s health and prosperity; that she might depend upon the constancy of these his sentiments; that he had had the conclusion of the war between Sweden and Poland the more at heart, as he hoped her Swedish Majesty, having no longer any differences with the Poles, would give all her attention to the affairs of Germany; that he already saw with pleasure his hopes had not been without foundation:  that he would write to his Ministers to know how the payment of the subsidies stood; that he had always had a good opinion of D’Avaux and therefore employed him in affairs of importance, and intended to make farther use of his service.  Grotius sent the High Chancellor[271] a copy of this letter to the Queen.  He used to send her Majesty the substance of any affair of importance without descending to particulars, as Oxenstiern[272] had recommended to him.