The quarrel was mentioned in the Gazette of France[317]; and Renaudot, in the account he gave, named the English before the Swedes, and spoke of the affair as accommodated.  Grotius was very angry at this:  he sent to tell him, to name the Swedes first in another Gazette, and to retract what he had said of the accommodation:  Renaudot was even threatened, that if he did not give this satisfaction to the Swedes, he would be made to feel to his cost that Sweden was powerful enough to do herself justice.  The Gazetteer replied, that he was obliged to obey only the King and the Cardinal.

This grand dispute did not hinder[318] the English Ambassador from visiting Grotius on public business.  The Earl of Leicester[319], Ambassador extraordinary from England, had a long conference with him concerning their quarrel:  he pretended that what Grotius advanced in favour of the precedency of the Swedes, was a thing unheard of.  The Ambassador from Sweden replied, that the same facts had been already maintained in the Council of Basil; and took occasion to set forth the extent and antiquity of the kingdom of Sweden.  Leicester said, that they had been of the same opinion formerly in France, since they decided against the Swedes.  Grotius answered, that he much questioned this decision, and that at the time it was pretended to be made he did not think there was any Ambassador in France from Sweden, which nation was little known to those of the South:  The English Ambassador wanted to avail himself of the Pope’s authority in favour of his nation:  Grotius rejected it.  Leicester insisted that England had been converted to Christianity before Sweden:  Grotius replied, that this was a very bad reason for precedency; and the employing it might be a prejudice to the Christian religion by hindering the conversion of the Pagans and Mahometans.

The King of England was not offended with Grotius on account of this dispute; for after it happened Lord Scudamore, Ambassador in ordinary from King Charles, told him from his Master, that he would be glad to see him in England to restore the union between the English and Swedes.  The Earl of Leicester, who had the affair of the precedency much at heart, had another conferrence on that subject with Grotius, of which the latter gives an account to the High Chancellor, July 26, 1637.  The English Minister represented, that as the Danes and Norwegians, whose kingdoms were very ancient, yielded the precedency to England, the Swedes ought to follow their example.  Grotius answered, that he did not know how the Danes and Norwegians acted; but their conduct ought not to prejudice the rights of Sweden.  Leicester asked, how high the antiquity of Sweden reached.  Grotius answered, that it was older than the most ancient annals; that, without going higher, it was sufficient to mention the testimony of Tacitus, who speaks of the Swedish nation as very powerful by sea and land.  Leicester replied, that a long space of time had elapsed since