him.  Diederic at last complied with his father’s desire, and went to Marshal Bannier’s camp.  He was made a prisoner of war by the Bavarians in an unfortunate action near Dillingue and Memingue, in the end of the year 1643.  Grotius immediately set all his friends to work to procure his son’s liberty:  he wrote to the famous John de Vert, and applied to the Duke of Bavaria that he would be pleased to send him back as soon as possible:  and at the same time wrote to his son to come to him as soon as he should be at liberty, that they might consult together what was best to be done.  Diederic sent his father the history of the unfortunate action in which he was taken; and Grotius printed it to give copies to his friends, and to send others to the Swedish Ministry.  Diederic was carried to Tubingen, from thence to Ulm, and confined in a citadel between Ulm and Augsburg:  he did not continue there long:  immediately on receiving his father’s letter, the Duke of Bavaria gave orders that Diederic might be set at liberty, after settling his ransom, which was fixed at a thousand florins.  He came to Paris, and on his arrival Grotius wrote a letter of thanks to the Elector of Bavaria, telling him, that as he had but one way to express his gratitude, namely by promoting a general peace, which his Electoral Highness wished for, he would do all in his power to bring it about.  He wrote to Ketner the Bavarian Minister to the same effect.

Diederic went back to serve under Marshal Turenne in Germany, and made the campaign of 1644.  He was again taken Prisoner, but soon released; and served in the end of the same campaign.  He was detached by the Duke d’Anguien and Marshal Turenne to take Fridelshem and Neudstad, and was afterwards sent by them to the Landgravine of Hesse:  he acquitted himself with honour of all the commissions that were given him.  The Duke d’Anguien spoke of him in the highest terms; and the Landgravine received him in the best manner, in consideration of the services which his father had done to the house of Hesse:  he was sent a second time by Marshal Turenne to the Landgravine.  The Duke d’Anguien promised to take care of this youth’s fortune; and the approbation of a prince, who was the Mars of his time and knew men so well, is the highest elogium that could be given of Diederic.

He came to an unhappy end when but young and unmarried.  Queen Christina having abdicated the Crown in favour of Charles Gustavus, Diederic and Cornelius Grotius took a resolution to wait on that Prince, who had known and highly esteemed their father in France, with an intention to offer him their services, and get employment.  Setting out from Holland with this design, they were got between Embden and Bremen, halfway to Hamburg, when a villain, who had served Diederic several years as his valet, resolved to murder both the brothers for the sake of their money:  he went in the night-time into Diederic’s chamber, and shot his master dead while asleep:  he was