Title:  The Life of John of Barneveld, 1609-10

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4887] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 22, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK life of John of Barneveld, 1609-10 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger widger@cecomet.net

[Note:  There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the file for those who may wish to sample the author’s ideas before making an entire meal of them.  D.W.]

THE LIFE AND DEATH of JOHN OF BARNEVELD, ADVOCATE OF HOLLAND

WITH A VIEW OF THE PRIMARY CAUSES AND MOVEMENTS OF THE THIRTY YEARS’ WAR

By John Lothrop Motley, D.C.L., LL.D.

MOTLEY’S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Volume 87

The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, v2 1609-10

CHAPTER II.

Passion of Henry IV. for Margaret de Montmorency—­Her Marriage with the Prince of Conde—­Their Departure for the Country—­Their Flight to the Netherlands-Rage of the King—­Intrigues of Spain—­Reception of the Prince and Princess of Conde by the Archdukes at Brussels—­ Splendid Entertainments by Spinola—­Attempts of the King to bring the Fugitives back—­Mission of De Coeuvres to Brussels—­Difficult Position of the Republic—­Vast but secret Preparations for War.

“If the Prince of Conde comes back.”  What had the Prince of Conde, his comings and his goings, to do with this vast enterprise?

It is time to point to the golden thread of most fantastic passion which runs throughout this dark and eventful history.

One evening in the beginning of the year which had just come to its close there was to be a splendid fancy ball at the Louvre in the course of which several young ladies of highest rank were to perform a dance in mythological costume.

The King, on ill terms with the Queen, who harassed him with scenes of affected jealousy, while engaged in permanent plots with her paramour and master, the Italian Concini, against his policy and his life; on still worse terms with his latest mistress in chief, the Marquise de Verneuil, who hated him and revenged herself for enduring his caresses by making him the butt of her venomous wit, had taken the festivities of a court in dudgeon where he possessed hosts of enemies and flatterers but scarcely a single friend.

He refused to attend any of the rehearsals of the ballet, but one day a group of Diana and her nymphs passed him in the great gallery of the palace.  One of the nymphs as she went by turned and aimed her gilded javelin at his heart.  Henry looked and saw the most beautiful young creature, so he thought, that mortal eye had ever gazed upon, and according to his wont fell instantly over head and ears in love.  He said afterwards that he felt himself pierced to the heart and was ready to faint away.