Title:  The Life of John of Barneveld, 1613-15

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4891] [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, 1613-15 ***

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[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 91

Life of John of Barneveld, 1613-15

CHAPTER IX.

Aerssens remains Two Years longer in France—­Derives many Personal Advantages from his Post—­He visits the States-General—­Aubery du Maurier appointed French Ambassador—­He demands the Recall of Aerssens—­Peace of Sainte-Menehould—­Asperen de Langerac appointed in Aerssens’ Place.

Francis Aerssens had remained longer at his post than had been intended by the resolution of the States of Holland, passed in May 1611.

It is an exemplification of the very loose constitutional framework of the United Provinces that the nomination of the ambassador to France belonged to the States of Holland, by whom his salary was paid, although, of course, he was the servant of the States-General, to whom his public and official correspondence was addressed.  His most important despatches were however written directly to Barneveld so long as he remained in power, who had also the charge of the whole correspondence, public or private, with all the envoys of the States.

Aerssens had, it will be remembered, been authorized to stay one year longer in France if he thought he could be useful there.  He stayed two years, and on the whole was not useful.  He had too many eyes and too many ears.  He had become mischievous by the very activity of his intelligence.  He was too zealous.  There were occasions in France at that moment in which it was as well to be blind and deaf.  It was impossible for the Republic, unless driven to it by dire necessity, to quarrel with its great ally.  It had been calculated by Duplessis-Mornay that France had paid subsidies to the Provinces amounting from first to last to 200