Title:  History of the United Netherlands, 1598

Author:  John Lothrop Motley

Release Date:  January, 2004 [EBook #4870] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on April 9, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg EBOOK history united Netherlands, 1598 ***

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.]

HISTORY OF THE UNITED NETHERLANDS From the Death of William the Silent to the Twelve Year’s Truce—­1609

By John Lothrop Motley

MOTLEY’S HISTORY OF THE NETHERLANDS, Project Gutenberg Edition, Vol. 70

History of the United Netherlands, 1598

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Mission of the States to Henry to prevent the consummation of peace with Spain—­Proposal of Henry to elevate Prince Maurice to the sovereignty, of the States—­Embarkation of the States’ envoys for England—­Their interview with Queen Elizabeth—­Return of the envoys from England—­Demand of Elizabeth for repayment of her advances to the republic—­Second embassy to England—­Final arrangement between the Queen and the States.

The great Advocate was now to start on his journey in order to make a supreme effort both with Henry and with Elizabeth to prevent the consummation of this fatal peace.  Admiral Justinus of Nassau, natural son of William the Silent, was associated with Barneveld in the mission, a brave fighting man, a staunch patriot, and a sagacious counsellor; but the Advocate on this occasion, as in other vital emergencies of the commonwealth, was all in all.

The instructions of the envoys were simple.  They were to summon the king to fulfil his solemnly sworn covenants with the league.  The States-General had never doubted, they said, that so soon as the enemy had begun to feel the effects, of that league he would endeavour to make a composition with one or other of the parties in order to separate them, and to break up that united strength which otherwise he could never resist.  The king was accordingly called upon to continue the war against the common enemy, and the States-General offered, over and above the four hundred and fifty thousand florins promised by them for the support of the four thousand infantry for the year 1598, to bring their whole military power, horse and foot, into the field to sustain his Majesty in the war, whether separately or in conjunction, whether in the siege of cities or in open campaigns.  Certainly they could hardly offer fairer terms than these.