The Life and Death of John of Barneveld, Advocate of Holland, 1610a | Page 9

Spain in
disputing the primogeniture of the Dauphin were fast driving the most
pacifically inclined in France into enthusiasm for the war.
The States, too, saw their opportunity more vividly every day. "What
could we desire more," wrote Aerssens to Barneveld, "than open war
between France and Spain? Posterity will for ever blame us if we reject
this great occasion."
Peter Pecquius, smoothest and sliest of diplomatists, did his best to
make things comfortable, for there could be little doubt that his masters
most sincerely deprecated war. On their heads would come the first
blows, to their provinces would return the great desolation out of which
they had hardly emerged. Still the Archduke, while racking his brains
for the means of accommodation, refused, to his honour, to wink at any
violation of the law of nations, gave a secret promise, in which the
Infanta joined, that the Princess should not be allowed to leave Brussels
without her husband's permission, and resolutely declined separating
the pair except with the full consent of both. In order to protect himself
from the King's threats, he suggested sending Conde to some neutral
place for six or eight months, to Prague, to Breda, or anywhere else; but
Henry knew that Conde would never allow this unless he had the
means by Spanish gold of bribing the garrison there, and so of holding
the place in pretended neutrality, but in reality at the devotion of the

King of Spain.
Meantime Henry had despatched the Marquis de Coeuvres, brother of
the beautiful Gabrielle, Duchess de Beaufort, and one of the most
audacious and unscrupulous of courtiers, on a special mission to
Brussels. De Coeuvres saw Conde before presenting his credentials to
the Archduke, and found him quite impracticable. Acting under the
advice of the Prince of Orange, he expressed his willingness to retire to
some neutral city of Germany or Italy, drawing meanwhile from Henry
a pension of 40,000 crowns a year. But de Coeuvres firmly replied that
the King would make no terms with his vassal nor allow Conde to
prescribe conditions to him. To leave him in Germany or Italy, he said,
was to leave him in the dependence of Spain. The King would not have
this constant apprehension of her intrigues while, living, nor leave such
matter in dying for turbulence in his kingdom. If it appeared that the
Spaniards wished to make use of the Prince for such purposes, he
would be beforehand with them, and show them how much more injury
he could inflict on Spain than they on France. Obviously committed to
Spain, Conde replied to the entreaties of the emissary that if the King
would give him half his kingdom he would not accept the offer nor
return to France; at least before the 8th of February, by which date he
expected advices from Spain. He had given his word, he said, to lend
his ear to no overtures before that time. He made use of many threats,
and swore that he would throw himself entirely into the arms of the
Spanish king if Henry would not accord him the terms which he had
proposed.
To do this was an impossibility. To grant him places of security would,
as the King said, be to plant a standard for all the malcontents of France
to rally around. Conde had evidently renounced all hopes of a
reconciliation, however painfully his host the Archduke might
intercede for it. He meant to go to Spain. Spinola was urging this daily
and hourly, said Henry, for he had fallen in love with the Princess, who
complained of all these persecutions in her letters to her father, and said
that she would rather die than go to Spain.
The King's advices from de Coeuvres were however to the effect that
the step would probably be taken, that the arrangements were making,
and that Spinola had been shut up with Conde six hours long with
nobody present but Rochefort and a certain counsellor of the Prince of

Orange named Keeremans.
Henry was taking measures to intercept them on their flight by land,
but there was some thought of their proceeding to Spain by sea. He
therefore requested the States to send two ships of war, swift sailors,
well equipped, one to watch in the roads of St. Jean and the other on
the English coast. These ships were to receive their instructions from
Admiral de Vicq, who would be well informed of all the movements of
the Prince and give warning to the captains of the Dutch vessels by a
preconcerted signal. The King begged that Barneveld would do him
this favour, if he loved him, and that none might have knowledge of it
but the Advocate and Prince Maurice. The ships would be required for
two or three