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THE LIFE AND DEATH of JOHN OF BARNEVELD, ADVOCATE OF HOLLAND
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
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, hiscomings and his goings, to do with this vast enterprise?
It is time to point to the golden thread of most fantastic passion whichruns throughout this dark and eventful history.
One evening in the beginning of the year which had just come to its closethere was to be a splendid fancy ball at the Louvre in the course ofwhich several young ladies of highest rank were to perform a dance inmythological costume.
The King, on ill terms with the Queen, who harassed him with scenes ofaffected jealousy, while engaged in permanent plots with her paramour andmaster, the Italian Concini, against his policy and his life; on stillworse terms with his latest mistress in chief, the Marquise de Verneuil,who hated him and revenged herself for enduring his caresses by makinghim the butt of her venomous wit, had taken the festivities of a court indudgeon where he possessed hosts of enemies and flatterers but scarcely asingle friend.
He refused to attend any of the rehearsals of the ballet, but one day agroup of Diana and her nymphs passed him in the great gallery of thepalace. One of the nymphs as she went by turned and aimed her gildedjavelin at his heart. Henry looked and saw the most beautiful youngcreature, so he thought, that mortal eye had ever gazed upon, andaccording to his wont fell instantly over head and ears in love.He said afterwards that he felt himself pierced to the heart andwas ready to faint away.
The lady was just fifteen years of age. The King was turned of fifty-five. The disparity of age seemed to make the royal passion ridiculous.To Henry the situation seemed poetical and pathetic. After this firstinterview he never missed a single rehearsal. In the intervals he calledperpetually for the services of the court poet Malherbe, who certainlycontrived to perpetrate in his behalf some of the most detestable versesthat even he had ever composed.
The nymph was Marguerite de Montmorency, daughter of the Constable ofFrance, and destined one day to become the mother of the great Conde,hero of Rocroy. There can be no doubt that she was exquisitelybeautiful. Fair-haired, with a complexion of dazzling purity, largeexpressive eyes, delicate but commanding features, she had a singularfascination of look and gesture, and a winning, almost childlike,simplicity of manner. Without feminine artifice or commonp