"The truce was continued from time to time, and sundry fruitless meetings held; but, on the 20th of August, 1608, the Deputies assembled; 'the Spanish ones declared, that they had lately received full instructions on the several points in question, viz. _that the King and Archduke were content to quit the sovereignty of the United Provinces_; but that he required two points to be yielded by the States by way of compensation, viz. the re-establishment of the Roman Catholic religion in every place in the Provinces, and that they should immediately _desist from all navigation both to the East and West Indies_.' "The Dutch Deputies reported this to the States-General. On the 25th of August, the States-General made a long and spirited declaration on the subject of this report, resolving against negotiating any longer, and they ordered a copy of it to be delivered to the Spanish Deputies. "On the 27th of August 1608, the Ambassadors of France and England, &c. came to the States-General and endeavored to prevail upon them to agree to a long truce. "On the 30th of August, the States expressed their readiness to agree to a long truce, provided, the adverse party 'would _so absolutely acknowledge them for free countries, as that it should not be questioned after the expiration of the truce_, that otherwise they could not listen to a truce.' "On the 3d of September, the Spanish Deputies said they had no instructions to treat of truce, in acknowledging the United Provinces to be absolutely free, and _permitting the navigation to the Indies_, but that they had sent the proposition to Brussels, in order to have further instructions. "On the 7th of September, they received an answer from Brussels, and they declared, that they had no instruction to agree to a long truce with the States, on condition to acknowledge them to be States absolutely free, and without comprehending the re-establishment of the Roman religion, and the relinquishment of _all navigation to the Indies_, but that the Archduke would send the proposition to Spain, from whence he might expect an answer by the end of September. "They then proposed either to wait for the answer of Spain, or continue the present truce for seven years, observing, that it had been made with an express declaration to hold the United Provinces for free countries, and that as to the trade to the Indies, the Archduke would promise to _get it ratified by the King of Spain for that space of time_. "The States unanimously rejected this new proposition, but gave them the time they had demanded for the answer of Spain. On the 28th of September, the Spanish Deputies applied to the Ambassadors of France, &c. to ask ten days more from the States. The Ambassadors agreed to do it _in the name of the Deputies_, but they declined it. "On the last of September they took their leave.