The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius: Containing a Copious and Circumstantial History of the Several Important and Honourable Negotiations in Which He Was Employed; together with a Critical Account of His WorksBurigny, M. de (Jean Lévesque)
History
The Life of the Truly Eminent and Learned Hugo Grotius: Containing a Copious and Circumstantial History of the Several Important and Honourable Negotiations in Which He Was Employed; together with a Critical Account of His Works
Burigny, M. de (Jean Lévesque)
Grotius, Hugo, 1583-1645
XI. It was the adventurer Cerisante who brought Grotius Queen
Christina's letters, ordering him to lay before the Queen of France
Sweden's grounds of complaint against Denmark. He had had interest to
get himself nominated Agent of the crown of Sweden at Paris, with orders
however to do nothing but in concert with the Ambassador[408]. Some
years before, the continual jars between Grotius and the French
Ministers made the Regents of Sweden[409] hesitate whether it would not
be proper to recall Grotius: he himself had wrote to the High
Chancellor[410], that, to obviate all difficulties raised against him,
it would perhaps be more proper to have only an Agent at Paris. It is
pretended that the inclination which he was suspected to have for the
Roman Catholics contributed to set the Swedes against him; and Crusius
wrote from Bremen, November 27, 1642[411], "It is publicly reported that
Grotius is become a Papist, and has lost all credit in Sweden." He was
not consulted in the nomination of Cerisante; accordingly it gave him
much uneasiness, which he did not dissemble[412]: he regarded this Agent
as a spy sent to observe his conduct, and his mission as a proof that
the Ministry were not satisfied with him: this greatly contributed to
increase the disgust he had taken to his embassy, which he had already
hinted in confidence to some of his friends. February 16, 1641, he wrote
a letter of compliment to Lewis Camerarius[413] on his being recalled
from his embassy to Holland, and assures him that it would give him
great pleasure to live in such quiet. He writes to his brother, November
1, 1641[414], "If they threatened to recall me from my embassy I should
not be sorry: it is not a lucrative thing. I am surfeited with honours;
old age comes on, and will soon demand ease." A year after, he writes to
him[415], "I am come to the age at which many wise men have voluntarily
renounced places of honour. I love quiet, and would be glad to devote
the remainder of my life to the service of God and of posterity. If I
had not some hope of contributing to a general peace, I should have
retired before now."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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