was necessary for him to
accommodate himself to his brother, that he might be better able to
serve them: which Barnevelt approved of."

Hoogerbetz's situation, who, as we have seen, was condemned with
Grotius, received some alleviation by the change of the Stadtholder.
Four months after the death of Prince Maurice he was allowed to come out
of Louvestein, and to reside at a country-house, upon condition of not
leaving the country on pain of forfeiting twenty thousand florins, for
which his friends and children were bound. "It is asserted (says the
author of the _Mercure Francois_) that this liberty was granted him
without any acknowledgment of his fault, and without asking pardon." He
did not enjoy it long, for he died three weeks after he was discharged.

Grotius's father, who knew his son was esteemed and even loved by the
new Stadtholder, advised him to write to that Prince. He obeyed his
father: but informed him that he was determined not to do a mean thing
to procure his return. It was from mere complaisance that he wrote to
the Prince, for he owns to his brother he had very little hopes of
success from his letter: he was even desirous that his correspondence
with the Prince might be kept a secret, lest its being publicly known
should vex his Highness. The enemies of the Remonstrants would, no
doubt, have been greatly offended with the Stadtholder, had they
discovered that he was favourably inclined to the Arminians: and the
Prince's authority was not yet sufficiently established to free him from
the necessity of keeping measures with so powerful a party. Grotius's
conjectures were but too true: and all that he and his friends could do
to procure his return was absolutely fruitless.

IX. He was now at the height of his glory by the prodigious success of
his admirable book _Of the rights of war and peace_, which a celebrated
writer[147] justly styles a master-piece. He began it in 1623 at
Balagni, and in 1625 it was published at Paris. It was the famous
Nicholas Peyresc, the Mecaenas of his age and the ornament of Provence,
who engaged Grotius to handle this subject. He writes to that worthy
magistrate, Jan. 11th, 1624. "I go on with my work _Of the law of
nations_: if it may be of use to the world it is to you posterity will
owe the obligation, since you made me undertake it, and assisted me in
it." In the preliminary discourse he sets forth his motives for treating
this subject. "Many strong reasons determined