elf, adorned with the chain
given him by Henry, to be engraved. He gives the history of this Embassy
in the seventh book of his _Annals_: but is so modest not to mention
himself. He reflects, however, with pleasure, in some part of his[25]
Poems, on the honour he had of speaking to such a great King. "I had the
honour to kiss the hand of that Hero, who owes his kingdom only to his
valour."

Grotius took advantage of this journey to get himself created Doctor of
Laws.

FOOTNOTES:

[24] Mem. de Bellievre & de Silleri, T. 2. p. 348.

[25] In Pasch. 1612.

IX. After having been near a year in France, he returned to Holland. He
had the greatest pleasure in his journey: one thing only was wanting to
his satisfaction, a sight of the celebrated M. de Thou, the person among
all the French whom he most esteemed. He had fought to get acquainted
with that great man; but did not succeed. As soon as he returned to
Delft, he wrote him[26] that he had been a year in France; had the
pleasure of seeing a fine kingdom, a great king, very valuable noblemen,
but had the mortification of not seeing him; that he would endeavour to
repair this misfortune by his letters; and that he took the liberty to
present him with a book he had just dedicated to the Prince of Conde.

This Letter was extremely well received by the President; and from that
time to the death of M. de Thou, notwithstanding the disproportion of
their age and fame, a most intimate correspondence subsisted between
them.

Grotius sent him, July 4, 1600,[27] the _Epithalamium_ he had written on
the Marriage of King Henry IV. with Mary of Medicis. Mention was made in
it of the Massacre on St. Bartholomew's day: this was an invidious
subject; but the author, after consulting Scaliger, thought he could not
dispense with recalling the remembrance of that horrid scene. He was in
doubt whether he ought to publish this piece: he asked the President de
Thou's advice; and till he had his answer, shewed the verses to none.
Whether it was that M. de Thou advised him to suppress them, or that he
took this step of himself[28] because there were several facts in the
_Epithalamium_ not strictly true, it is not to be found in the
collection of his _Poems_. He intended to dedicate some Work to the
President, as a public testimony of his profound esteem for that
excellent Magistrate, whom he regarded as the greatest Man of his
age[29].

M. de Thou soon perceived the great merit of young