t such as gratitude and civility required. The
malevolence of the French Minister[362] chagrined the Duke so much that
he fell ill: it was only a slight indisposition, but, however, he did
not long survive it[363]: a violent fever seized him at Neubourg, which
on the fourth day cut off a Prince, whom Grotius calls the honour and
last resource of Germany[364]: the tenth of July, 1639, was the last of
this illustrious personage. It was at that time very doubtful[365]
whether he died of the plague, which prevailed in those parts, or of
poison. Grotius tells us[366], that the Duke himself thought they had
shortened his days: he even cites on this subject the Prince's funeral
oration delivered at Brisac, wherein the author was not afraid of
advancing this anecdote. Grotius was also persuaded[367] that the Prince
died by poison: he mentions it in a letter to the High Chancellor of the
10th of October, 1639. "The more I reflect on the Duke of Weymar's
death, the more I am persuaded that he had on his body no marks of the
plague, and that it was not in his house: accordingly the reports of his
being poisoned again prevail, and the suspicion falls upon the Geneva
physician, who was brought to remove his cholic."

As this Prince's victories made even his allies uneasy, they were
accused of contributing to his death. Cardinal Richelieu's enemies
spread the report, without ground, that it was he who caused the poison
to be given to the Duke, that he might get Brisac more easily; and the
Swedish historian[368] seems inclined to think he was poisoned, without
imputing it, however, to the Cardinal. "At the time of the Duke of
Weymar's death, says he, there was a grand negotiation on foot to know
whether Brisac should be yielded to France. Grotius pressed the Prince
to keep it; and the refusing to yield that place disgusted France. He
died soon after, not without suspicion of poison. The court of
Vienna[369], to whom his death was of great advantage, was also accused
of committing the crime: but these were all vague and ill-grounded
reports, which consequently merit little attention." The Duke of
Weymar's death[370] occasioned the greatest consternation among the
Swedes; the army was left without a leader, the towns without a master,
and for some time there was nothing but anarchy in the country where he
commanded. This Prince placed the greatest confidence in Grotius, who
had for him the most perfect esteem. When at Paris he was most i