ena acquaint us, that Grotius intended to
expound the ancient laws of the Goths and Vandals: but unhappily death
prevented his executing this design, for which no one was better
qualified.

FOOTNOTES:

[471] Ep. 572. p. 225.

[472] Ep. 622. p. 250.

[473] Ep. 641. p. 259.

[474] Ep, 645. p. 263.

[475] Ep. 676. p. 275.

[476] Ep. 780. p. 331.

[477] Ep. 825. p. 360.

[478] Ep. 408, p. 871.

[479] Ep. 410, p. 872.

[480] Ep. 1667, p. 727.

VIII. The nomination of Grotius, when very young, to be Historiographer
of the States, led him to enquire particularly into the troubles of the
Low Countries and their consequences with regard to the Seven Provinces.
He was employed about this in the year 1614, as appears by a letter,
written on the 8th of February, to the President de Thou. He informs
him[481], that love to his Country had engaged him in a work very like
his, but as much inferior as Holland is to France. "I own, indeed, the
work is above my abilities, but I shall not publish it till years and
judgment enable me to mend it." Communicating this work to Heinsius,
with whom he was then very intimate, that learned youth wanted words to
express his admiration. Balzac informs us of these particulars in a
letter to Chapelin, dated Sept. 20, 1640, in which he mentions a letter
from Heinsius concerning this History when Grotius was very young.

An author, more fond of his works than Grotius, would have made haste to
publish this, which appears to have been finished in 1636; for that year
he wrote to Martinus Opitius[482], "My Belgic annals are transcribing."
He writes to his brother the year following[483], "My Annals and my
History of the Low Countries are transcribed: but I think I must still
keep them a while." He consulted several of his friends on this subject,
and among others Gerard Vossius.

The sudden deaths of many of his acquaintance leading him to reflect on
the uncertainty of life, he wrote to his brother, May 21, 1639[484], "I
would have my works printed before my death, that I may be useful to
those that shall come after me; and would therefore have my Annals
correctly printed as soon as possible; but I would not have them printed
by those, who, from a party spirit, would tell what was in them before
they were published, and thereby prevent perhaps their ever appearing. I
therefore beg of you to find out some honest man to whom I may intrust
my copy."

In the mean time he was still revisin