A Treaty to renew the Alliance with Holland.
NOw for the perserving of this place, notwithstanding Spinola's extraordi∣nary passion to take it, two things were necessary. First, to hinder the Spa∣niards from having such numbers of men, as they would have desired; Secondly, that the Kings Army might want nothing, but be recruited from time to time, by the supply of new Troops in the place of those whom the plague had wasted. The Cardinal had foreseen and provided for the first, before he parted from Paris, giving such exercise to the Spaniards in the Low Countries that they had much a do to furnish themselves, with the Troops there requisite, without diverting them to new enterprises, especially seeing the King of Swede, of whom we shall speak hereafter, began to give them employment in Germany. The Cardinal having discovered about the end of the Precedent year, that the Sparniards were upon the design of offering great advantages to the Hollanders, to bring them to a truce, whereby to have means to draw Troops out of the Low Countries to send into Italy, acquain∣ted the King how much this truce was prejudicial to the rest of Europe, giving way to the Spaniards to maintain themselves in the injust user patation of the States, of many Princes of Germany, as well as of the Duke of Mantua's. The King appre∣hended that danger, and his Majesty thereupon impowered Monsieur de Bangy his Embassador in Holland to renew with them the ancient Treaties of alliance, upon condition, that they might not for some years come to any truce with their Ene∣mies. That power was given him from the month of December, of the Precedent year 1629. and yet as affairs of that nature, are not so readily determined, the Treaty was not signed till the month of June of the Present year; The Cardinal thus preventing by his unparralel'd Prudence, the most crafty subtilities of the Spaniard.