"Your world may perish," replied Jeannin, "but not ours. It is much
better put together."

A formal letter was then written by the King to the Emperor, in which
Henry expressed his desire to maintain peace and fraternal relations, but
notified him that if, under any pretext whatever, he should trouble the
princes in their possession, he would sustain them with all his power,
being bound thereto by treaties and by reasons of state.

This letter was committed to the care of Hohenzollern, who forthwith
departed, having received a present of 4000 crowns. His fierce, haggard
face thus vanishes for the present from our history.

The King had taken his ground, from which there was no receding. Envoys
or agents of Emperor, Pope, King of Spain, Archduke at Brussels, and
Archduke at Julich, had failed to shake his settled purpose. Yet the
road was far from smooth. He had thus far no ally but the States-
General. He could not trust James of Great Britain. Boderie came back
late in the summer from his mission to that monarch, reporting him as
being favourably inclined to Brandenburg, but hoping for an amicable
settlement in the duchies. No suggestion being made even by the
sagacious James as to the manner in which the ferret and rabbits were
to come to a compromise, Henry inferred, if it came to fighting, that the
English government would refuse assistance. James had asked Boderie in
fact whether his sovereign and the States, being the parties chiefly
interested, would be willing to fight it out without allies. He had also
sent Sir Ralph Winwood on a special mission to the Hague, to Dusseldorf,
and with letters to the Emperor, in which he expressed confidence that
Rudolph would approve the proceedings of the possessory princes. As he
could scarcely do that while loudly claiming through his official envoy