"I can't feel satisfied in this French matter," said the President: "we mustn't tickle ourselves to make ourselves laugh." Moreover, there was no self-deception nor self-tickling possible as to the unmitigated misery of the obedient Netherlands.

Famine was a more formidable foe than Frenchmen, Hollanders, and Englishmen combined; so that Richardot avowed that the "negotiation would be indeed holy," if it would restore Holland and Zeeland to the King without fighting.

The prospect seemed on the whole rather dismal to loyal Netherlanders like the old leaguing, intriguing, Hispamolized president of the privy council.

"I confess," said he plaintively, "that England needs chastisement; but I don't see how we are to give it to her.

Only let us secure Holland and Zeeland, and then we shall always find a stick whenever we like to beat the dog." Meantime Andrea de Loo had been bustling and buzzing about the ears of the chief counsellors at the English court during all the early spring.
Most busily he had been endeavouring to efface the prevalent suspicion that Philip and Alexander were only trifling by these informal negotiations.