In this castle he began his great work[146] which singly would be sufficient to render its author's name immortal; I mean the treatise _Of the rights of war and peace_, of which we shall speak more fully elsewhere.

He had with him his family and four friends; and was visited by the most distinguished men of learning, among others Salmasius and Rigaut.

He had all the books he could desire: Francis de Thou the President's son, who succeeded to his father's library, one of the best in Europe, gave him the free use of it.

Grotius, who knew the President de Meme to be a most zealous Roman Catholic, was careful to regulate his conduct in such a manner that the President might never repent his favouring him with the use of his house: he gave directions that while he was at Balagni no butchers meat should be brought to table on Fridays or Saturdays; he received none of the Dutch refugee Ministers there; no psalms nor hymns were sung; in fine, he would have no public nor even private exercise of the Protestant Religion performed; and would see only those whom he could not decently refuse.

From Balagni he sometimes made excursions to St.Germain, where the court was, in order to cultivate the friendship of the ministry.