but his confidence was insufficient to warrant him in advancing any
money for the purpose. The result was that Gérard, whose dominating
idea amounted to mania, proceeded in his own way. His first step
was to ingratiate himself with the Prince of Orange. This he did by
a series of misrepresentations and fraud, and was recommended by the
Prince to the Signeur of Schoneval, who on leaving Delft on a mission
to the Duke of Anjou, added him to his suite.

The death of the Duke gave Gérard his chance, and he obtained
permission to carry despatches to the Prince of Orange, as we have
seen. The Prince received him in his bedroom, after his wont. Motley
now relates the tragedy: "Here was an opportunity such as he (Gérard)
had never dared to hope for. The arch-enemy to the Church and to
the human race, whose death would confer upon his destroyer wealth
and nobility in this world, besides a crown of glory in the next,
lay unarmed, alone, in bed, before the man who had thirsted seven
long years for his blood.

"Balthazar could scarcely control his emotions sufficiently to answer
the questions which the Prince addressed to him concerning the death
of Anjou, but Orange, deeply engaged with the despatches, and with
the reflections which their deeply important contents suggested, did
not observe the countenance of the humble Calvinistic exile, who had
been recently recommended to his patronage by Villiers. Gérard had,
moreover, made no preparation for an interview so entirely unexpected,
had come unarmed, and had formed no plan for escape. He was obliged to
forego his prey most when within his reach, and after communicating
all the information which the Prince required, he was dismissed from
the chamber.