Page:History of the Thirty Years' War - Gindely - Volume 1.djvu/126

 payment of 1,000 florins, which amount was afterwards doubled.

This lover of war spent four years in compulsory rest and inactivity, until Charles Emanuel, Duke of Savoy, falling into war with Spain, again gave him employment. When this war was ended by the peace of Madrid, in 1617, the Duke did not at once muster his whole army out of the service, because he did not trust the Spaniards, and because one condition of the peace remained long unfulfilled. This, as it appears, was accomplished in June, 1618, and Mansfeld and the German troops which he had enrolled were supposed to be on their return by way of Switzerland. They had already reached the Canton of Bern, when Charles Emanuel received intelligence of the outbreak of the Bohemian insurrection. The prudent prince proved at this time by an instant decision his extraordinary acuteness. He perceived in the rising of the Bohemians, not a mere transient event, but a most serious attack upon the house of Hapsburg. In the struggle with this house he had for decades of years worn himself out with anxiety and effort, and now recognized in the occurrences in Bohemia his best chance for the gaining of his end. He decided upon a sacrifice which must draw heavily upon his treasury. Without having been asked to do so, he informed Mansfeld that he had determined to continue the support of the half of the 4,000 men under his command and send them to the aid of the Bohemians, under the condition that this should be kept secret, to be known only to the Elector of the Palatinate, the Prince of Anhalt, and the Margrave of Anspach. At the court of Heidelberg this intelligence caused an extraordinary joy, and awakened a hope that even more than this would be done. Anhalt made use of this secret