It feems that he derived the knowledge of many details relating to tranfa&ions in the court of France from the fervants even of the king himfelf, ahd fnrtri thofe who were hear his perfon. If, when at courts, or in the other places he vilited, he met with any from whom he thought he could gain information, mòre efpecially captains, or heralds, who in thofe times were the moil ufual agents in négociations, and in affairs of importance j he began a converfation with them, and infenfibly led them to fpeak of thofe parts of hiftory of which they ought to be beft informed, whether in regard r to the country where they were, orto other circumftances of their lives; arid he never quitted them until he had induced them to tell all they' knew; the whole of which he immediately fet down in writing. Not content with collecting aft thefe valuable authorities, and comparing very carefully, as he him. felf informs us, the intelligence of perfons who had been attached to différent parties, he fought for proofs ftill lefs liable to fufpicion. He confulted the treaties which princes had entered into with each other, theif challenges, or declarations of wjtr, the letters they wrote, and other papers of this nature. He exprefsly fays, that he had feen many which he does not mention ; particularly thofe of the chancery of the king of England ; fome of them are tranfcribed entire in the courfe òf his Hiftoryv It appears that he did not infert eveary thing he found as chance offered, but that he examined the articles critically, and laid afidje all thofe whofe authenticity did not feem to-him fully proved. Von. I. A WLWhat