At noon, as usual, I interrupted my work for a couple of hours.

While at table for dinner with Hélène and my two boys Albert and Nicolas, my wife reported the latest news from abroad. She read it in Verhoeven's newspaper she bought this morning; it appears rather irregularly, in fact every time they've gathered a sufficient amount of news-items.
A reporter brought some interesting communication from Germany, about the situation there the latest months. Yes, the war is still going on, it began in 1618 already, several cruel battles have been fought since.
Our Count of Tilly, commander in-chief of the imperial army, who was so succesful many years long, now seems to be in great trouble in Saxony. He's got a strong opponent now: king Gustav Adolf invaded Germany with his well trained Swedish soldiers.
There is also some political news from France. Hélène told me the details she read of some pithy intrigues at the Court there and of the rude intentions of cardinal Richelieu. Mostly rumours of course....

Notes:

Printer Verhoeven's illustrated newspaper "Antwerpsche Tydinghen" ("Antwerp News") is said to have been one of the very first newspapers ever edited (first number in 1605). From about 1500 on, Antwerp remained a most important centre of typography one and a half century long.

The European war which was going on then in Germany lasted thirty years, from 1618 till 1648 (important peace treaty of Westfalen). The Austrian and Spanish Hapsburgs were involved, also different German countries, France, Sweden.

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