 Now began a more stable and productive period. The French authorities welcomed Grotius by awarding him an annual pension which, while not always paid, at least gave the promise of security. He began composition of De iure belli ac pacis (On the law of war and peace), which was published by a Parisian press in 1625. It quickly made Grotius famous: for example, in a letter to Grotius, Vossius says that Descartes told him that he had recently met the Dutchman (in reply, Grotius wrote that he didn’t remember meeting Descartes, an indication of their relative stature at the time). Perhaps encouraged by the reception of his work, Grotius tried returning to the Netherlands in 1631. Initially, he may have had reason to be optimistic: after practicing law for a little while in Amsterdam, he was offered the Governor Generalship of the V.O.C. in Asia. Soon enough, however, the authorities moved against him, placing a large price on his head and forcing him in April 1632 to flee his home country. Grotius would never set foot there again.