Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A35712
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The deputies of the Republick of Amsterdam to the States of Holland convicted of high-treason written and proved by the Minister of State, according to a true copy printed at the Hague, 1684.
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Philalethes.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing D1085; ESTC R799
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34,686
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55
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THE DEPUTIES Of the REPUBLICK of AMSTERDAM TO THE States of Holland Convicted of High-Treason Written and Proved By the Minister of State According to a true Copy Printed at the HAGVE 1684. LONDON Printed for Randal Taylor near Stationers Hall 1684. The DEPUTIES of the Republick of AMSTERDAM to the States of HOLLAND Convicted of High-Treason SIR WHereas you desire to be inform'd of me in some measure of what passed in the Assembly of the Lords the States on the 16th of Feb. last concerning which in this our Countrey so much noise has been made and whereof the Lords the Burgomasters and Regents of the City of Amsterdam so much complain I do presume to think my self able to give you and all that think themselves concerned in the true representation of that affair the following information whereof all those will be able to judge who for any time since have been present at the said Assembly which is this The Marquiss de Grana having sent to his Highness the P. of Orange a Letter written by the Count D'avaux Extraordinary Ambassadour from the K. of France to this State on the 19th of January last to the King his Master part in Cifer and part in plain writing with a Copy of what was cifered and besides 3 other Letters which Letter of the said Count D'avaux with the extracts of the aforesaid 3 particular Letters as much as concerned publick Affairs are already Printed and made publick His Highness considered for some days what he should doe with the said Letters for that the matter therein contained was of great importance and that the State was much concerned to be informed of the correspondence therein mentioned and that therefore they ought not to be kept secret the more for that some time since and especially about the time of the writing of the said Letter great muttering was among the respective Members in the Assembly of the States against the City of Amsterdam concerning the correspondence which the Deputies of that City had with foreign Ministers without imparting the same to the States and from whose communication the said deputed Lords used many discourses in the Assembly of the said States which upon enquiry were found false His Highness thought it therefore best at first not to concern Justice therewith but immediately to acquaint the Lords therewith and to leave it to their wisedoms to act therein that it might not be said that his Highness had either done therein too much or too little as he notwithstanding all his faithfulness and moderation shewed on all occasions but chiefly when the Government was almost in the uttermost confusion was charged with many forged calumnies chiefly in the said City of Amsterdam and accordingly on the 16th of this present Month being present at the meeting of their Lordships he acquainted them that he had somewhat to communicate to them of the highest importance with desire that the Members of that Assembly would appoint that the Doors of their Meeting place might be shut viz. those of going out of the house that so by the going out and in of any of their Members the matter might not be divulged that any one desiring might be admitted in but that none should be suffered to go forth without leave of their Lordships whereupon none of the Members replying or moving ought to consideration the Lord Pensioner of Holland rung the Bell to call in one of the Door-keepers and told him It was the order of the Lords the States that he should shut the Doors of their Assembly place and withdrawing chambers thereto adjoyning and admit entrance to any desiring it but to let none out without order of their Lordships none of the Members of the Assembly contradicting the order or moving ought to the contrary Then his Highness proceeded saying that what he had to communicate concerned in some manner as therein nam'd the persons of the Lords Hooft Hop old Schepens and Councellor and Pensionary of the City of Amsterdam wherefore his Highness desired that the said Lords would retire into the withdrawing room of the States whereupon the said Pensioner Hop having first spoken to the Lord of Marsse Veen Burgomaster of the said City and deputed by the said City to the Assembly the said two Lords Hooft and Hop without alledging ought to consideration or that ought was moved by the Lords Deputies of the said City of Amsterdam or of any of the other Cities retired into the withdrawing room whereupon his Highness disclosed the matter to the Lords the States in the Assembly namely that he had received these Letters and the original Letter partly in Cifer and partly in plain writing with the uncifering thereof and gave the 3 Letters into the hands of the Lord Pensioner of Holland who read the same then his Highness declared he had now performed his duty as Governour leaving the full liberty and disposal thereof to their Lordships to act therein as they should judge necessary for the service of their Countrey The Lords rising from their Table to deliberate what might be the effect of this overture and the other Members also preparing to advise the said Lords Hooft and Hop without order and consent of the Assembly entred in again and said they ought to be present when they were to deliberate on the said matter whereupon many Debates were occasioned among the Members of the Assembly some alledging they ought to absent and all the other Lords except those of Amsterdam desired them at least in discretion to absent whereto the said Lords of Amsterdam would in no wise yield so that the other Lords to cause therein no commotion and being resolved to give no other advice in the said matter but what they should judge to consist with all Justice and Equity and the service of their Countrey resolved to proceed although the two aforesaid Lords were present and so insisted no longer on their retirement notwithstanding those Members who were for the retirement of the said Lords Hooft and Hop expresly declared that according to the custome of all such Assemblies and especially according to the most ancient custome and resolution of their Assembly the retirement of the said Hooft and Hop ought not to be left to their discretion but that they ought to be regulated by the foresaid resolution and custome whereupon the other Members having proceeded to give their sentiments they all concluded to give knowledge of this discovery to the Lords the Burgomasters and Common-council their principals and that all the Papers which were in the Closets of the Lords of Amsterdam or in the Chamber of the said Lord Pensioner Hop should by some of the Assembly thereto deputed be sealed up and left in the custody of the said Lord of Marsse Veen and the sealing of them up should be done by the Lords Vander Gaes and Boert Burgomaster and Pensioner respective of the Cities of Delft and Alkmar and the Lord Secretary Van Beamant and that to the sealing
Embassadour hath exprest in the said Letter is not onely very probable but as evident as things of that nature can be made and that there is therein no farther cause of doubt when it may be seen what since the writing of the aforesaid Letter by the forementioned Embassadour farther hath been done namely that the said Embassadour having by the aforesaid Letter earnestly desired that his Majesty would give him some permission to present Memorials and particularly that he should not need therein to express of the not making the said Levy and that he might therein use some sweetnings in consideration of the open Countrey of the Spanish Netherlands first by a Memorial the Nineteenth of this Month presented to the States hath declared that he would take it on himself to grant some time to bring the Spaniards to an accommodation on the conditions proposed by his Majesty if they would promise his Majesty to remain in the State wherein they were without making any steps which might make the Spaniards more obstinate by the hopes of a new and greater succour and then afterwards first in a Conference which he willingly would have had on the Sixteenth of the said Month but which was had on the Seventeenth for that the Deputies of Holland who were also to be at the same assisted on the aforesaid Sixteenth of February at the deliberation which then was had in Holland on the aforesaid Letter of the Lord Embassadour and hath afterwards declared by a Memorial that in case the States would engage to cause Spain to agree within two or three Months to one of the Equivalents contained in the aforesaid Memorial of the Fifth of November last or a Truce of Twenty years that his Majesty would cease all Hostilities against the Crown of Spain but so that if the Spaniards should suffer those two or three Months to run out without effect that then the States should cause that their Troups now in the Spanish Netherlands should not be otherwise employed than in defence of the places his Majesty of Spain there possesseth that they also should promise to give no where else any assistence to Spain against his Majesty of France or his Allyes and that then France would promise to Besiege or take no places in the Spanish Netherlands yea not to act the War any more on the open Countrey on condition that Spain should also observe the same and reserving to himself to use his Arms elsewhere till that Crown should compose the Peace which it had broken Or if the States would not oblige themselves thereto and would onely use earnest endeavours to press Spain to a friendly accommodation that also in such a case his Majesty would yield to a Cessation of Arms in the Spanish Netherlands as long as the present War should last and also promise neither by Siege or otherwise to make himself Master of any places in the Spanish Netherlands provided that the States on the contrary should oblige themselves not onely that their Troups in the Spanish Netherlands should onely be employed for defence of the places in the said Netherlands but that also they should give Spain no farther assistance in any other place whatsoever nor to act directly nor indirectly against his Majesty or his Allies and that also his Majesty would oblige himself to perform no acts of Hostility in the foresaid Spanish Netherlands provided Spain shall from the said Netherlands act no Hostility against him or if it would there continue the War that his Majesty would then continue it there onely against the open Countrey for what can better agree with what the Lords of Amsterdam had discoursed with the Lord Embassadour they say there must be no speech of making no new Levies but to leave matters in the same state they were in He doth also the same by his first Memorial They say there should be a Cessation of Hostility against the Cities in the Spanish Netherlands provided that the State meddle not with the Quarrel elsewhere or elsewhere help Spain he doth so likewise and for that he feared it would offend that that Cessation of Hostility should not extend to the benefit of the open Countrey he profereth the same also for so much as concerneth the open countrey if Spain on its part will not from the Netherlands act ought on the open countrey of the French He presenteth also those Memorials as late as he can and then when he judgeth that he would be thereby sitted to support the Lords of Amsterdam in their designs so that none before-hand not prejudiced can deny or doubt in his mind that what is contained in the aforesaid Letter is in truth for so much as concerneth the essential part not come to pass and effected That being so we may consider whether the Lords of Amsterdam may not be said to have there in done amiss yea greatly done amiss I believe not that the said Lords will themselves call in doubt that what is said in the foresaid Letter to have been done by them should not contain offences hurtfull in the utmost to the greatness and justness of the State and the welfare thereof and capable to cause the ruine of the Countrey for what can be more hurtfull and hindersome to the State that at this time when we should endeavour either an accommodation between parties at War together or must experience the loss of the Spanish Netherlands or to fall in difference concerning the same with the King of France and that as well the loss of the Spanish Netherlands as the falling at odds with the King of France would be very prejudicial to the State they should particulary discover to the King of France or that which is the same to his Embassadour the difference which was in the State between the Members thereof about finding out means of accommodation that the one was of advice that to put our selves in security of not being surprized was by raising a greater number of Militia and then to speak and endeavour for a good and lasting accommodation and that others advised that without providing any means of Defence they must blindfold help to execute what France desired of Spain That the Lords of Amsterdam said they would never yield to a Levy but to doe what might be done to oblige Spain to accept one of the French proposals for that these communications could indeed be of no other effect than more and more to encourage France to yield in nothing of what he pretended and to draw Spain more and more off and make him averse from all that by this State should be proposed to him to the furtherance of a Peace for since the mediation of the Peace depended not on the will of this State but on the approbation of Spain for that all what France pretendeth whether out of the head of his first proposal or by consequence of the Equivalents whereof was pertaining to Spain and by that King must be yielded and that Spain was so