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A58380 Reflections upon the conduct of the King of Great Britain in the late wars Contained in a letter from a subject of one of the confederated princes, to a friend in Holland. Done into English. 1682 (1682) Wing R727; ESTC R222084 6,129 4

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1676 to attempt at the same time the two Sieges of Maestricht and Philipsbourg But as the most of 'em saw themselves in a fair way of making Conquests Jealousie began to rise up among them each Party fearing that his Neighbour would have too good a share therein the Disputes for the Dividend having delayed the taking of Staden and the succours which were to have come to the Prince of Orange of the Troops which blocked up that Place were the causes that this Prince was obliged to raise the Siege of Maestricht during which the French had time to take Aire from the Spaniards Hitherto we all thought our selves uppermost in our Affairs which I might easily demonstrate by things that pass'd openly in the Congress of Nimeguen which it was clearly to be seen by all the World that the Most Christian King aimed at nothing but securing His Honour by a Peace that might have given us satisfaction But after the misfortune of Maestricht the Hollanders began to fear with more apprehension what afterwards happened namely That the remissness and different interests of the German Princes the weakness of Spain and the diligence of the French the Spanish Low Countries would be swallowed up in spight of all the Forces of the Confederates Yet as by the taking of Philipsbourg the Power of the Emperour was augmented by that of Staden the Princes of Lunenburg and of Munster had their Hands free that they promised a good and sincere Correspondence and as there were great hopes conceived from the Zeal and good Conduct of the Duke of Lorrain who commanded the Imperial Army the Power of the Allies seemed still vigorous and formidable But as the Most Christian King by his usual diligence began the Campaign of 1677. with the Sieges of St. Omer and of Cambray at the same time before any Army of the Allies could or would appear except that of the States and the Prince of Orange being netled with the reproaches of the Spaniards that he did but eat up their good Land of Waes while he saw two of their Towns besieged out of a generosity which filled them with admiration hazarded both his Army and Person for the relief of St. Omers but without any other success than what might be expected from an Army inferiour in Forces to that it attacked which was likewise powerfully succoured by that of the Kings insomuch as the above mentioned Places and the Town of Valenciennes were thereupon taken by the French and afterwards the Prince of Orange was obliged to quit the Enterprise of Charleroy by a laudable and necessary prudence not to hazard once again all the Forces the States had left for their defence On the other side it was evident that it was impossible for the Duke of Lorrain and would be always so for the Imperialists to make any great Invasion into France or to execute any considerable Enterprise elsewhere while the French should content themselves with acting upon the defensive with a sufficient Army I must confess it was in that juncture our Affairs began to stand in need of some powerful intercession of the Prince whose Conduct we are considering and it is from what passed since in England that we are principally to judge of his intentions The Parliament had been a long time making him Addresses to recal his Troops out of the service of France and though His Majesty suffering at the same time Six Regiments of His Subjects in Holland and being to keep his Neutrality as Mediatour did at first only forbid by His Proclamations any new Troops from passing into France He recalled them at length and they returned very much diminished in number and misused as is well known But as this was but the least remedy to our evils and the Parliament had more warmly taken the Alarum in the beginning of the Campaign 1677 Those Gentlemen were of Opinion that it was time to make some Paces towards a War and prayed the King in their Addresses to fortifie himself with Alliances against France Hereupon to our misfortune which will be found theirs likewise at the end of the account Jealousies began to break out between the King and His Parliament His Majesty demanded of them a Sum of 600000 l. Sterling as necessary for the putting him in a posture of speaking and acting as became him Those Gentlemen gave him only credit for 200000 Pounds with general promises of assisting him after he had made His Alliances His Majesty imagined that the course they took was an encroachment upon his Prerogatives and upon that Prorogued from time to time their Assembly until the beginning of the Year 1678. In the mean while after the end of the aforementioned Campaign of 1677 He called his Nephew the Prince of Orange into England for the Personally concerting Affairs with him and gave him in Marriage the Lady Mary against the will as was believed of the Duke of York that Princesses Father which methinks is a sufficient testimony that this King withdrew himself entirely from France and it has not been doubted but that the French so understood it His Majesty made likewise thereupon an Alliance with your Republick and at the assembling of the Parliament communicated to them these things with promises if they would arm him sufficiently to enter into a War he would never be at rest until he had re-established a Peace in Christendom which any one Prince should not be capable of disturbing Those Gentlemen thereupon presented him an Address wherein giving him still only general promises of assistance they desired him to make new Alliances engage all his Allies not to make any Peace but upon the foot of the Treaty of the Pyrenees nor to have any Commerce with France nor to suffer the Ships of any Nation to enter or go out of the Ports of that Kingdom This Proposition which was very remarkable gave different motions to those it concerned Most of the Allies took Courage seeing the assurance and resolution with which those Gentlemen spoke It gave astonishment to you in Holland where you were not desirous to embark in a long War and were content with a Peace of less safety and your profound Dreamers in Policy did already imagine that the English might carry their Arms as far as formerly into France But it was very displeasing to the King as may be seen by the answer he made thereto which was found very rational and wherein after his Arguments he presses them again to hasten their assistance of Money as the time required But there still passed a Month or more before they compleated the Resolution for Money to raise Forces By that time the French had made themselves Masters of Ghent and were in a condition of proceeding much further before the Succours that were preparing in England could hinder them The Holl●nders seeing none of their Allies ready some refusing to March their own Forces being for the greatest part in the Spanish Towns from whence they could not withdraw
them the rest being uncapable to defend them were in a great consternation The Most Christian King did not fail to take advantage of this juncture and having made them Propositions of a General Peace which he caus'd to be Printed they easily disposed themselves to accept them and to perswade their Allies to do the like They sent for that purpose to the Duke of Villa Hermosa who opposed it a long time but the Parliament in England seeing by the disposition of the Hollanders that it would be almost impossible to prevent the Peace and not being willing to leave the King armed turned all their thoughts from War and took the resolution to speak no more of Money until they had obtained their demands in affairs of Religion that Duke did likewise then accept of the Peace seeing there was no timely succour to be expected from England This Sir I take to be the true Draught of things from whence we are to judge if the King of England is the only cause of the Greatness of France We may certainly say the Jealousies that arose betwixt him and his Parliaments are the true occasion of them It was to be wish'd both for Him and Us that either one Party or other had yielded sooner I am not well enough acquainted with the Maximes of their Country to decide positively which ought to have done it The King not only thought his Prerogatives were usurped upon but seem'd to have just apprehensions of engaging in a War which it would be in the Power of his People to put an end to by shutting their Purses If they had furnished him with the Sum of 600000 Pounds when he demanded it he might either have engaged himself in a War or been in a posture of making Peace as he thought convenient but those Gentlemen apprehended to put Arms into the Hands of His Majesty for fear that he should make use of 'em to render himself absolute However since they found it necessary to do it afterwards had it not been better they had done it in time To speak the Truth methinks that Great Body though compos'd of so many Wise Heads did not sufficiently foresee what might happen or those Gentlemen did secretly aim at Peace while they openly declared for War and they hoped the heat and resolution which they shew'd for the latter would produce the former without striking a blow and such an one too as they desired We must however say that they shewed a great deal of Wisdom in not continuing inflexibly bent to the last to hazard rather the Ruine of Europe than to confide an Army in the King The consideration they had for the Publick Good has likewise appear'd in that they made no difficulty of paying that Army though the King kept it on foot much longer than they ordered for the obliging the French to restore the Towns of the Spanish Netherlands before the restitution of the Swedes The King likewise on his side had manifestly made appear the little ground there was to suspect him of a design to render Himself Absolute since having that Army so long at his Disposal he made not the least use of it to that purpose Methinks then that His Subjects may be in repose on that side and would to God for our Interests that the future Parliaments may be in the same disposition as was that we speak of of yielding rather to His Majesty than suffer France to draw the fatal advantages from their Dissention which in all likelihood it will endeavour to do I am c. London Printed for H. R. 1682.