Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	earl_n	lord_n	treasurer_n	9,523	5	11.5363	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49987	An explanation of the Lord Treasurer's letter to Mr. Montagu, the Kings late embassador in France, March 25th, 1678 together vvith the said letter and the two letters of Mr. Montagu, which were read in the House of Commons.	Leeds, Thomas Osborne, Duke of, 1631-1712.; Montagu, Ralph Montagu, Duke of, 1638?-1709.	1679 (1679)	Wing L923; ESTC R12400	7,303	11

never needed to have been known at all I say having spoke to all those Particulars I must likewise crave liberty to observe to you those Parts of the same Letter which do sufficiently show that his Majesty was not in the least to be drawn from the Interest of the Confederates for any private gain of Money to himself For you see the Embassadour had agreed to the Summe but not for so long a time and no man can imagine why Six Millions of Livres should have been refused if either his Majesty had had any ill design at home or would have deserted the Confederates but on the contrary you see his Majesty would make no Proposals but what they desired nor even those without being prest by them to it nor would he have any motion of Money to the French King unless he accepted those very Conditions so desired by the Confederates and if the Confederates could have obtained such a Peace as they desired and his Majesty a good Summe of Money towards defraying those Charges he had been at without taxing of his People I conceive it ought to have been esteemed good Policy as it hath been in the former times of H. 7th H. 8th rather than made a pretence of Treason but how the not doing any of those things excepted against in that Letter and that plainly by reason of the King 's great Integrity to the Confederate Interest which He so evidently prefer'd before His own Personal Advantage should become Treason is beyond my comprehension I hear it is made a great aggravation of this Letter that it is dated five dayes after an Act past to raise Money for an Actual Warre with France But surely every man knowes That an Act to raise Money for a Warre is no Declaration of the Warre That his Majesty hath alwayes the Sole Power of Peace and War in his own hands That His Ministers were never recalled from Treating the Peace at Nimiguen and besides our then ill prepared Condition for a War that of the Confederates was then so low that it was not above a Week after that the French Propositions were made at Nimiguen upon which the Peace was concluded and after which Propositions although far worse ones than what had been Offered by his Majesty but ten dayes before the Dutch would never think of supporting the Warre any longer and so far was his Majesty from agreeing to that Peace which was then made that his Majestie 's Ministers at Nimiguen did not only refuse to sign it but his Majesty used all possible means to engage the Dutch with Him in the Offensive Treaty against France and though He could not procure them to do so He sent an Army so soon as it was in readiness to March to their assistance and thereby had it been possible he endeavoured to have encouraged them to continue the Warre Though a great deal more is to be said upon this Subject I think this enough to convince any man that as this Letter did no harm nor hindred one step of the Preparations for Warre against France so that it intended nothing of ill either to the Kingdom or the Cause of the Confederates and therefore the writer of it can deserve no blame from this Letter if it had not been written by the King's Command and Direction As I have wondred much at those strained constructions I have found upon this Letter so I confess I have not been able to give my self a reason how this Letter should only find the hard fate of being loaded with such Crimes and yet nothing said to those Letters of Mr. Montagu's the Originals of which were also read in the House of Commons which do so manifestly give his Majesty the invitations to expect great Sums from France if he would endeavour it and which does acknowledg this Earl to be so great an Enemy to France above all other men That it was grown a Maxim to the States-men there by one who very well understood the state of this Kingdom That they must destroy his Credit with our King before they could hope to do any good in England And I pray God it be not found too true The Lord Treasurer's Letter to Mr. Montagu the King 's late Embassadour in France March 25 th 1678. My Lord SInce my Writing to you by Mr. Brisbon the Resolves have been altered as to the sending you Instructions as yet for the proposing any thing to the French King for the Particulars which will be consented to on the part of the Confederates and of which this is a Copy will be communicated to you by Mr. Secretary Coventry but you will have no other direction from him about them but onely thereby to be enabled to find the Pulse of the King or his Ministers at least against the time that you shall receive Orders to make the Proposals to him That you may know from whence the nicety of that affair proceeds it is necessary to inform you that for fear of its being ill resented by the Parliament here the King will not make any proposal at all of Peace unless he shall be prest to it by the Confederates And altho by Mr. Godolphin he is sufficiently informed that they desire a Peace upon the Articles sent you by the Secretary yet not having received that desire formally the Council will not Advise his Majesty to let his Embassador propose that which he is not formally impowred to make good and so by staying for that formal Power which by Letter his Majesty is sufficiently inabled to propose the time will be lost for effecting the Peace if at all it can be had To supply this defect then and to prevent the King 's sending again into Holland before he know the mind of France I am commanded by His Majestie to let you know That you are to make the Propositions inclosed to the King of France and to tell him The King will undertake for the seeing them made good on the part of Spain and Holland in case they shall be accepted by him And in your answers you must write the same things to the Secretaries by way only of having felt the King of France's Pulse which you must do to the King as a full answer from the King of France and such an one as his Majestie may depend upon whatever that shall be For the more dextrous management of this Affair the King is advised to show these Propositions to Monsieur Barrillon but not to give him a Copy so that by the strength of his Memory it is expected he shall write to his Master and by that means only are we to hope for an answer to a matter of this vast Importance And consequently you may imagine what a satisfaction we are like to reap from it when it comes I doubt not but by your Conduct it will be brought to a speedy Issue which is of as great Importance as the thing it self there being no condition worse for his Majestie then this