by the Restoration of King Charles II. and above all or generous and frank Concurrence with them in the late happy Revolution and Advancement of King William III. We did verily think that all these things deserv'd a better Treatment And to evince that they did we shall beg leave to insist a little upon the first and last The English have no cause to think that we were ignorant of the Reason why their Politick Henry VII chose rather to Match his Eldâ—st Daughter with the King of Scots than with the King of France because he foresaw that if the King of Scots should by that means come to the Crown of England he would remove the Seat of his Government thither which would add to the Grandure and Riches of England Whereas if the King of France did by that means fall Heir to the English Crown he would certainly draw the Court of England to Paris This the Scots were so far from being ignorant of that many of the Nobility and Gentry did express their dislike of the Union of the Crowns as well knowing that it would reduce our Kingdom into a Subjection and Dependance upon England and drain us of what Substance we had and therefore some of them express'd themselves on that occasion That Scotland was never Conquer'd till then Yet such was our Zeal for the Common Welfare of the Island the Interest of the Protestant Religion and of Europe in general which were then almost in as much danger by Spain as they have been since by France that we quietly and freely parted with our King and suffer'd him to accept the English Crown rather than that Nation should be involv'd in War and Confusion and the Protestant Religion endanger'd by another Successor as it must necessarily have been had the Infanta of Spain whose Title was then promoted by the Popish Interest succeeded And all the Reward we had for this Condescension and Kindness was a Contemptuous and Disdainful Refusal on the part of England of an Union of the Nations when proposed tho' the same would visibly have tended to the Benefit of the whole Island the general Advantage of Europe and the Security and Increase of the Protestant Interest And our King was so little thankful on his part that tho' he promis'd solemnly in the Great Church of Edinburgh before his Departure that he would visit his Ancient Kingdom once in three Years he never saw it after but once and that not till Fourteen Years after And by the influence of that same Faction in England who are still our Enemies he made Innovations both in Church and State These were the first Advantages we had by the Union of the Crowns His Son King Charles I. had scarce ascended the Throne when we had new Proofs of the Disadvantages we labour'd under by that Union for he by the Advice of some Enemies to our Nation did in an Imperious and Arbitrary manner send for our Crown tho' the only Monument almost left us of our Independency and Freedom but was generously answer'd by him that had it in keeping That if he would come and be Crown'd in Scotland he should have all the Honour done him that ever was to his Ancestors but if he did not think it worth his while they might perhaps be inclin'd to make choice of another Soveraign or to that effect as recorded in the Continuation of Sir Richard Baker's History Another Disadvantage we had by that Union of the Crown was this That that Unfortunate Prince being inspir'd with an Aversion to the Constitution of our Country by his Education made War upon us to bring us to a Conformity with England in Church-Matters We shall not here offer to debate which of the Churches was best Constituted or most agreeable to the Scripture-Pattern It suffices for our Argument That we were Injur'd in having a Foreign Model offer'd to be obtruded upon us which was the Consequence of the Union of the Crowns and of having our King Educated in another Nation but that was not all another mischievous Effect of the Union was this That whatever King Charles had deserv'd at our Hands yet out of Natural Affection Conscience and Honour we were oblig'd to do what we could to prevent his Illegal Trial and Death and to defend his Son's Title which threw us into Convulsions at Home occasion'd us the loss of several Armies and expos'd our Nation afterwards to Ruine and Devastation by our implacable Enemy the Usurper which together with the Ungrateful Retributions made us by the Government after the Restoration were enough to have wearied any Nation under Heav'n but our selves of the Union of the Crowns ANSWER Our Caledonian as I believe being somewhat mistrustful of the strength of the Scotâ— Title as well as of his Arguments to perswade the English that it is for their Interest to maintain the Scots in their New Settlement thinks it best to take other Measures now and to try whether he can hector them into a Compliance with the Scots he sets the best Countenance upon the Matter and labours very hard to give the World to understand that the English are highly indebted to the Scots for suffering as he terms it their Crown to be United with that of England I will not enter into a Dispute with him about the design of Henry VII in Marrying his Daughter to the King of Scots I will allow him to have acted in this Point as much for the Interest of England as our Author would have him but what is all this to their suffering the two Crowns to be United under one Head I hope he will grant me that both the English and Scots Crowns were Hereditary and being such how was it in the Power of the Scots to alter the Succession upon that Score I will further allow him that whenever two Kingdoms or States are United under one Head the less Potent will in some measure be independent on the other But I would also have him grant me this Position That if at that Juncture the Infanta of Spain had succeeded in England the Protestant Interest both in England and Scotland must have been brought into no small Jeopardy and our Author would have had no great occasion at this time to brag of the Soveraignty and Independency of the Scots He makes a large Rehearsal of the Miscarriages in the Reign of King James I. and King Charles I. especially of their Innovations in Church Matters in Scotland but our Author might have remembred if they introduced Episcopacy among them they were not behind hand in furnishing England with Presbytery What he alledges concerning their Sufferings in the Civil Wars for the Defence of K. Charles I. and his Sons Title ought not to be put upon the English Score I wonder how he can be so forgetful as not to remember That the Scots Covenanters were of that Gang that begun the Dance and all the reason in the World they should help to pay the Fidler And
upon Terms before we had fallen in with England especially considering how ungratefully nay villainously we were treated by Cromwel and his Party after we had sav'd them and the Parliament of England from the Scorpions that the Cavaliers had prepar'd to Chastise them with as is own'd by the said Lord Hollis Nor could we have been any way culpable if we had stood upon surer Terms considering how unthankfully we were used and Enslav'd by our late Kings for whom we had acted and suffered so much And tho' we must own That no less Present than that of our Crown was sufficient to testifie our Gratitude for what the Prince of Orange had done for us yet we were under no necessity of gratifying him in that manner since our Deliverance was effected before-hand and that he himself in his Declaration express'd it to be no part of his Design to come for the Crown so that our Reward was as Frank and Generous Then as to England we were under no manner of obligation to continue the Union with them We might have insisted upon having our King obliged to reside as much amongst us as amongst them That we should be govern'd without any consideration or respect to their Interest any further than it fell in with our own We might have insisted upon an Act that we should not be oblig'd to attend His Majesty at any time at the Court of England about our Affairs but that he should either attend upon our Administration in Person pro râ— nata as he does now upon the Affairs of Holland or lay down Methods to have his Pleasure signified to us at Home in such Cases as it was requir'd which would save a vast deal of Money annually to the Kingdom of Scotland Then as to the Succession we were under no necessity of settling it in the same manner as they did in England For since they had made a Breach in the Line they could not handsomly have blam'd us to have made an improvement of it and either to have limited the Reversion after His present Majesty's Death as we should have thought best for the security of our Civil and Religious Liberties or we might have settled it upon the Prince of Orange and his Issue bâ— anâ— other Wife there being cause enough then to conceive that he was never like to have any by his late Excellent Princess Had we taken any of these Methods it must be own'd that England would have been considerably weakned by it that we should have thereby had an opportunity of making such Foreign Alliances with France as formerly or with any other Nation as would have made England uneasie and perhaps unsafe on occasion and therefore it must be reckon'd highly Impolitick in our Neighbours to treat us continually at such a rate since we have so many open Doors to get out at They must not think that we have so far degenerated from the Courage and Honour of our Ancestors as tamely to submit to become their Vassals when for Two Thousand Years we have maintain'd our Freedom and therefore it is not their Interest to oppress us too much If they consult their Histories they will find that we always broke their Yoke at long run if at any time we were brought under it The best way to assure themselves of us is to treat us in a Friendly manner Tho' we be not so Great and Powerful as they it is not impossible for us to find such Allies as may enable us to defend our selves now as well as formerly None of these things are suggested with an ill design to raise Animosity betwixt the Nations or to perswade to a Separation of the Crowns but merely to shew those of our Neighbours who use us so unkindly that they are bound in Gratitude and Interest to do otherwise and particularly to support us in our American Settlement and not to discourage us in that Undertaking as they have hitherto done and continue still to do in their American Colonies by their Proclamations against having any Commerce or Trade with the Scots at Darien tho' they be settled there according to the Terms of an Act of Parliament in Scotland ANSWER It is a most unaccountable piece of Insolence not to say worse in our Caledonian to make use of such harsh Expressions for no other reason but because the English Parliament represented to His Majesty in a most Humble Address the Danger the Commerce of England was likely to be exposed to by the Encroachments of the New Scots Company and His Majesty's Answer to their Address might have been a sufficient Warning to our Scots Polititian that he was sensible of the Justice of their Request and that as he had shewn himself a good King to the Scots in granting them His Letters Patents He thought it reasonable not to deny His English Subjects any legal means to relieve themselves against that Danger But our Author is so much overcome with the Conceits of his own Politicks that he spares the Scots Convention as little as the English Parliament whom he boldly accuses for want of Conduct at the Time of the late Revolution because they did not make better Terms with the English before their Concurrence with them But those Wise Patriots who compos'd that great Assembly were too sensible of the Danger that threatned them if in lieu of Uniting their Strength with ours they should miss this Opportunity of Rescuing themselves from the Weight of those Oppressions they had groan'd under for some Years before and spend their Time in insisting upon such Trifles as are mentioned here by ouâ— Caledonian and don 't deserve any Answer I will only insist upon one Point I believe there is scarce any Body but what will grant me that considering they had a considerable Party Headed by the Lord Dundee who were their Enemies within their Bowels it was impossible for them to stand Neuter and considering how dangerous an Alliance with France might have proved at that Juncture nay how useless it must have been to them when the English and Dutch were Masters aâ— Sea what other way had they left for their own Preservation than to settle the Government upon the same Bottom as they did which being most conformable to the true ancient Constitution of an Hereditary Monarchy did free them from the danger of falling into new Dissentions at Home in case of any sinister Accident He goes on in his Plea DEFENCE We are not insensible that the present Juncture of Affairs obliges the Kingdom of England to carry fair with Spain and may admit that in part as an Apology for some of that Opposition we have met with from them but the questioning our Act of Parliament at first and their hindring our Subscriptions at Hamburgh afterward before ever they knew what our design was make that Excuse of little weight But allowing it all the force they would have it to bear it may be worth their while to consider whether it be more
English to assist them with a Naval Force to maintain their Possession The Dutch are known to be a People that seldom or never mistake their Interest They are sensible how useful the Alliance of Scotland may be to them both in regard of their Liberty to Fish in our Seas without controul and of being a Curb upon England in case the old Roman Maxim of delenda est Carthago should come any more to be applied by the English to that Republick as in the Reign of King Charles II. They are likewise sensible of the Advantage it would be to their Trade to be Partners with the Scots at Darien and how effectual it may be to disable the French to pursue their Claim to Spain and by consequence to revive the old Title of that Crown upon their own seven as well as to swallow up the other Ten Provinces These things together with a long continued Amity and Trade betwixt Scotland and Holland and their Union in Religion and Ecclesiastical Discipline are sufficient to evince that the Dutch would become our Partners in America with little Courtship That they are able to assist us in that case with a Naval Force sufficient is beyond contradiction and that they would soon be convinc'd it is their Interest to do it to prevent that monstrous Increase of the French Monarchy is obvious enough from the Part they Acted in the late War But admitting that none of those Considerations should prevail with the Dutch and that they should likewise abandon us it is not impossible for us to obtain an Alliance and Naval Force from the Northern Crowns It 's well enough known that those Kingdoms abound with Men and Shipping and that they would be glad with all their hearts to make an Exchange of these for the Gold and Silver of America which they might easily carry from Town to Town and from Market to Market without the trouble of a Wheel-barrow as they are now obliged to do with their Copper From all which it is evident enough that it is not impossible for the Scots to maintain themselves in Darien without the Assistance of England ANSWER Tho' it may not be altogether impossible yet it appears to me very improbable that the Scots shou'd be able to maintain their Settlement without the Assistance of the English who by reason of their many and considerable Plantations in the West-Indies are the only People from whom the Scots might have seasonable assistance especially with Provisions what our Caledonian says concerning the Alliances with the Dutch or the Northern Crowns are meer Chimera's For first I would ask him how the Scots can enter into any such Alliance in opposition to England But supposing they could the Dutch who as he tells us himself seldom mistake their Interest have the same Reasons that England has to oppose the Scots East-India Company because of their vast Commerce in those Parts and the Spanish Trade is of such consequence to them that they will scarce be perswaded by our Author to break with Spain and consequently to lose the Advantage of their Traffick in that Kingdom for the uncertain hopes of his Darien Mines What he says of the Usefulness of the Scots Alliance to Holland in case of a Rupture with England is said to no purpose at this time of the day and is besides this Founded upon another supposition viz That the Scots must be in a Condition to assist them which they are not likely to do as long as they are united with England under one Head But our Caledonian tells us strange Wonders about the Northern Crowns he takes a great deal of pains to give us to understand that Gold and Silver would be much more convenient for the Swedes and Danes than Copper truly I will not quarrel with him upon this Point but I am apt to believe that they will scarce part with their Men and Shipping before they are better convinced what share they are to have of them and whether the Scots are able to make good their Promises for without that they had better keep to their Copper which yields them good Money in Foreign Countries Besides that their great distance makes their assistance very difficult and uncertain if not quite useless it being the Opinion of most People who have a true insight into this matter that the want of seasonable Supplies which must be sent at so great a distance will oblige the Scots to quit their Settlement of Darien unless they will rather chuse their Graves amongst their imaginary Mines where we will leave them to their own Destiny and apply to them the Epitaph the Poet made upon the Hare-brain'd Phaeton Hic situs est Phaeton currus auriga paterni Quem si non tenuit magnis tamen excidit ausis But we must hear what he further says upon the fourth and last Head DEFENCE The next thing to be discours'd of is what the Consequences may probably be if the English should oppose us in this Settlement We could heartily wish there had never been any ground for this Suggestion and that the Opposition we have met with from England hath been less National than that which we had from both their Houses of Parliament after the passing an Act for an African Company c. in ours And it were to be wished that so many of the English had not given us such proofs of an alienated Mind and Aversion to our Welfare as they have done since by their Resident at Hambourgh and their late Proclamations in their West-India Plantations And we could have wish'd above all that His Majesty of England had not in the least concurr'd or giv'n his Countenance to that Opposition And we could wish that his English Counsellors who put him upon those things would remember that Strafford and Laud lost their Heads for giving King Charles I. that fatal Advice of oppressing and opposing the Scots ANSWER It is not denied but that those two Lords were by the Presbyterian Party Sacrificed to their Covenanting Brethren in Scotland but what is that to the Point in question since what has been done in opposition to the Scots Settlement is by his own Confession a National Concern back'd by the Authority of both Houses of Parliament in England and it cannot be look'd upon any otherwise than as a most unaccountable Arrogance in our Caledonian who stiles himself a Private Man in his Dedication to call in question and that in so gross a manner what has been done in this Matter by His Majesty and His Parliament for the promoting and maintaining their own Commerce But let us see how he proceeds further upon this Head DEFENCE We did verily think says he that the suffering of our Crown to be United with that of England in the Person of King James their I. and our VI our seasonable coming to the Rescue of their expiring Liberties in the Reign of King Charles I. our being so instrumental to rescue them from Anarchy and Confusion
this is so unquestionably true that many of the wiser sort are of Opinion That the Presbyterian Faction would never have carried Matters to that heighth under that unfortunate Prince's Reign if they had not been back'd by the Covenanting Party in Scotland So that England may in a great measure lay the Calamities of the late Civil Wars and its fatal Consequences to their Doors which our Author would fain put altogether upon the English But let us see how he goes on in magnifying his beloved Scots DEFENCE Yet such was our Zeal for the Protestant Interest the Welfare of the Island and the Liberty of Europe that tho' we had a fair opportunity of providing otherwise for our security and the Advancement of our Trade and of forming our selves into a Commonwealth or of bringing England to our own Terms yet we frankly and generously concurr'd with them to settle our Government on the same Persons and in the same manner as they did theirs and all the Reward we had from them is that an Union of the Nations tho' twice propos'd by His Majesty in Parliament hath been rejected To this they have added an opposition to our receiving Foreign Subscriptions at Hamburgh and elsewhere refus'd us a Supply of Corn for our Money to relieve us in our Distress and discourag'd our Settlement at Darien by forbidding their Subjects to Trade with us there If these continued Slights be not enough to make us weary of the Union of the Crowns let any Man judge To discover a little of the unreasonableness of this sort of Treatment we dare Appeal to the calm thoughts of such of our Neighbours in England as prefer the Interest of the Publick to private Animosities and foolish ill-grounded Piques either as to Church or State whether at the time of the Revolution and before we declar'd our selves they would not have been willing to have assur'd themselves of our Friendship at the rate of Uniting with us as one Nation Had we but demurr'd upon forfeiting the late K. James or made but a Proffer of renewing our ancient League with France and joyning with that Crown to keep that Prince upon the Throne of Great Britain they know we might have made what Terms we pleas'd with the late King and Louis XIV on that condition and might have been restor'd to all the Honours and Privileges that our Ancestors enjoy'd in France which were almost equal to those of the Natives and yet that gallant Nation thought it no disparagement to them however we be despis'd and undervalued now by a certain Party in England Had we but seem'd to have made such Overtures the English must needs have foreseen that the natural Consequences of such a Design if it had taken effect must have been these viz. The late King's Adherents in England would certainly have join'd us and our Nation would have afforded them a safe Retreat in case of any Disaster till they could have concerted Matters to the best Advantage The late King would not have yielded himself such an easie Conquest not disbanded his Army in such a manner as he did Ireland had certainly revolted since every one knows that the Revolution was begun and in a great measure perfected there by the Scots of the North so that England must have become the Theatre of the War and been liable to an Invasion from France These must certainly have been the Consequences of our adhering to the late King and the English would have thought they had had a very good Bargain if they could have bought us off in that case with Uniting both the Kingdoms into one and granting us a joint Trade to their own Plantations whereas now they will not allow us to settle a foreign Colony of our own and treat us as Foreigners in theirs ANSWER Our Author has so entangled himself in pleading for the Scots that he is almost beyond his Senses for what Man who is in his right Wits could propose an Alliance with France which is in effect no less than to make Scotland a Province of France as more advantageous to the Scots than their Concurrence with England in the last Revolution for if they were become so indifferent as to their so much bragg'd of Liberty and Soveraignty and their Religion to Boot what need they have chang'd Masters since King James would have eased them of both and it appears to me as if our Caledonian was rather for the last since he takes so much pains to represent to us the consequences of it in the most passionate manner that could be But if the matter be duly weigh'd he has shot much beyond the mark for supposing the Scots to have stood it out against England for King James tho' I must confess it implies almost an absurdity to suppose it the consequences would not have been half so terrible as he would persuade us for Scotland being by reason of its Situation not easie to be relieved by France as long as the English and Dutch were Masters at Sea they might perhaps have proved troublesome but not so dangerous Neighbours as to make England the Theatre of War and it is I think odds on the English side that they might have served them as Cromwel did that is to bring them under an entire Subjection whereas they now enjoy many Priviledges beyond other Foreigners and have born but a very slender share in those vast Sums expended for the Glory and Interest of the Island in general It is not to be denied but that their ready Concurrence did hasten the Conquest of Ireland but I am apt to believe that their refusal would scarce have appear'd so dreadful to the English as to make them receive Laws from the Scots I cannot pass by in silence here with what Arrogance he is pleased to reflect upon the Measures taken in England on the account of the Scots East-India Company when it is beyond all question That every independent Nation has an inherent Right to secure their Commerce against the encroachments of a Neighbouring Nation which is the true state of the Case which our Author terms Ingratitude and I know not what in the English who did no more than to represent their Grievance to His Majesty's Consideration He runs on further thus DEFENCE To shew that this is not a mere Conjecture that has no other ground but a Vision of the Brain they may be pleas'd to consider the honourable Privileges granted us by their Ancestors and some of the greatest Princes that ever sway'd their Scepter viz. King Edward and William the Conqueror who by the Consent of the States in Parliament assembled Enacted That the Scots should be accounted Denizons of England and injoy the same Privileges with themselves because of their frequent Intermarriages with the English and that they did ever stood stoutly as one Man with them for the common Vtility of the Crown and Kingdom against the Danes and Norwegians fought it most valiantly and unanimously against the common
with a dangerous Aspect upon all the English Plantations in America and may be more justly esteemed an Incroachment upon Spain as being in the Bay of Mexico than our Plantation in Darien which argues the Humour of that Nation to make such an Out-cry against the Scots who have invaded no Man's Property when they themselves are so notoriously guilty of it and therefore it would seem to be the Interest of England rather to strengthen themselves by our Friendship and to look after the French than to provoke us to look out for other Allies by their opposition and neglect ANSWER I am apt to believe our Caledonian begins to have but a very indifferent Opinion of the success of their New Settlement and so like a desperate Gamester who is reduced to the 〈◊〉 Stake throws at all and is for Sacrificing the â—â—rien Settlement nay their own Religion and 〈◊〉 as well as that of Europe rather than to 〈…〉 â—hare in it For what he says of security to be gâ—â—â—n by the French for the Enjoyment of the Protâ—â—â—â—nt Religion are nothing but Chimerical Notions as indeed are all the rest For supposing the French should be so fond of the Possession of Darien which they don't seem to be as has been demâ—â—strated before it is only a vain Speculation thâ—â—â—â—â—â—eby they would become so Potent as to become an over-match for England and its Allies who are so nearly concern'd in its Preservation and it is more than probable that the Scots in such a case would pay the Fidler since considering the Situation of Scotland its want of good Harbours and Barrenness in many Places it would be very difficult for the French to send them any considerable Supplies of Men or Provisions when the English and Dutch are Masters of the Channel which was the reason that the French never so much as attempted the Relieving of my Lord Dundee who gave them the fairest opportunity in the World of getting a footing in Scotland if they had either thought it practicable or worth their while But we must go on to see how he winds up the thread of his Arguments DEFENCE We shall conclude this matter with one or two more Arguments to prove That it is the Interest of England to joyn with us in this Affair by which also it will appear that there is nothing advanc'd in these Sheets out of any ill Design against the English Nation or to persuade to a disuniting of the Crowns but on the contrary that a stricter Union is absolutely necessary that both Nations may have but one Interest which will render us less liable to Convulsions and intestine Commotions at home and put us out of danger of being attacked by Enemies from abroad The first Argument is this That by incouraging our Settlement at Darien English Ships that have occasion to pass by those Coasts will there be certain of a place of Retreat in case of attack either by Enemy or Tempest without danger of being confiscated by the Spaniards and having their Men condemn'd to be perpetual Slaves in the Mines 2. If we be incouraged in our American Colony it will contribute much to heighten the Consumption of the English Product since what we have not of our own or wherein we are wanting either as to quality or quantity we shall supply our selves for the use of our Plantation in England which may be of great benefit to the Northern Counties especially whence we may conveniently furnish our selves with Beeves for Victualling our Ships our own Cattel being for the most part too small for that use besides many other things that we shall have occasion to export from England for the use of the Plantation and to maintain a Commerce with the Natives 3. By joining with us in this Colony and securing a Post on the South-Sea which the Princes of Darien will no doubt very readily agree to they may shorten their Voyages to the East-Indies and by that means be able to out-do all their Rivals in that Trade but if they will be so far wanting to themselves as to suffer those advantages to fall into the Hands of others who are Enemies to our Religion and common Country they cannot blame the Scots who have made them such fair Offers 4. If after all the English should continue in their Opposition to us as their late Proclamations in America and other Passages would seem to imply they have a mind to the World cannot blame the Scots to provide for themselves by such other Alliances as they shall think meet since the English are so unkind especially since the Restoration of K. Charles II. to which we did so much contribute that without our Concurrence it could never have been effected This will appear to be incontrovertibly true if we consider that in the time of K. James I. we were under no Restrictions as to matters of Trade more than they except as to the Exportation of Wool and a few other Things of English Product and so we continu'd till the Restoration when K. Charles II. and the English did very ungratefully lay such Preclusions and Restrictions upon us contrary to the Laws relating to the Postnati by the 12 Car. II. For the incouraging and increasing Shipping and Navigation and the 15 Car. II. For the Encouragement of Trade by which we are put in the same Circumstances as to Traffick with France and Holland and in a worse Condition than Ireland that is a Conquest which is so much the more unreasonable since we are always involv'd and ingag'd in the Wars betwixt England and other Countries And those with whom they have most frequent Wars being Holland and France the only two Nations with whom the Scots have almost any Commerce our Trade must of necessity sink during such Wars whereas England hath still a great Trade to other parts of the World and by this means we are forc'd to be sharers in their Troubles tho' they will not allow us to partake of their Profits nor suffer us to take any measures to procure such as we may call our own It is plain from the Instance of Darien and the Proclamations in the English American Colonies against their Subjects entertaining any Commerce with our Settlement there that we are in a worse condition than ever for when any thing happens wherein the Interest of England seems to be contrary to ours it is certainly carried against us so that in this respect we are in a worse condition than any Foreigners with relation to England for if a foreign People discover any thing that may be of Advantage to them they are at liberty to pursue it by themselves or to take in the Assistance of others and if they find themselves aggriev'd by England they have their respective Governments to make Application to for Redress To let them see that it is their Interest as well as ours it should be so we shall only desire them to consider how fatal it may be if by any
Emergency we should be forc'd to break off the Union of the Crowns and enter again into a French Alliance It 's in vain for them to Object that in such a case we should betray our Religion for we see the persecuted Hungarians were protected in that by the Turks tho' sworn Enemies to it Nor is it impossible but there may be a change as to that matter in France L. XIV is not immortal And even Julian the Apostate himself found it his Interest for some time to protect the Orthodox Christians whom he mortally hated But supposing as indeed there 's no great likelihood of it that no such Alliance as this should ever happen yet however if these two Nations be not more closely united it may be of ill Consequence to England if any of their Kings at any time should be so far disgusted as to betake themselves to us What a Field of Blood and Slaughter must England have become had we carried off K. Charles I. when he came to our Army or iâ— we had join'd him against the Parliament of England What great Efforts did a Party of our Nation make to inthrone K. Charles II. when England was against him And how did our Concurrence afterwards with General Monk effect it How soon did our Espousing the Duke of York's Interest turn the Tables upon those that opposed him in England And if our Nation had likewise Espous'd his Cause before the Revolution the Viscount of Dundee gave a sufficient proof what we could have done for him This makes it evident That it is not the Interest of England to slight an Union with us so much as they have done For so long as we remain divided any King that is so minded may make use of us and any envious Neighbour whose Interest it is to keep this Island low will be sure to blow the Coals If they 'd but turn the Tables and make our Case their own they would quickly be satisfied of the Truth of what we advance Supposing that the Government of Scotland should traverse the Actings of the Government of England in relation to their Trade c. as they have done ours and supposing that a Parliament of Scotland when the King were there should question him for the Navigation Act and that for the Incouragement of Trade in England by King Charles II. which lays us under such hard Circumstances and Restrictions the English would certainly very much resent it and speedily tell us we meddled with what did not belong to us Then why should they deny us the like liberty in reference to their Proceedings against us seeing we are a free Nation as well as they Nor can any thing less than joining with us and protecting that Settlement against all opposition in case of Attacks by the French or others sufficiently atone for what is already done or heal the Wound those Proclamations have giv'n to the common Interest of the Island ANSWER These several Pages are no more than a Repetition of what he has urged before with this difference only that he intermixes them with some bitter and unseemly Expressions which are altogether insufferable in a private Person and a Subject He as good as denounces War against England in case the Scots should miscarry and sounds alarm without any publick Authority I cannot forbear to take notice of one Passage when he says That if the Scots had carried off K. Charles I. when he came to their Army what a Field of Slaughter and Blood must England have become whereas before to excuse the Scots for their surrendring the said King he had told us with a great deal of Confidence that they were necessitated so to do What he says concerning their Endeavours to Inthrone King Charles II. is not altogether to be denied but he might also have remembred upon what Terms they did it which is I think a sufficient warning to any King not to relie upon their Gencrosity and he might have very well saved himself the trouble of offering the Assistance of the Scots to the English Court there being no great likelihood thanks be to God at this time that they will have any occasion for them or if they should they would scarce think fit to accept of them Their Concurrence with General Monk has been spoken off before as most of all the other Points which he treats of here so that we think it needless to make a Repetition of them here And so will take a short View of his Description of Darien WE come in the next place to give a Description of the Isthmus of Darien It lies betwixt the 8th and 10th Degrees of Northern Latitude and in the narrowest place is betwixt 60 and 80 Italian Miles over We shall not trouble our selves with the Description of any more of it than is in the possession of the Natives which is in length from E. to W. on the N. side from the mouth of the River Darien to Port Scrivan above 140 Italian Miles from Caret Bay to the River of Cheapo on the Southside it is about 160 in length It is supposed to take its Name from the great River of Darien that bounds its Northern Coast to the Eastward It is bounded on the North and South with the vast Oceans that carry the names of the North and South Seas It s Situation is very pleasant and agreeable and very commodious for a speedy and short Communication of Trade betwixt the North and South Seas and preventing that vast Compass that must otherwise be fetch'd round either of the Extremes of North and South America By this means also it lies convenient for a speedier Communication of Trade betwixt Europe and the East Indies than any that hath hitherto been found out Mr. Dampier says That from Cheapo or Santa Maria River a Man may pass from Sea to Sea in three days and that the Indians do it in a day and a half There are abundance of valuable Islands on both sides the Isthmus which prevent the breaking in of the Ocean upon it at once and besides the Conveniences of Wood Fish Fowl and Water afford good and safe Riding in all Weathers to any number of Ships especially those call'd the Sambaloes that lie along the Northern Coast The Continent is agreeably intermix'd with â—â—ills and Valleys of great variety for height depth and extent The Vallies are water'd with Rivers Brooks and Springs which take their rise from a great ridge of Hills that run along the Isthmus but nearest to the Northern Shore from which it is seldom above 15 Miles distant and from whence the Sambaloes Islands and the various Makings of the Shore and the continued Forest all along the Country gratifie the Eye with a very fine prospect The Rivers on the Northern Coast are generally small because their Course from the above-mentioned ridge of Hills is but short yet the River of Darien is very large but the depth of its entrance not answerable to its width yet
THE DEFENCE OF THE SCOTS Settlement AT DARIEN ANSWER'D Paragraph by Paragraph By Philo-Britan LONDON Printed and Sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster 1699. THE DEFENCE OF THE SCOTS Settlement AT DARIEN ANSWER'D WHEN this Pamphlet came first to my Hands these bold and unaccountable Insinuations with which I found it stuff'd up from the very beginning to the end invited me to make some Reflections upon it for my own Diversion and the Use of some few of those whom I knew to be both my Friends and constant Adherers to the present Government in England not questioning but that some more able Pen than mine would take this Task in Hand and convince the World of the unreasonableness of such an Undertaking by a private Hand which amounts to no less than charging both His Majesty and the present English Government with Injustice and a mistake of their own Interest as will more evidently appear out of the following Sheets The Dedication which if rightly considered is nothing else but an Introduction to the rest is to make the World believe that the English stand much indebted to the Scots for suffering themselves to be united with them under one Head and cannot discharge this Obligation unless they maintain them in their present Settlement of Darien which if they don't do they must expect to be treated as an Ungrateful and Unjust People by the Scots who if we will take this Gentleman's Word for it are powerful enough either by themselves or with the Assistance of their Allies to reduce us to a more pliable Temper That this is the main design of the Dedication as well as the whole Treatise will sufficiently appear to any one who will take the Pains carefully to peruse them for tho' he is pleased to tell His Majesty at the beginning of the Dedication that his Design is to vindicate the Settlement of the Scots in Darien against the Aspersions of the Spanish Memorial yet when not long after he says That those cannot be look'd upon as Friends to His Majesty's Dignity as King of Scots who call in question what he enacts in the Parliament of Scotland I say these Words are an undeniable Proof that the whole is more levell'd against England than Spain I will not pretend to make particular Reflections upon each Passage here because I shall have occasion to do it hereafter but I cannot forbear to take notice of that unaccountable Arrogance which has emboldened some of our Modern Writers to foster the Inventions of their own Brains and their speculative Politicks upon the World under the Cloak of the Royal Authority Will not Posterity stand amazed when they see a Person whose Faith has not only been call'd in question but also condemn'd by a legal Sentence to cover his Zeal Self-Interest and private Passion under the Veil of His Sacred Majesty's Name But we will proceed to the Book it self which begins thus DEFENCE The Heads propos'd to be insisted upon in the following Sheets are The Legality of the Scots Establishment The Advantage or Disadvantage that may redound from it to England Whether the Scots without the Assistance of the English may be able to maintain their footing in America and what may probably be the Consequences if the Scots should be oppos'd therein by the English and miscarry in the Vndertaking ANSWER These sâ—veral Heads give us sufficiently to understand what I mentioned just now to wit That the chief aim of this Author was against the English and that what is said in relation to the Spaniards is only a Preparative to the rest as will more plainly appear out of the following Sheets Upon the first Head he says further thus DEFENCE The chief Objections against the Legality of their Establishment arise from the Memorial delivered in against it to the King by the Ambassador Extraordinary of Spain May 3 1699. O. S. as follows ANSWER As these Animadversions were intended at first only for a private use so I had not the opportunity of informing my self whether the following Spanish Memorial be Authentick in all its Parts or not which therefore I insert here barely upon our Author's Credit as it is extant in his Defence c. THE Vnder-Subscriber Ambassador Extraordinary from His Catholick Majesty finds himself oblig'd by express Orders to represent to Your Majesty that the King his Master having receiv'd Information from different places and last of all from the Governour of Havana of the Insult and Attempt of some Scots Ships equipp'd with Men and other things requisite who design to settle themselves in His Majesty's Soveraign Demains in America and particularly the Province of Darien His Majesty receiv'd those Advices with very much Discontent and looks upon the same as a Rupture of the Alliance betwixt the Two Crowns which His Majesty hath observed hitherto and always observes very Religiously and from which so many Advantages and Profits have resulted both to Your Majesty and Your Subjects as a Consequence of which good Correspondence His Majesty did not expect such sudden Insults and Attempts by Your Majesty's Subjects and that too in a time of Peace without pretext or any cause in the very Heart of his Demains All that the King desires is That this may be represented to Your Majesty and that Your Majesty may be acquainted that he is very sensible of such Hostilities and unjust Procedures against which His Majesty will take such Measures as he thinks convenient Given at London May 13 3. 1699. It were easie says the Author of the Defence of the Scot's Settlement to make proper Remarks upon the Weakness Insolence and Ingratitude of this Memorial but it is not worth while all the World knows what the Crown of Spain owes to His Majesty of Great Britain and therefore a more civil Application might reasonably have been expected to a Prince who had not only sav'd the Netherlands but prevented his Catholick Majesty from being insulted on his Throne at Madrid But these things we pass over and come to the chief Point in the Memorial which is That the Scots have posted themselves in the King of Spain 's Demains in America contrary to the Alliance betwixt the two Crowns If this be prov'd to be false then the Cause of the great Complaint ceases and His Majesty of Great Britain hath reason to demand Satisfaction for the Affront offered thereby to his Justice and Sovereignty To prove the Falshood of the Allegation That the Province of Darien is part of the King of Spain's Demains It is positively denied by the Scots who challenge the Spaniards to prove their Right to the said Province either by Inheritance Marriage Donation Purchase Reversion Surrender Possession or Conquest which being the only Titles by which they or any other People can Claim a Right to those or any other Dominions if the Spaniards cannot make out their Right by these or any of these their Claim must of consequence be null and void ANSWER It is a most
surprising thing to see the Author Charge one of the greatest Kings in Europe who thinks himself touch'd in the most sensible part of his Sovereignty with Insolence and Ingratitude against His Britannick Majesty when he who owns himself a private Person and his Subject uses so many reflecting Expressions throughout the whole Treatise upon the English Government That Spain owes in a great measure its preservation to His Majesty of Great Britain is scarce disputed by any but he must be but indifferently vers'd in the Politicks of Europe who does not know That the Councils of Princes are sway'd more by the Considerations of their present Interest than by the Remembrance of pass'd Obligations Amongst all those Titles which he Assigns for the Spaniards to prove their Claim by the Three last seem to be the most likely to do their Business and supposing they should be able by either one of them or perhaps all Three together to prove their Claim What will then become of our Author 's bold Challenge But let us hear what he further says upon this Head DEFENCE It is Evident says he That the Spaniards cannot pretend a Title to that Country by Inheritance Marriage or the Donation of Prince and People and as to Conquest it would be ridiculous to alledge it since the Dariens are in actual possession of their Liberty and were never subdued nor receiv'd any Spanish Governour or Garrison amongst them Nay they wâ—re so far from it that Wafer Dampier and others that have wrote of that Country do all agree that they mortally hate the Spaniards were in War with them and that the Spaniards had no Commerce with those Indians nor Command over them in all the North-side of the Isthmus a little beyond Porto-Bello Captain Sharp in the Journal of his Expedition published in Captain Hacke's Collection of Voyages gives an Account That in 1680 he landed at Golden Island with 330 Men and being join'd by one of the Darien Princes whom they call'd Emperor and another to whom they gave the Title of King Golden Cap with some hundreds of their Men took Sancta Maria attempted Panama and made Prize of several Spanish Ships which is the more remarkable because Captain Sharp was afterwards tried in England for Robbery and Piracy on this very Account but acquitted because of his Commission from those Darien Princes which is a plain Demonstration that the Government of England did then look upon Darien to be no way subject to Spain whatever some who are Enemies to the Scots do now say against the Legality of their Settlement in that Country This same Expedition against the Spaniards by the assistance of the Darien Indians is confirm'd by Mr. Dampier in his Introduction to his New Voyage round the World And the Bishop of Chiapa a Prelate of their own in his Relation of the Spanish Voyages and Cruelties in the West-Indies Pag. 217. owns That the Spaniards had no Title to the Americans as their Subjects by right of Inheritance Purchase or Conquest We have likewise a large Account and a full Confirmation of the War and perpetual Enmity betwixt the Dariens and Spaniards in the History of the Buccaneers of America Vol. 2. Part 4. wrote by Basil Ringrose who was one of their Company There he informs us That the Indians of Darien and the Spaniards are commonly at War with one another and that the Buccaneers were invited into that Country and join'd by the Darien Princes Captain Andreas Captain Antonio and the King of Darien who assisted them in the taking of Sancta Maria and their attempt upon Panama and the King whose Daughter the Spaniards had stole away promised to joyn the Buccaneers with 50000 Men. This is the more remarkable because those very Princes or their Successors are now in League with the Scots and have joyfully receiv'd them into their Country So that it is the strangest position that can be put upon any Nation and one of the most audacious Affronts that ever was put upon so Great a Prince as K. William for the Spaniards to pretend a Right to Darien and accuse him of a Breach of the Peace because a Colony of his Subjects have settled themselves there when it is so well known to the World that the Crown of Spain has no manner of Title to that Province Then as to any Claim by virtue of Possession the Spaniards have not the least ground of Plea All they can alledge on this Head is That they were once admitted by the Consent of Captain Diego another of the Darien Princes to work on some Golden Mines within 15 Leagues or there abouts of the Scots Settlement But it is plain that this makes nothing for their purpose That Prince admitted them only as Labourers but not as Proprietors And when they broke the Conditions on which they were admitted viz. To allow the Dariens such â—â—d such Sharâ—â— of the Product they were expell'd again by force and ever since that time the Dariens refuse to have any further Dealings with the Spaniards who made themselves odious to them by their Treachery and Insolence So that Mr. Wafter tells us Pag. 133. They allow a distinguishing Mark of Honour to him who has kill'd a Spaniard And Pag. 179. That Cascata one of the chief of the Darien Princes did in his Converse with him express his Sense and Resentment of the Havock made by the Spaniards in the West of America at their first coming thither ANSWER Our Philo-Calydon as he calls himself pretends to prove here That the Spaniards can lay no Claim to Darien as a Conquest His Reasons are Because they were never subdued but I would fain ask this Gentleman how he came to know this 'T is possible some of his Countrymen have been told so by some of the Dariens but this will be but a slender Argument against the Spaniards It is most unquestionable that there is much more probability on the Spaniards side than on the other For how can it be supposed that the Spaniards who have conquer'd such a vast Tract of America and several Plantations there should not have been able to force a few petty Indian-Lords who are enclosed within their Dominions to a Submission His Arguments by which he would prove them a free People is much more ridiculous than the pretended Conquest of the Spaniards it being evident that a few Cottages inhabited by a barbarous and unarmed People headed by many Leaders resembling the Heads of Clans in Scotland did require neither a Spanish Governour nor Garrison What he alledges concerning the Hatred they bear to the Spaniards and their joyning with the Buccaneers against them does not in the least invalidate the Title of Spain to Darien And all what Wafer Dampier and the History of the Buccaneers says upon this Subject proves no more than that those Petty Indian Lords who formerly either voluntarily or by force submitted to the Spaniards took this opportunity to shake off the Spanish Yoke and to
People or Subjects of the other against the Articles of that Alliance or against common Right there shall not therefore be given Letters of Reprisal Marque or Countermarque by any of the Confederates until such time as Justice is follow'd in the ordinary Course of Law Yet the Spaniards without any such Procedure or offering in the least to prove their Title to Darien present a virulent and huffing Memorial at the very first charging the King with want of Friendship and a breach of Alliance and threatning to take such measures as theâ— shall think meet When their sickly Monarchy has not yet had time to breath since rescu'd from the common Danger wherein Europe was involv'd by the Arms of that very Prince whom they treat so ungratefully But this is not all for contrary to the express Words of that same Treaty they attack the Scots by Sea and Land who had done them no Injury but acquainted them that they came thither peaceably without any hostile design against them or any other People and were so generous as to reject the Motion of Captain Andreas one of the Darien Princes and their Ally when he offer'd to make them Masters of Panama if they would but joyn him with 500 of their Men. The Spaniards have also contrary to the 10th and 11th Articles of the Treaty concluded at M drid July 8 18 1670. concerning America detain'd the Scots and English Prisoners who were forced a shoar at Carthagena by Shipwrack tho all such Practices be expresly provided against by the said Articles And they have also violated the 14th Article of that Treaty which forbids Reprisals except in case of denying or unreasonably delaying Justice From all which it is evident that the King of Great Britain has just reason to demand Satisfaction of the Spaniards for Attacking his Subjects contrary to Treaty and that the Scots being thus injuriously treated may very lawfully not only make Reprisals upon the Spaniards for themselves but joyn with the King of Darien in taking Sancta Maria Panama or any other place belonging to the Spaniards in that Country of which the Dariens are Natural Lords and the Spaniards Tyrannical Usurpers as is pleaded by the King of Darien himself and therefore he invited the English Buccaneers to assist him to retake it And by this Capt. Sawkins justified his Proceedings in a Letter to the Governour of Panama asserting that the King of Darien was true Lord of Panama and all the Country thereabouts and that they came to assist him History of Buccaneers Vol. 2. Part 4. P. 32. And we have mentioned before that Capt. Sharp who was accused of Piracy for that same Expedition and succeeded Sawkins in his Command was acquitted in England because he had that Prince's Commission ANSWER If it had been made so evident as our Author imagines that the Spâ—â—iards hâ—ve no Title upon Darien I would sooâ—â—◠〈◊〉 with him in Opinion that they themselves had 〈◊〉 guilty of that Breach of these Treaties whic◠〈◊〉 charge upon the Scots but this being look'd upon by the now unbyass'd as a Case which at the besâ— is yet undetermin'd the Question is Whether as suâ—h they have controvened against several of the Articles of these two Treaties I will not pretend here to Patronize or defend every step the Spaniaâ—ds have made since the Scots Settlement this ought to be left to the Determination of His Majesty of Great Britain who as he is the true Judge of it so no Question but he will in due time demand Reparation for the Miscarriages committed against the said Treaties I will only put the Reader in mind of that most ancient and general Maxim founded upon the Law of Nations Vim vi repelere licet What Wonder is it if the Spaniards when they saw a Foreign Nation without their permission Land good store of Men and other Warlike Instruments in a place which they look'd upon as their own Propriety and which is of the utmost consequence to them What Wonder is it I say when they saw them erect Fortifications and enter into Alliance with those who were at that time their declared Enemies according to our Author 's own Confession they endeavoured to draw that Thorn out of their Feet without seeking first for Redress at so many Thousand Miles distance I would have our Author turn the Tables and let the Scots make the Case their own whether they would not force any Foreign Nation from their Shoar that should pretend to come in the same manner to settle themselves without leave in any place under their Pretension or Jurisdiction If it be considered What a considerable Traffick the English have in Spain it is evident That it had been in their Power to make themselves an ample amends by way of Reprisals but since they have not taken any such Measures their endeavours to dislodge the Scots from Darien at such a distance from England may admit of a much more favourable Construction than our zealous Calidonian would put upon it He goes on further DEFENCE Having fully prov'd that the Spaniards have no Title to Darien it remains to be prov'd that the Scots have as good and just a Title to their Settlement there as any People in the World can have which may easily be demonstrated thus They were authorized by an Act of Parliament and the King's Letters Patent to plant Colonies in Asia Africa or America upon Places not inhabited or any other Place by consent of the Natives not possest by any European Prince or State Being provided with this Authority than which there cannot be a greater or one more duly and honestly limitted they Equipp'd their Ships and landed on the North side of the Isthmus of Darien in November 1698. where the Spaniards as has been fully prov'd never had any Posseisâ—on and no other European Prince or State pretends any Claim to it Being arriv'd there they fairly obtain'd the Consent of the Princes and People of the Country and particularly of Captain Andreas who is the chief Man in that Tract and after a solemn Treaty and Alliance deliberately made and wrote in Spanish because the said Prince understands that Language they peaceably enter upon their new Colony without either Force or Fraud So that they have religiously kept to the Conditions of the Act and Patent which is a plain Demonstration that they have a just and legal Title to their Settlement and a Right to the Protection of the Government against the Attempts of the Spaniards or any other People whatsoever ANSWER The Scots Title to their Settlement at Darien pursuant to their Patent might pass for very good if they could make it evidently appear that the same had not been possess'd before by any European Prince or State according to the Tenure of the said Letters Patent but till that be done upon a more sure Foundation than our Calidonian has pleas'd to lay they ought not to be angry if the Government is not so forward
in granting them the dâ—sired Protection And I suppose the Scots for all our Authors Threats will be better advised 〈◊〉 they join with the Natives in making an 〈◊〉 upon Panama or any other strong 〈…〉 Spaniards for fear they should by 〈…〉 their Commissions forfeit all the righâ—◠〈…〉 Invested with by Virtue of the said Grant◠〈…〉 other irreparable Mischiefs upon their 〈◊〉 But let us now hear what our Author says to the next Point which has a more particular Relation to England DEFENCE The next Topick to be insisted upon is The Advantage or Disadvantage that may redound to England from this Settlement We shall begin with the Disadvantage which consists in the supposed Damage it may do to the Trade of England and that it may as is pretended occasion a Rupture betwixt them and Spain To this we may easily Reply That being a distinct and Independant Nation we are not oblig'd to consult their Interest any further than they consult ours and that we have as much reason to maintain this Colony because of the Advantage it may bring to our selves as they have to oppose it because of the Disadvantages that they fancy may arise from thence to England But withal we deny that it can be any damage to their Trade which from that part of the World consists chiefly in Sugar and Tobacco neither of which are yet to be found in New Calidonia But that which we look upon to be a compleat Answer to the Objection is this That they may be Sharers with us in the Settlement if they please and by consequence Partners in the Profits and Trade and lay it under such Regulations as may prevent its endamaging the Commerce of England And whereas it is further Objected That by the great Immunities and freedom from Customs granted to the Scots Company for so many years we shall be able to Under Sell the English Company forestall their Markets and lessen His Majesty's Customs We Answer That this Objection is in a great measure obviated since we do not now pretend to set up an East-India Trade but admitting it were true it will be to the general Advantage of the English Nation since the Buyers are always more than the Sellers It must certainly â—e better for the Kingdom in general that every one who has occasion for Muslin or Indian Silks c. should save so many Shillings per Yard or Piece in their Pockets than that some two or three Merchants should once in an Age get Money enough to make a Daughter or two a Countess or Dutchess Nor can it be denied but it 's better for England that House-keepers in general should save that Money to buy Provisions for their Families which consumes our own Product than that a dozen of Merchants should be enabled by the extravagant Prices of those Commodities to keep their Coaches Add to this That the English if they please by joining with the Scots may have an equal share of all those Immunities and if there should be for some time a lessening of the King's Customs of which there is at present no manner of prospect it will be sufficiently made up in time to come by a large Addition if that Colony prospers so that the King's Bounty in that respect is but like the bestowing of charge to improve barren or waste Ground which will return with treble Interest to him or his Heirs There 's another Objection made against the Scots Company That by their Constitution such Ships as belong them must break Bulk no where but in Scotland which will diminish the number of English Ships and Seamen and make Scotland the only Free Port of all those Commodities To which it's Replied That tho' our own Ships are obliged to break Bulk no where but at home they don't lay the same Obligation upon others but allowing them a free Trade to Darien they may carry their Goods where they please or upon fair Proposals there 's no doubt but the Parliament of Scotland will give the English all possible Liberty as to that matter ANSWER Allowing the Scotch Nation to be Independant tho' this has been questioned by some our Author tells us They are not obliged to consult the Interest of England further than they consult theirs which indeed is the best Argument he has made use of hitherto in the Defence of the new Settlement But then I hope he will also grant That this being Reciprocal betwixt these two Nations he ought not to blame the English if they won't Sacrifice their own Interest to that of the Scots and take all necessary and legal Precautions against their Encroachments to the Disadvantage of our Trade This Objection he says may be answered By making such Regulations as will prevent the endamaging the Commerce of England This is much sooner said than put in practice For if the Scots could have found out an Expedient which might be satisfactory both in respect to the Honour and Interest of the English Nation in that Point Why was it not proposed and put in Execution before the English saw themselves under a necessity to represent their Grievances against the Scots new Company to His Majesty and to take such further Measures against it as they judged most suitable to their own Interest He further would perswade us That the Immunities from paying Customs granted to the Scots Company cannot be any Detriment to England because Muslin Indian Silks c. will be sold Cheaper for the general benefit of the Buyers But what would in such a case become of our East-India Trade who being obliged to pay heavy Customs could not afford to Sell at the same Rate What would become of our Silk Manufactory and the Turkey Company It is certain That a great many thousands of People who maintain their Families by the Silk Manufactory must be reduced to a starving Condition if those East-India Silks were sold at a cheaper Rate than they are now This is indeed the way to make our Merchants go on Foot and sâ—t the Scots on Horseback By the Constitution of this New Scots Company their Ships are obliged to break Bulk no where but in Scotland This Advantage he pretends to balance by assuring us That the Scots Parliament will Dispence with the English upon that Score But pray what Reason is there for the English to depend on the favour of a Scots Parliament when they may carry on the East-India Trade in their own Country without it especially since it remains doubtful under what Restrictions and Limitations this Liberty might be granted to the English But let us hear what he says in Reference to the danger of a Rupture with Spain DEFENCE Then as to the hazard of a Rupture with Spain we Reply That the Spaniards are in no Condition to break with England when they are not able to maintain themselves against the Insults of the French by Sea and Land and the only way to secure them in the British Interest is to have a
powerful Colony in Darien which lying in the very Centre of their American Dominions and within reach of their Silver and Gold Mines will be an effectual Curb upon them and not only prevent their own Hostilities but their joining at any time with our Enemies or if they do being Masters of their Money we shall speedily cut the Sinews of their War ANSWER That Spain is no Match for England at this time in case of a Rupture is scarce to be denied by any who have the least insight into the Affairs of Europe but this does not answer the Question in hand which is Whether it be for the Interest of England to run the hazard of a Rupture with Spain on the Account of the Scots Settlement which I answer in the Negative For tho' the Monarchy of Spain be brought to so low an Ebb as not to be formidable to us yet at this juncture when the French as well as the Austrian Family endeavour to court this Crown at any rate I see not the least reason why the English should run the hazard of such a Rupture which at the best would Ruin their Traffick in Spain endanger that in the Mediterranean or at least put us to the charge of keeping a great Fleet at Sea for the security of our Commerce and all this for what purpose to maintain the Scots Settlement which we look upon as against our own Interest But if it was not Who would Reimburse the Charges I question whether the Scots Company or perhaps the whole Kingdom would be able to do it But if notwithstanding all this the Spaniards should transgress their Bounds we have a King who knows how to maintain his Authority and the Glory of the British Nation of which he has given us an Instance in the Spanish Ambassador but a few Days ago But let us hear how our Auther proceeds further DEFENCE In the next place we urge That it will be very much for the Interest and Advantage of England to incourage and support us in this Settlement 1. Because by this means the Scots will increase their Shipping and come in time to have a Naval Force capable of assisting the English in the common Defence of the Island in maintaining the Soveraignty of the Seas and Convoying their Merchantmen in time of War The English can't always promise to themselves the Amity of the Dutch who are their Rivals in Trade and differ far enough from them both in Temper and Interest there 's nothing to cement them but the Life of our present Soveraign Whereas the Scots being united with the English under the same Government and Inhabiting the same Island must of necessity have the same Interest as to Trade and to defend the Country against all Foreign Invaders as they constantly did in former times against Romans Danes Saxons and Normans notwithstanding their living then under a separate Prince and their frequent Wars with England Nor is that brave Resistance which a few of them made to the Dutch at Chathaâ— to be forgotten which did in a great measure repair the Honour of England ANSWER Our Caledonian puts the probability of increasing the Naval Strength of Scotland in the Front which he supposes to be absolutely necessary for the English Interest at Sea But I am afraid it will be a great while before the Scots will be able to make any considerable addition to it It is the more safe way for us to encourage our own Commerce and Naval Force which is such that if rightly managed we need not be beholding to the Scots for what assistance they are able in all likelihood to give us at Sea But says he The Dutch may not be always our Friends because they differ from us in Temper and Interest and so do the Scots as the case now stands in reference to the last and as to the first I know not whether it be not as different from the English as that of the Dutch Besides if we may take this Gentleman's Word for it the Scots may not be always our Friends neither but look for Alliances abroad to support their Interest against ours which is a seasonable Caution he has been pleased to give us as we shall see anon DEFENCE 2. As Scotland increases in Shipping they will increase in Wealth and by consequence be able to bear a greater share of the Burden of any Foreign War which will save Men and Money to England and lighten their Taxes 3. The Success of the Scots in their American Colony will be an additional Strength to the English Plantations in the West-Indies as well as an advancement of their Trade by consuming their Product and giving them theirs in exchange 4. The Success of the Scots at Darien will be of great advantage to England for the more Money the Scots acquire by their Trade the more they will spend in England which being the Seat of the Government must frequently be visited by their Nobility and Gentry who generally furnish themselves in England with their best Apparel Houshold Furniture Coaches and Horses c. besides the Money that the Young Noblemen and Gentlemen spend in their Passage through that Nation when they go and come from their Travels These things occasion their laying out vast Sums of Money annually in the City of London which being the Seat of the Government will as certainly draw Money from Scotland as the Sun draws Vapours after it ANSWER We will take it for granted that the Scots would consume more Money in England than they do now if they were more wealthy but I deny that thereby we should draw Money from Scotland For if they could under-sell our East-India Commodities that would be such an over-balance to what they can in all likelihood spend in England that it bears not the least proportion to it whereas now the Scots are obliged to England for all these things they having no considerable Manufactures among themselves or any better conveniency to supply the want of them but from England which considering how little we stand in want of the Products of their Country and how little it affords must needs draw Money from Scotland The Products of our West-India Plantations consisting chiefly in Sugar and Tobacco I don't see what great prospect of advantage the Consumption of them in one Colony can bring to the English when they furnish the greatest part of Europe with them to a much greater advantage and as to the Scots beâ—â—ing a share in the Burthen of a Foreign War the Supposition of it is built upon so an uncertain a Foundation that it scarce deserves to be mentioned considering especially that the Scots hitherto have not been the most forward in parting with their Money upon that account DEFENCE 5. The Success of the Scots in their Foreign Plantation will not only ease England of great numbers of their Pedlars so frequently complain'd of in Parliament by Country Corporations and Shopkeepers but it will occasion the return Home and
prevent the going out of vast numbe s of their Youth who follow the same sort of Imployment or betake themselves to the Sword in Denmark Sweden Poland Mâ—sâ—â—oy Germany Holland and France by which means the Government of Gâ—â—at Britain may furnish their Fleets and Armies â—t a much cheaper and easier rate than formerly and with as good Mariners and Soldiers as â—ny in the World 6. The English by joyning with the Scots and supporting their â—olony at Darien may have their Pâ—aâ—e brought home in their own Bottoms and from their own Mines with which we are assured that Country abounds without being obliged to touch at Cadiz or any Foreign Port being liable to the vexatious Indulto's of Foreign Princes or in such hazard of being intercepted as they many times were during the late War 7. The English may by joyning with the Scots render themselves more capable than ever of keeping the Balance of Europe in their hands a Trust which Nature and Providence seems to have assign'd 'em since their Situation and Naval Force not only makes it proper for them but they have had an opportunity put into their Hands in little above the Revolution of one Century of twice breaking the Chains of Europe when threatned with Slavery first by the Spaniards and then by the French This is so much the more evident that by being possess'd of Darien they will be able either to prevent the uniting the Spanish and French Monarchies or if not so to render that Union so much the less dangerous when it will be in their power to seize their Treasure and Dominions in the Indies without which that bulky Monarchy must fall by its own weight This is likewise of so much the greater importance that it may very probably either prevent a Religious War towards which the Papists discover so much inclination or at least bring it to a speedier Conclusion For we have as good reason to look upon the Spanish Mines in the West-Indies to be Antichrist's Pouch by which he maintains his War against the Church as the Old Taborites had to call the Silver Mines in Bohemia by that Name It is certainly the surest Method of destroying Antichrist to seize his Purse for if he once be depriv'd of Judas's Bag he will quickly drop St. Peter's Keys It 's by the Charms of her Gold that the Babylonish Whore hath made the whole World to wonder after her and the Kings of the Earth to be drunk with the Cup of her Fornication ANSWER By this Cant of Antichrist's Pouch the Babylonish Whore and some other Expressions our Calidonian makes use of in this Treatise one would shrewdly suspect him to be a Disciple of the Old Covenanting Crew the more because I find he has a great Itch after the Spanish Mines a Property belonging in a most peculiar manner to that Gang who sold their King for Money as Judas did Christ. But to return to our more serious Considerations I think we have all the reason in the World to hope that since England has been twice instrumental in breaking the Chains of Europe and keeping up that Balance which is absolutely necessary for the Repose of Europe without the Assistance of the Scots it may be able to maintain its ancient Glory without their New Settlement at Darien which in my Opinion will contribute but very little either to prevent the Union of the Spanish and French Monarchies or to render it less dangerous for I am well Convinced that if the last should happen the French would soon tell the Scots Veteres migrate Coloni For if they would not take the Compliment they would find some other way to send them back to the Highlands He promises the English Golden Mountains and that without any trouble free from all Imposts and Danger but if these Mines should prove Abortive if it should happen with them as the Poet says Parturiunt Montes would not the English deserve to be Laugh'd at to expose their Spanish Commerce to hazard for the uncertain hopes of some imaginary Mines promised them by an unknown Gentleman who can give no better Account of them than what has been told him by others who perhaps have it no more than by hearsay themselves We are obliged to this Gentleman however for the Kindness he is pleased to shew for England in easing us of the Scotch Pedlars but the Danger is that in case the Scots should be permitted to furnish England with Muslins Silks c. as he mentioned before they would all turn Wholesale Men and those that now are gone to carry their Packs upon their Backs would go about the Country with as many Pack-Horses as a Carrier that comes to London freighted with all sorts of Commodities DEFENCE 8. By this means the English may be better able to prevent the Ruine of their Trade in the Mediterranean and West-Indies if the French should possess themselves of the Kingdom of Spain And they will likewise be the better able to prevent their possessing themselves of the Netherlands which if once they should do and get Ports there capable of holding a Fleet they would also ruine their Eastland Trade and put a period to the Liberties of Great Britain 9. It will effectually Unite the Scots to England by an inseparable Tie if the English join us in this Undertaking Their Ancestors would have gladly purchased this Union at a much dearer rate but were always outbid by France And the want of that Union made the English not only an easie Prey to their successive Conquerors but lost them all the large Provinces that they enjoy'd beyond Sea which were their Natural Barriers gave them a free Access to the Continent and made the English Name so glorious in the Days of their Ancestors ANSWER I can't for my Life conceive how this Scots Settlement should prove of such vast consequence as to support our Mediterranean and West-India Trade against the French if they should become Masters of Spain much less how it should influence our Affairs so near Home as to prevent them from possessing themselves of the Netherlands unless the whole be built upon the hopes of his Mines but as the same hitherto are but imaginary so he would have done very well to have given us some more satisfactory reason for this Assertion What he says of the English being made an easie Prey to their Conquerors for want of an Union with Scotland ought to be look'd upon as a piece of Romance and this Gentleman has forgot what he alledged not long before viz. how instrumental the Scots had been in defending the Island against any Foreign Invaders All that the Scots have to brag of in this Case is that the great distance and unkindness of their Climate secured them against the Attempts of those who being possess'd of the Fertile Grounds of England did not think it worth their while to look after them among the Cold and Barren Mountains It must be confess'd that their frequent Inroads
in England gave the French a fair opportunity of ridding their Hands by degrees from the English but it was not so much for want of such an Union as he would make us believe but because they were glad of any opportunity to supply their Wants at Home by Plundering and Ravaging the Borders of England and because as he himself confesses the French paid them very well besides for their Pains so that we may well apply to Scotland what Jagurtha if I mistake not said of Rome O Romam venalem dummodo emptorem invenisset For the Scots were always for him that did bid most But let us hear his last Argument upon this Head DEFENCE 10. It will be of general Advantage to the Protestant Interest and contribute to the Advancement of pure Christianity without any of the Romish Sophistications Which certainly ought to weigh much with all true Protestants and so much the more that the Pope and the Conclave of Rome have espoused the Quarrel of the Spaniards in this Affair as a Cause of Religion Doubtless the poor Americans will be more inâ—linable to imbrace Christianity when they find the difference of the Morals and Doctrine betwixt Protestants and Papists and see that the former treat them with Humanity and seek their Welfare both in Body and Soul whereas the Spaniards have render'd themselves and the Religion they profess odious by the Inhumane Cruelties and Brutish Lusts which they have exercis'd upon so many Millions of the Natives This is so far from being a Calumny that an unexceptionable Author of their own Don Bartholomew de las Casas Bishop of Chiapa formerly mention'd who was an Eye-witness of their Cruelties gives an Account that they had in his Time destroyed above 40 Millions of the poor Indians tho' they receiv'd them with the greatest kindness imaginable were ready to do 'em all the Friendly Offices that one Man could desire of another and testified their great Inclination to have embrac'd the Christian Religion But the Spaniards aim'd at the Destruction and not at the Conversian of the Indians and are avowedly charg'd with it by the said Bishop who in many places of his Book declares That after they had sent for the Chiefs of the Countries to meet them in an amicable manner which the poor harmless Creatures did without suspicion of any Fraud these merciless Tyrants Murder'd them by wholesale on purpose to make themselves terrible to them This was a Practice so inconsistent with Humanity that all the People â—f the World ought to have resented it as having much more reason to declare the Spaniards to be Enemies to Mankind than ever the Roman Senate had to declare Nero to be such But this sort of Treatment compar'd with what they made others to suffer may well be call'd Mercy For tho' it was Death the Indians were hereby quickly deliver'd from their Misery whereas they put Multitudes of others to lingring Deaths that they might feel themselves die gradually and yet this is not so intolerable neither as the Condition of those poor People that had the Misfortune to survive that Cruelty for the whole time of their Lives under that miserable Servitude is but Death prolong'd or making his Attacks upon 'em by intolerable Labour and continual Hunger the most insupportable of all Plagues those poor Creatures that toil in the Mines and are imploy'd in Pearl-fishing c. having no more Sustenance allow'd them and that too of the coarsest sort than is just enough to keep Soul and Body together in order to prolong their Misery Then let any Man who has but the least remains of Humanity left him judge whether the Scots could be Criminal if they should have actually Landed upon a Spanish Settlement and have seiz'd the same in order to deliver their Brethren the Sons of Adam from such Hellish Servitude and Oppression as the above mention'd Bishop describes and if no Man that has any Bowels of Compassion within him can say they could what shadow of reason is there to blame the Scots for erecting a Colony where the Spaniards never had any footing ANSWER If this could be proved beyond Contradiction I must confess no Body could blame the Scots for settling themselves at Darien but till that be done we must ask our Author'â— Pardon to suspend at least our Judgment as to the legality of their Title to it If I mistake not the matter he does not seem to build altogether upon that Foundation so much as upon their having forfeited their Title by their unheard of Cruelties for to what purpose else this tedious Repetition when he had enlarged himself sufficiently before upon that Theme Which indeed may serve to render the Spaniards odious but in my Opinion is but a slender Addition towards the strengthning of their Title upon Darien since with the same Right not only the Scots but any Nation whatsoever might lay claim to all America as far as it is in the Possession of the Spaniards We will therefore hear what he has to alledge for us Caledonians in the third Head DEFENCE The next thing to be consider'd is Whether the Scots without the assistance of England may probably maintain their footing there which there 's no doubt may very well be determin'd in the affirmative 1. Because the whole Kingdom of Scotland being more zealous for it and unanimous in it than they have been in any other thing for forty or fifty Years past it is not to be doubted but they will use their utmost Efforts to support themselves in it by their own strength or if that will not do by making Alliances with other Nations that are able to assist them with a Naval Force 2. If they meet with no other Opposition but what the Spaniards are able to make to them it will be easie for the Nobility and Gentry and Royal Burroughs of Scotland to raise Money upon their Lands c. to increase their Stock for the American Trade and buy Ships of Force to protect it Nay without that it 's but giving Commission to the Buccaneers to become an over-match for the Spaniards 3. Supposing the French should offer to join with the Spaniards and assist them to drive the Scots from Darien as some say they have already proffered we are not to imagine that the Spaniards will accept their Proffers in this case when they refused them as to the driving the Moors from before Ceuta The Reasons are obvious They declin'd the accepting their Proffers as to Ceuta because they would not thereby give the French an opportunity of possessing themselves of any of their Towns in Africa as it is but too common for Foreign Auxiliaries to do in such cases Then certainly they have much greater reason to refuse their Proffers as to Darien America being of infinitely more value to them than some African Towns And if once the French should get footing there it would be in vain for the Spanish Grandees any further to dispute the
Enemy and bore the burden of most fierce Wars in the Kingdom This they will find in a Book call'd Archaionomia translated from the Saxon by William Lambard and Printed at London by John Day in 1568. It must be granted that the Reasons of such a grateful Retribution are redoubled now Intermarriages betwixt the two Nations are more frequent than ever the Union of the Kingdoms under one Crown for almost 100 years the generous Concurrence of the Scots in the last Revolution their loss of so many gallant Officers and brave Soldiers in the common Cause during the late War and the preservation of Ireland which hath been twice owing to our Country-men might reasonably entitle us to the same Privileges now that our Ancestors were formerly allow'd by K. Edward and William the Conqueror We need not insist on another sort of Obligation that we have put upon England twice within this 60 years viz. The delivering them from their Oppressions in the time of K. Charles I. the Anarchy of the Rump and several Models of Armies and Junto's by encouraging General Monk's Undertaking for it cannot be denied that we had the Balance of Europe in our hands at the time of the last Revolution and that we turn'd the Scale to the advantage of England in particular and of Europe in general which must be allow'd to be as great a Service as that which was so thankfully rewarded by Edward and William the Conqueror whence it is evident that those Englishmen who at present oppose our Settlement in America don't inherit the gratitude of their Ancestors when they not only will not allow us to Trade in Conjunction with them but withstand our doing any thing that may advance a Trade by our selves If they object That what we did in all those Cases was no more than our Duty and what we ow'd to our own Preservation as well as to theirs it is easie to reply That admitting it to be so yet by the Laws of God and Men People are incourag'd to perform their Duties by Rewards and their Ancestors were so sensible of this that tho' they knew we were equally concern'd to defend the Island against foreign Invaders as well as they yet they thought themselves oblig'd in Policy as well as Gratitude to Reward us which they not only did by that Honorary Praemium of allowing us to be Denizons of England as above-mention'd but sometimes gave to us and at other times confirm'd to us the three Northern Counties of Northumberland Westmorland and Cumberland to be held in Fee of the Crown of England It is likewise very well known with how much Honour the Parliament of England treated us when they courted our Assistance against King Charles I. and what large Promises that Prince made us if we would have but stood Neuter which tho' we had reason to think many of those that opposed him had no great kindness neither for our Civil nor Ecclesiastical Constitution yet the sense that we had of the common Danger that our Religion and Liberties were in at that time made us proof against all those Tentations so that after all Endeavours for a Reconciliation betwixt the King and the Parliament of England prov'd unsuccessful we sent in an Army which cast the Balance on the side of the latter who before that time were reduc'd low enough by the King's Army as is very well known to such as are acquainted with the History of those times and is own'd by my Lord Hollis in his Memoirs lately publish'd ANSWER Our Caledonian most extreamly misses his aim in relating those Matters as Obligations done to England for which they have but little reason to be thankful to them Their behaviour under the Reign of K. Charles I. was such that the English ought to keep it in eternal Remembrance and in lieu of Acknowledgment rather ought to take care of them so that they may not be able for the future to be the Incendiaries of a Civil War as they were at that time For after they had put all England into Confusion by their Encouraging and afterwards declaring for the Presbyterian Faction after I say they had been instrumental in bringing this unfortunate Prince to his fatal End they took the opportunity of siding with his Son not out of any love to his Person or to maintain his rightful Title as may appear by those Conditions they imposed upon him but to Revenge themselves upon those who had wrested the Power out of their Hands and afterwards made them bear their share in those Miseries they had brought upon England Certainly our Author must think the English to be very ill versed in their own History when he alledges the Scots to have had any share in General Monk's Undertaking who can be so ignorant as not to know that all what this General desired from and was granted by the Convention of the Scots was to furnish him with so much Money as might maintain his Army in their march to London and there is no question but they understood their Interest so well as that they would have parted with a far greater Sum to rid their hands of a conquering Army in their Bowels and to set the English together by the Ears among themselves by which means they might hope to recover their lost Liberty For the rest it is sufficiently evident That if General Monk had at that time any Thoughts of recalling the King which I much question he had more Prudence than to Communicate it to the Scots or any body else For if the Rump had had the least suspicion of his design they would scarce have made him General of all the Forces in the three Nations This is the true state of the Case as to the first of these Obligations our Calidonian brags of What he says of Scotland's turning the Balance in the time of the late Revolution when it was in their hands shews so much Vanity and want of Judgment in point of Policy that it deserves no Answer and I am apt to believe the wiser sort among the Scots will owe him but little thanks for representing them as a People who could fall under a possibility of mistaking their own Interest and Preservation so far as to let slip so extraordinary an opportunity as was offered them by Providence to secure their Religion and Liberty and in lieu of that to Embrace a foreign Protection or to speak truer to submit their Necks under a Foreign Yoke rather than to Unite themselves with the English under one Head who perhaps notwithstanding their foreign Alliances might have taken this opportunity to bring them once for all to Reason as Cromwel did who 's Title to Scotland as their Conqueror was own'd by all Europe He goes on thus DEFENCE But to return to the last Revolution Tho' we must own that we owe our Deliverance to His Majesty and were oblig'd in Conscience and Honour to concur with him yet who could have blam'd us to have stood
their Interest to incourage the Spaniards in an unjust Opposition to our American Settlement or to support the Scots in maintaining their Right It is certain that the Spaniards are in no condition to break with England or if they should it 's in the Power of the English to reduce them speedily to reason Whereas if the Scots should miscarry in their Undertakings by the Discouragements from England before-mentioned which exposes our Ships to be taken and treated as Pirates by any Nation that pleases the infallible consequence of it will be that the Ruine and Impoverishment of Scotland which must necessarily follow such a Miscarriage will immediately affect England both in her Trade and Strength The City of London and the Northern Road will soon feel the effects of it when the Money spent by our Gentry and Merchants continually for Cloaths Provisions and Goods ceases to circulate there England may become an easier Prey to a Foreign Enemy since it will not be only the Loss of a Tribe but of an entire Sister-Nation Or supposing that Scotland should be able to bear up under the Weight of it it will lay the Foundation of an irreconcileable Feud and may perhaps issue in a War betwixt the two Nations which did never yet terminate at long-run to the Advantage of England and is as unlikely to do so now as ever For in such a Casâ— they would find us Unanimous as one Man against them And therefore those who are Enemies to the Peace of the Nations being aware of this labour to effect their Design by another Method and endeavour as much as they can to dash the Government and us against one another But they are mistaken in the People of Scotland We are sensible of our Obligations to King William and know so well what is due to our Deliverer that it surpasses all their Art to create in us the least ill Thought of him it is not in the Temper of our Nation The World knows that however frequent and successful we have been in reducing our bad Kings to Reason yet there was never any People under the Sun more Loyal and Affectionate to good Princes than we have been and if when we have been forc'd to oppose our Monarchs private Persons have sometimes carried their Resentments too high yet the publick Justice of the Nation was always govern'd with Temper We could multiply Instances to prove this but need go no higher than the three last Kings who tho all of them Enemies to our Constitution as appear'd by their Principles and Practices yet it s very well known what we both did and suffer'd for them and particularly for King Charles I. tho' the Malice of a Faction in our Neighbouring Nation fix'd a Scandalous Reproach upon us as if we had Sold him from which Reflection we are sufficiently vindicated by the Lord Hollis's Memoirs before-mention'd wherein that excellent Person makes it evident that tho' our War against that Prince was just yet we had all possible Respect for his Persons made the best Conditions we could for his Safety and Honour and to avoid greater Mischiefs and the playing of our Enemies Game to the Ruine of our selves and His Majesty we were necessitated to leave him in England Memoirs p. 68. Then since we carried it so to a Prince that had been no way kind to us it will be impossible to create a Breach betwixt us and a Prince to whom under God we owe all that we enjoy as Men and Christians But at the same time our Neighbours who think to drive that Nail as far as it will go would do well to consider that we never believ'd that Doctrine in Scotland That it is unlawful to resist a King or any that have a Commission under him upon any pretence whatsoever We left that Doctrine in Scythia from whence some Authors derive our Origin and think it only fit to be sent back to Turkey from whence it came We know very well how to distinguish betwixt a Lawful Power and the Abuse of it and our Ancestors rightly understood how to Obey the Lawful Commands of their Princes when Masters of themselves and how to Govern by their Authority and in their Name when they were not tho' they did not think themselves obliged to obey their Personal Commands when the Fortune of War or other Accidents had put them into the Hands of our Enemies Thus we refused Obedience to K. James I. when detain'd Prisoner in England contrary to the Law of Nations and carried over into France to Command his Subjects there not to bear Arms against the English Army where he was in Person We told him we knew how to distinguish betwixt the Commands of a King and those of a Captive ANSWER Here is a Flourish indeed upon the Behaviour of the Scots towards their good and bad Kings to comment upon which would require a whole Volume we will only take notice here of what he says concerning their selling King Charles I. to the English of which he clears his Countrymen but very indifferently the whole amounting to no more than that they made the best Terms for him and themselves too which does not take away the Stain of surrendering their Prince to his Enemies when they had a good Army to back their Pretensions The rest is taken up with his Arguments to convince the World that the Englesh ought at this Juncture to prefer the interest of Scotland before that of Spain upon which Head we have said so much already that I think it needless to make a fulsome Repetition of it here I will only add thus much That it may be hoped that those who have the Management of the Scots East-India Company will have more Prudence than to venture their All upon that Bottom and that consequently Scotland if they miscarry in this Undertaking will not be in so much danger of being utterly ruin'd as this Gentleman imagines His threatning Speculations about a War betwixt the two Nations and the Unanimity of the Scots against us sâ—aâ—ce deserves to be taken notice of since I see no reason why he should suppose the English so unconcerned at their own Interest as to act with less Vigour against them than they would against us which I am apt to believe would not turn to the Advantage of Scotland all this time when the English are more Potent than ever and the Scots have not the same Prospect of being back'd by a Foreign Power as they were in former Times when by reason of our Civil Dissensions they proved sometimes troublesome but never were dangerous Neighbours But let us see what he has further to say upon this Head DEFENCE To return to the Point of what may probably be the Consequences if the English should proceed to any further degree of opposition or if the Scots should miscarry in the Design It 's reasonable to believe that the English will be so wise as to forbear Hostilities tho' we are very well satisfied
there is a Party in that Nation who bear ours no good will it 's to be hop'd they will never be able so far to leaven the sound part of the English Nation as to occasion a Rupture betwixt them and us Yet we must needs say that we look upon their way of treating us to be a very unaccountable thing and that it was no small Surprize to us to find that the English should look on our taking Subscriptions in England in order to admit them Joint-Sharers with our selves in the Benefit of the Act to encourage our Trade to be no less than a high Misdemeanour We have reason likewise to complain of their constant practice of pressing our Seamen in time of War as if they were their own Subjects and that they should treat us in other respects as if we were Aliens And sometimes confiscate Ships by reckoning Scots Mariners as such So that the English have not only depriv'd us of the warm Influences of our Court the want of which is a considerable addition to the natural coldness of our Climate but they likewise oppress us on all occasions and do manifestly endeavour to prevent our Application to Trade We know there 's a Party in that Nation who think we sustained no great loss by the removal of our Princes but we would wish them to consider what a murmuring they themselves make when the King goes annually to the Netherlands tho' the Safety of Europe requires it because of the Damp it puts upon Trade and the Money it carries out of the Kingdom Let them consider then what our Nation has suffer'd in that respect now for almost an Hundred years besides the lessening our esteem in the Eyes oâ— the World and yet they will neither admit us to the Privileges of Fellow-Subjects with themselves nor suffer us to take such measures as may inable us stand on our own bottom We know that it was a Maxim in some of the late Reigns That it would never be well till all that part of Scotland on this side Forth were reduc'd to a Hunting-field but we were in hopes the bitterness of those days had been past yet it seems that Party have still so far the ascendant amongst our Neighbours as to procure a publick opposition to all our Endeavours for raising our Nation by Trade It will upon due Examination be found as bad Policy as it is Christianity to urge as some of our Neighbours do that it is the Interest of England to keep the Scots low because they are an independent and free Nation and were our ancient Enemies and therefore may be dangerous Neighbours if they grow rich and potent Nothing but Rancour and inveterate Malice can suggest such sour thoughts as these It were fit that sort of Men should be purg'd of their Choler The Scots to obviate all dangers from that Head have tho' they be much the ancienter Nation condescended so far as several times to propose an Union which the Gentlemen of that Kidney have hitherto prevented and therefore we would wish them to look back into their Histories and upon casting up their Accounts make a true Estimate of whatever they gain'd by a War with Scotland They will find that their Ancestors as well as the Romans have been sensible as Tacitus expresses it Quâ—s sibi Viros Caledonia sepâ—suerit and that as it was true what our Historian says of the War made upon us by Edward I. that Scotorum Nomen pene delevit it was also true what he says on the other hand that Angliam vehementer conâ—ussit So that those Gentlemen take the direct way by opposing us to run into those Dangers they would avoid for they may assure themselves that if the English Opposition to our American Settlement should once break out into Hostilities the Scots will find some Allies ancient or new that will be glad of the opportunity to join with them Or if which is most probable tho' highly impolitick the English should so far neglect the Scots as to suffer them to be over-power'd by the French they may be sure that the Scots when put to their last shift can always make an honourable Capitulation with France It 's not to be doubted but that Crown would be very willing to renew their ancient Alliance with us and besides allowing us a share at least in the Trade of Darien would on condition of giving them the Possession of New Caledonia restore us likewise to all our ancient Privileges in France They would think it a very good purchase if they could secure themselves of that Colony by doing so granting us what security we could resonably desire for the uninterrupted Injoyment of the Protestant Religion and a Freedom of Trade to all places of the World where it did not actually interfere with their own Settlements and Colonies So that if this should be the case we leave it to our Neighbours to judge what would become of their East and West-India Trade and Plantations and whether they would not find it difficult to stand out against France and us now that they have no footing on the Continent since formerly when they had so many Provinces of that Kingdom in their possession they found it a hard matter to do it and at last lost every foot of their French Dominions whereas had they been in Union with us they might certainly have retained them and by consequence have prevented the great Calamities that Europe hath since groan'd under by the prodigious Increase of the French Monarchy This we think sufficient to convince those angry Gentlemen in our Neighboring Nation that are so very much disgusted with our American Settlement that it is the Interest of England to join with us and support it and that it may be of dangerous consequence to them either to oppose or neglect us Whereas by joyning cordially in this matter they may unite us inseparably to themselves for ever inrich their own Nation secure and advance the Protestant Interest keep the Balance of Europe in their hands and prevent the returns of its danger their own expence of Blood and Treasure to save its being threatened with Slavery any more either by the House of Bourbon or Austria Therefore we cannot believe after all but our wise and politick Neighbours will at last see it their Interest to protect and incourage us in this matter that we may mutually strengthen and support one another against the French who are loudest in their Clamours against our Settlement because if incouraged and improved it will defeat all their ambitious and Antichristian Designs and thereby we shall also be in a condition to assist the English Plantations in the West-Indies who as we find by the proceedings of the Earl of Bellamont and the Assemblies of New England and New York are sufficiently sensible of their danger from the incroaching temper of the French which increases every day and it is evident that their new design'd Colony in Mississipi River looks