the P. of O. came to be King it being impossible for such forward Spirits to look at Reversions after his Death since the King has neither Old Age nor Astma nor any other Infirmities upon him that might give them that occasion And I will give you another Demonstration that you are not mistaken about his Intentions At Shirbourn Castle His Highness made a solemn promise of some Ecclesiastical preferments to a Clergy-man who being resolved to put in time enough there made his Application Upon these and many more such like accounts you say you are very sensible that the Revolution stands upon a Foundation which has no mixture in it of Honour or Honesty but yet you dare scarce entertain the thought of another Revolution for fear of the French and lest the Nation should lose the comfort and advantage of good Neighbourhood and Alliance with the Dutch. Now I think if I set you right in these two points your way is quite cleared and I suppose I shall do that if I make out upon the Square these following things 1. That our King would not make any use of the French to annoy us 2. If he would the French would not assist him in it 3. That all the mischief we could apprehend from the French and much more we shall suffer from the Dutch. First I say the King would not offer to bring the French upon us to annoy us and especially in our Religion because it is against all the Common and known Rules of Policy for any Prince who is at Peace at home to call in any Foreigners because they always Plunder and Ravage the Nation and throw the people into a discontenting fear and a neglect of Trade and then twenty to one but they make a prey of the Prince that invited them when he is weaken'd by the Poverty and Disaffection of his Subjects Secondly we must conclude the King would not bring in a French Army because he harbour'd and cherish'd with a Princely Compassion and Charity all those Hugonots who in very great numbers came over from France We see by Experience they would have born Arms against him and the King would never have received them whom he might have well kept back without discontenting the Nation which according to the Spirit then up was unwilling enough to entertain them Thirdly we must believe the King would never have offered to bring in any French Army upon us because of his own meer Grace and Goodness he procured when he was D. of York a Repeal of the Statute De Comburendo Haeretico a Law which would have done his business even without the French if he would have been at that work Lastly we may conclude without Impeachment to our Reason that the King would not bring in a French Army because he did not go about it for after all that a Malicious Industry could do the P. of O. in a Defence of his Declaration published by His Highness Command confesses in the very first Paragraph no such League with France could be proved But now if the King of England could have had such a Design the King of France would not have concurred with him in it and we may well conclude he would not First because he declined the Overture which the Dutch made him See Stubbe's further justification of the War with the United Netherlands p. 5. to transport fifty thousand of his Souldiers into any part of the King of England ' s Dominion Had the King of France been inclined to invade us as the Dutch advised and some feared he would never have baulked an opportunity so fit for such an Enterprize for the Dutch made him the offer when the old Rebels had almost put the Nation into Confusion again Secondly the King of France would not assist the K. of England in any such Design because if he sent any of his men to embroil us he could not defend his Conquests upon the Continent Nay he would not be able to defend his own Kingdom against those many Enemies that surround him Thirdly he would not because the welfare of France depends much upon the Prosperity and good Condition of England We consume more of their Manufactures than any Nation does and they much of ours so that the ballance of Trade is at least much more equal betwixt us and the French than betwixt us and the Dutch from whom whatsoever we have comes as it were out of the Hucksters hands Those Acts of Parliament which prohibit Commerce with France stand upon this Notion that a Trade with England is of mighty importance to France and if stopping of Trade be cutting the Sinews of that Kingdom we may justly conclude that Monarch will not go about to hamstring himself A man therefore must be very subject to the Night Mare indeed that can apprehend Dragooning from France Whatsoever his Zeal or his Ambition could prompt him to do upon his Hugonots at home we may see that King either Repents or has Policy enough not to pursue the point any further By this time I presume your Stomach is settled and you out of danger of another Qualm for fear of France I will now proceed to shew you that your Mistake is both gross and dangerous that upon this Revolution we shall have an happy and advantageous Alliance with the Dutch. If we have any Advantage from the Dutch it must be either in Protection to our Religion or safeguard to our Country or improvement of our Trade But I will demonstrate that your Expectation is vain and ill grounded as to every one of these particulars and that I hope will amount to a full Conviction First it is improper and absurd to expect protection for our Religion from the Dutch because the Dutch either have no Religion at all themselves or pay no regard to it I speak in general and with respect to their Government for in the Indies they renounce Christianity in so intire and horrid a manner Selge ea Conditione admittuntur in Japonia ut tenenter Praefecto Japonico tradere omnes Libros siquos secum adduxerint Insuper exercitiis Christianae Religionis omnino abstinere adeo quidem ut ne manus Complicare ante Cibum vel post assumptum audeant Varen Descrip Japoniae l. 1. cap. 26. p. 87. Belgis dissimulandam esse Religione pro Ethnicis quoque haberi a Magistratu japonensiae Varen Descrip Japoniae l. 2. cap. 11. pag. 225. Quamdiu apud Hollandos quidpiam quod Christianismum redoleat peragetur nihil imperrabunt Varen ibid. Sic Leonard Campden Belga apud Varen ibid. p. 226. Tractat. Theol. Polit. Cap. 5. p. 62. Edit Hamburg 4. Varen Descrip Japon l. 2. cap. 11. p. 224. That they make no manner of profession of their Religion at all not so much as to pray for a Blessing upon the meat they eat if a Japanner be by or by lifting up their hands to intimate that they give God thanks for what they have eaten
If they have any Bible or Book of their Religion they deliver them up Indeed they do so absolutely abandon their Religion or which is worse dissemble it that the Indians themselves take them for Heathens and all this meerly for the sake of Trade for indeed the Indians would have nothing to do with them nor let them live there but upon these Terms 'T is true the Indians the Japoness more particularly did in a savage manner destroy the many Christians that were there But then all the guilt of that most Barbarous Persecution wherein so many thousands perished in divers manners beyond all Example Cruel must be charged to the account of the Dutch who perswaded the Emperour there that the Christians whereof many were Spaniards would thrust him out of his Kingdom and so instigated him to destroy them all that the whole Trade might come to the Dutch whom he had observ'd not to endeavour to propagate their Religion when they had liberty and would renounce it for gain sake when he Commanded I will give you one more remarkable instance of their Zeal and that the God of this World is he only whom they care to serve In the Kingdom of Pegu at a great Solemnity This Relation the diligent Stubbe had from the mouth of Mr. Briton a Merchant of London who was present at that horrid Solemnity and a witness of the Dutch Piety Stubbe's further justification of the War with the United Netherlands p. 77. whereat the Emperour there Commanded them to attend and to offer in Sacrifice some parched Rice to an Idol the English and Portugueses all refusing the second man of the Dutch Factory there briskly stepped forth and offer'd the Rice in Sacrifice to the Idol like a good Dutch Protestant But that you may not think the heat of that Climate evaporates their Zeal and exhales their Devotion and by consequence imagine that they are thus Heathenish only when they have cross'd the Line I will give you a prospect of them nearer hand and shew you what Spirit they are of in their own Country and among their Neighbours First there is a Toleration or free Liberty of Exercise and Profession to any even the Rankest and most Blasphemous Hereticks in the World insomuch that it cannot properly be said that there is any face of Religion among them the whole being but an Oglio of Opinions We have a good account of them from Beverningk one of their own Embassadors to the Commonwealth of England who said to a great man in those days That it was impossible for England to continue a Republick by reason of the violent Animosities arising from the Differences of Religion but in Holland Christianity had no such effects upon the spirits of men it might be said indeed there were many Opinions in Holland but one Religion which was their Interest And therefore Secondly all their Acts of State are with an Eye to that only without any Consideration of Religion especially of the Reformation And for this point instead of many that may be produced I will alledge three instances 1. in such Cities of Flanders which being Conquered by theirs and the French Army shou'd fall to the share of the Dutch even in those Cities upon a motion or request of the French the Dutch granted that the Profession and Exercise of the Popish Religion should be free and secure Leo ab Aitzma p. 402 403. Had the Dutch had any regard to the honour of God or concern for the Propagation and Support of Truth they could not have been so indifferent 2. if the Dutch would in their Treaty of Peace with Spain have included the Hans-Towns of Germany especially Lubec Bremen and Hamburg Leo ab Aitzma p. 578. they had given great advantage to the Reformation in the Empire and had contributed much to the preservation or recovery of the Palatinate but they absolutely refused it let Religion shift as it could for lucres sake because by leaving those Cities our or exposed they expected to have all or the chief of the Trade to themselves 3. The last instance of their good affection to the Truth and Religion is this King Charles the First offered to send relief to the Rochellers in hopes to procure some favour for the Reformation in France Martin Schoockius de Marit Imperio cap. 27. but the Dutch instead of promoting so Charitable a Design sent twenty Ships Men of War to assist the King of France and so frustrated and in fine ruined that well intended Enterprize By this time I am confident you think the Dutch very unfit to be chosen the Guardians of our Religion or that we have little concern for it who offer to make such a choice it must indeed be a poor Dish that is worthy only such a Cover I proceed now to shew you that we have much less reason to believe they will help to Defend our Country or Improve our Trade First the Dutch are averse to us and will not defend our Nation They have indeed enter'd into many Leagues with us offensive and defensive but it appears by overt Acts that in all of them they were Collusive and without sincerity See Stubbe's further justification of the War with the Netherlands p. 29 30. for they offer'd to assist the King of France to Invade England as I told you before and at several times have endeavoured to embroil us at home as well as destroy us abroad Secondly they have given entertainment and protection to our Rebels and have aided them against their Lawful Soveraign which is as high a violation as can be of the Law of Nature and Nations I know they pretend sometimes to excuse themselves by saying as a Free State they must receive all Persons but this is a meer pretence only a Cast of their Old Hipocrisie for in the year 1622 Leo ab Aitzma p. 10. they entered in a League with the King of Denmark the 3d and 4th Articles of which League expresly bind them not to entertain succour or assist any of that Kings Enemies And in their League with the Commonwealth of England Leo ab Aitzma p. 839. dated Nov. 28. Anno Dom. 1653 by the 12th Article they bind themselves to expel out of all their Territories and not to receive again or to harbour or assist with Men Money or Provisions any of those that were then accounted Enemies to the Commonwealth of England and upon such like Terms they made themselves Allies and Confederates with our Notorious Rebels But to shorten this Discourse which has already overgrown the size to which it was intended I will demonstrate to you that we are altogether in a wrong Box while we propose to our selves an useful Amity with Holland The Ingenious but Unfortunate Sir Thomas Overbury for he miserably ended his days in the Tower having taken a turn in the Netherlands made this observation in the Reign of K. James the First Observations
upon the United Provinces by Sir Thomas Overbury p. 13. Lond. Print 1651. That if the Spaniard were entirely beaten out of those parts and we know how little strength he has there now the Kings of England and France would take as much pains to suppress the Dutch as ever they did to raise them for becoming our Enemies they might be able to give us the Law at Sea and Eat us out of all Trade The event has shewed how well grounded that Gentlemans Observation was but that you may the better know what to expect from them I will tell you what they have already done for us which shews what their Morals are and how far from all sense of Honour and Gratitude When we had helped them at no small expence of Men and Money to shake off the Spanish Yoke and to raise themselves into a Free State and had encreased their Wealth by fixing our Staple among them and suffered them to get strength as well as Riches by Fishing upon our Coasts they were not content to enjoy that Liberty which the Remisness of the English too freely allow'd them but with an unparallell'd insolence and injustice they disturbed the English Fishermen in our own Seas Secretary Naunton's 2d Letter to Sir Dudley Carlton Embass at the Hague Secretary Coke's Letter to Sir Will. Boswel the Kings Resident at the Hague both Printed at the end of Selden's Mare Claus translated Lucas de Liuda in Descript Orbis l. 2. pag. 199 and Sir Will. Temple's Observ upon the United Provin Cap. 6. driving their great Vessels thro' their Nets Nay they soon grew to that Confidence as to keep a Guard upon our Seas and then to Project an Office and Company of Assurance for the advancement of Trade and withal to Prohibit us free Commerce even within our own Seas and to take our Ships and Goods if we Conform not to their Placarts This Ingratitude would astonish us but that we see their worldly Interest leads them to it The Products of their Country are no way able to sustain the Inhabitants which are very Numerous and therefore by Invincible Necessity they are driven to look out for a Livelihood Thus being by the Air and Indigence of their Country and the Constitution of their Government disposed to Avarice it is become so rampant and governing a Vice among them that it is both the Spring and the Standard of all their Actions and upon this account tho we were the Patrons if not the Founders of their Commonwealth our wonder at their proceedings must abate since we are the Nation that are and can be their chiefest Rivals for Trade upon which score pursuant to their Interest they have always labour'd to ruine us tho we preserved them Stubbe's further vindic of the War with the Unit. Netherlands p. 68 Their Barbarities at Amboyna I pass over because they were enough to make a Book by it self But in short Our Rich Trade into the Indies at Japan Amboyna Banda and the Moluccoâ—â— is ruined our Islands of Polerone Polaway and Lantore are unjustly seized into their hands and the damages we suffer'd there Heylins Cosmegraph p. 919. A piece of Dutch Justice were computed in the year 1653 to amount to 1656233 pounds and upwards for which tho often call'd upon they have never made us any satisfaction but when they thought they should be made to quit Poleron to us again they cut down all the Clove-Trees there which afforded the chief Commodity of the place They destroyed our Trade to China and Persia by seizing and destroying the Ships of Sir Will. Courteen and his Partners for which wrongs the English demanded satisfaction but in vain by their Embassador Mr. St. Johns as also the two Ships the Katherine and Dragon which they took and plunder'd and inhumanly destroyed all the men to conceal the Piracy Stubbe 's ibid. p. 69. And when His Majesty upon his Restauration Ratified a Treaty of Peace and Alliance with them wherein he suffered many injuries done by them to be utterly mortified and and extinguished contrary to their Articles and the Rules of common Faith and Honesty Sir George Downings discourse p. 8 9 Lond. Print 1664. new injuries were daily done us and the designs of their East and West-India Companies were still carried on for the utter overthrow of all the English Trade in those parts of the World as appeared by the bus'ness of the Ships Hopewell Leopard c. and in the East Indies the Charles James Mary Sampson Hopeful Adventure Speedwell c. to the inoredible detriment of our Merchants and which is yet worse to their Piracies they have added most amazing cruelty in destroying our men Some of which they shut up in little Dungeons to perish with Famine Stubbe ibid. p. 69. and the stench of Dead Carcasses and their own Ordure which was all the Bedding allowed them Others the Dutch General made be put into Grates and Cages and carried them about and Triumphantly shewed them to the Indian to bring the English into contempt with them that so they might not be able to Trade there Lastly to make sure work of all and to put in Execution the advice given them by their Groninghen Professor in the year 1652 the States of Holland being then in League with the Commonwealth of England Ante omnia laboremus Anglos toto mari expellereilliusque imperium asserere Mart. Schoockins de Marit Imper cap. 28. Leo ab Aitzma p. 804. without any Declaration of War sent their Admiral Van Trump with a Navy to Burn and Destroy the English Fleet then lying in the Downs but the Valour of the English defeated them and by an absolute Victory reduced them to a much humbler Figure tho they soon returned to their wonted Insolence and Piracy and to practice all the arts of Treachery for when they burnt our Ships at Chatcam a Treaty of Peace was near concluded betwixt us and them But I am weary in recounting so many things which instead of honour or honesty or humanity speak the greatest baseness that can be lodged in the breasts of Men and if what I have set down be not enough do but consult Sir George Downings discourse upon a scandalous Dutch Memorial by them clandestinely destributed to several Foreign Ministers but not given to his Majesty's Envoy it was printed at London anno 1664. and the Depositions preserved among the Records belonging to the Admiralty and I am sure you will find enough to make you and all English-men wish that instead of making them our Patrons there were a price by Act of Parliament set upon all Dutch-mens heads as there is upon Wolves and Beasts of Prey Nothing sure but a Spirit of Infatuation fallen upon the Kingdom and the Ruinous Designs of Revengeful and ill minded men could have betrayed us into the hands and power of the Dutch who declare it to be for their advantage and have accordingly laboured to destroy