Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	france_n	king_n	treaty_n	4,711	5	9.8279	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50284	The matter of fact a la mode de France, or, The case stated after the French manner, in relation to the alliance proposed by the two crowns of England and France, with the states of the United Netherlands with rational reflections thereon / in a letter from a burgher of Amsterdam, to his friend in the campagne, dated January 30, 1680 : Englished from the French copy.	Burgher of Amsterdam.	1680 (1680)	Wing M1303; ESTC R13806	6,459	8

THE Matter of FACT A la Mode de FRANCE OR THE CASE STATED After the French Manner In Relation to the Alliance proposed by the Two Crowns OF England and France With the STATES of the UNITED NETHERLANDS WITH Rational Reflections thereon IN A LETTER From a Burgher of Amsterdam to his Friend in the Campagne Dated January 30. 1680. Englished from the French Copy Printed in the Year 1680. A LETTER from a Burgher of Amsterdam to his Friend in the Campagne January 30. 1680. SIR THough you reside in the Compagne and within a great retirement yet 't is impossible that the report of the affairs now transacted and under debate in the Cities should not come to your ears 'T is most plain that this Republick of ours cannot have an affair of greater importance but 't is so differently discoursed of and passion and particular interests make such division of the Wits that 't is almost impossible to know on which side the reason lies unless a man first totally lay aside all manner of prepossession and examine matters as becomes a good Republican who considers only the weal and advantage of his Country In the mean time we are very unhappy that having with much toil freed our selves from a vexatious War should now again see our selves upon the very point of falling into our past Calamities by a Conduct repugnant to what our true Interests require I intend not to cry about the Town the Memorials given to the States by the Embassador of France and Envoy of England The Considerations upon the Alliance of France the Reflections on those Considerations the Treaties of England and such like things now in Print which most have the curiosity to read though few make a due reflection thereon nevertheless I doubt not but our Magistrates are sufficiently enlightned to judge as they ought of the great consequence of an affair of this Nature But Sir be pleased to observe what is the matter France demands the renovation of a former Alliance had with this State the King of England opposeth it the French King will have a definitive answer the King of England pretends that this Alliance is against him and offers many hundred millions and the very blood of half his Subjects to assist this State in case France shall disturb it for refusal of this Alliance at His Majesty of Great Brittains request Upon this the States excuse themselves to France in respect of the Conjuncture of time which will not permit them to enter into Engagements Sir You know I have no other interest in an affair of this nature than the desire to see my own dear Country enjoy a repose so necessary for her after those indetreatments and convulsions she hath suffer'd You will here see only simple reflections on which pray give me your sentiments to the end I may conforme mine thereunto But that you may not speak without a ground and without knowledge of the cause as not only some particular persons do but also some of those whom to our sorrow Heaven has made Judges in this cause I intreat you first to read the memorials which are extant on this subject All the treaties which we have with Princes and particularly the three last which we made with England since the last peace which hath reconcil'd us with that Crown so that I may give you my opinion upon the ground of the demand which the French King hath made of renewing his Alliance and upon the instance of England to refuse it I find moreover that France had pleased us if it had not made this demand at present and it might have so come to pass that if his most Christian Majesty had foreseen the confusions or inconveniency it exposeth us to at this day he would have left us to have some over to him with the time and it may be also that we should soon have deemed it our interest to request his Alliance with the same instances and importunity which we at other times have done But on the other hand can you dislike that the French King perceiving our delay to answer what we promised readily to comply with should at length know what he is to trust to I cannot blame him if he requite the simple excuses which the States make to him since they alledge no reason which may satisfie him 'T is true the States are free and not obliged to render the reason of their Conduct yet the principal reasons whereof they serve themselves of a foundation for the Excuses which they make to enter at present into an Alliance with France may be particularly reduced to two The first is that if the States make an Alliance with France because France demands it they lose their Liberty and Freedom for every time the most Christian King shall please to demand any thing the States must obey as Slaves Sir I know not what you will think of this consequence as for me who have looked into the Extension that Mr. Counseller Pentionary hath made to the States of Holland of the Proposition of the French Alliance viz. That His most Christian Majesty well knows that the States are free and at liberty to make or not to make Alliances I find this consequence not to be just as seeming only to enquire whether the King of France hath subject matter to pursue this demand and whether we may fairly refuse it and not whether we do not give him just cause to complain of us in not answering as we ought the sincere Assurances he hath given us of his Affection which he even yet continues to do by the Letter which he wrote to the States General on the subject of the Dolphins Marriage The second Reason the States bring to continue their Excuse of the French Al iance is founded upon the repeated Instances of the most Christian King concluding thereby that there must lye hid in that demand some suspicious motive which ought to impede and withhold their consent thereunto But Sir upon considering the matter without passion you will find that 't is in this as in our private and particular affairs natural for us to desire a yea or a nay a grant or denial when those persons from whom we may justly expect that which we request turn their backs upon us I do not believe that upon a consequence of so weak a foundation they ought to establish a refusal which may have effects so dangerous to the State But the Best of all the Reasons is that which they alledge in publick viz. That 't is the true interest of the States to continue Neuters in the present conjuncture If His most Christian Majesty would rest content therewith our State would be too happy And I verily believe the King of France would have been content therewith and that the States would have insisted upon it as their best Excuse were there so good a ground for it as it ought to have to make us determine a Neutrality as things now stand

Sir I believe you are of their opinion who say that to pretend an exact Neutrality the States ought either not to be allyed with any Prince or to be equally allyed with all And that it is to no purpose for us to say that our Alliances were made during the War with France since being stipulated to continue after the Peace they are to be looked on now as made after the Peace Judge you then if France hath not reason to say that we are not only allyed with the Emperour with Spain and many other Princes but with England also to perpetuity without any desire at all to be allyed with it Our Neutrality at this rate can be nothing else than a Neutrality in Idaea conceived by the natural desire we have of the advantage we may draw thence in case we could really attain to be Neuters at this present Conjuncture They ground the pretence of this Neutrality on this that having refused a Treaty of Guarranty reciprocal with England to which they say we are obliged by two Treaties we now remain in an exact Neutrality if we refuse the Alliance with France Sir Pray observe that there are two things considerable on this score First Whether the two Treaties before alledged have been by consequence truly obligatory Secondly If they have so been as England pretends whether for that reason we ought to determine a refusal of the Alliance with France as we have declined the League of Guarranty to the end we may be able to stile our selves Neuters You see what Judgment you ought to give upon this matter since in truth you will clearly observe that these two Treaties on which England so much builds have remained without effect and without obligation And that a third Treaty of perpetual Alliance with that Crown continuing in force altogether obstructs our remaining Neuters The first of these Treaties is that of the month of January 1678. by which England and the States agreed upon certain Articles or Conditions of Peace to which they pretended to make France and Spain to consent and obliged themselves to contribute all their power thereunto and to warrant that Peace But the Peace not being concluded upon the Conditions intended by that Treaty 't is plain that that Treaty is no further obligatory The second Treaty is that of the month of July in the same year The difficulty France made to restore places after the ratification of the Peace gave occasion for this Treaty by which England and France agreed that if the Peace between France and the States were not signed before the eleventh of that month they would unite all their forces to oblige France to a Peace and afterwards would agree upon the forces they were to contribute to warrant it But the Peace was signed the tenth and so by consequence that Treaty is fallen to the ground and continues without obligation as the former it being impossible the foundation of the Treaty failing that any one thing dependant thereon should subsist alone Sir You will perhaps say that I here plead the cause of France but I assure you truth is more prevalent with me than any particular interest And we our selves have acknowledged that these Treaties do not bind us when we declined to make the Treaty of Guarranty reciprocal with England which hath given occasion for the general opinion most men not well informed are of That all Treaties made by us during the War do not continue since the Peace And that in refusing to enter into any Engagement with France we do but only maintain a Neutrality Sir I know 't is either ignorance or the ill designs of some particular persons that hath begot this obstacle in the Spirit of the publick For 't is well known we have a third Treaty of Alliance with England still in force which is that of the third of March 1674. the streets ring of it and you cannot be a stranger to it only observe that this Treaty was not made on the Subject of the War but to engage us in a perpetual Alliance with England And upon the obligations of this Treaty it is that England takes the ground of its solliciting this State not to ally it self with France and not to do a thing which it judgeth contrary to the good Union and Amity we have promised By this you will judge if for not having made the Treaty of Guarranty with England we may fairly refuse the Alliance of France And whether for this we are less allied with England and almost all the Princes of Europe And whether as things now stand we can so much as pretend to remain in a true Neutrality It may be you know the Discourse is that France will make War with England as 't is said it will with Spain in attacquing Italy and in Germany That the King's design is upon the whole to engage us in a War with England and that although the Alliance which the King of France demands be only defensive yet he will find a way to oblige us to assist him in this War in causing himself to be attacqued by England which he may easily prove by sending some of his Ships to affront the English upon the account of the Flag And that England finding it self obliged to declare War with France to revenge that affront the States by this means will be drawn headlong into that Calamity which they so much dread Be pleased but to reflect upon all these consequences and upon the solidity of the foundations on which they are built You know better than I how much it is our interest to be united with England but I can not see how you can find solidity enough in the principles they lay down or in the pretence of England since it would needs have it that we fail of our duty if we renew our Alliance with France that Alliance was never against England why should it be so now All the Princes with whom the States are allyed may say as much thereof But Sir let us leave there all foreign considerations and inquire into our own interest preferrable to every thing else Do you not find as well I that 't is essential to our liberty to be no less engaged to one King than to another Has not a mischievous experience more than once taught us what relyance we may have upon the one rather than the other And our independance is never better established than to carry our selves equally on both sides and by this means we have an assurance to have one for us against the other Sir I leave you to make all these reflections and return to the state of a Neutrality so convenient and so much coveted by our republick But can that be obtained no other way save by renouncing all the Alliances which we have with so many Princes or in renewing that which heretofore we have had with France and from which we have no slender reason to excuse our selves 'T is certain the first of these