of the Ministers than the Peoples The Dutch believ'd it at first intended only against De Witt 's Faction in favour of the Prince of Orange and in England some laid it to the Corruption of Ministers by the Money of France and some that pretended to think deeper laid it to deeper Designs The Lord Clifford's violence in beginning it gave it an ill air in general and the disuse of Parliaments a cruel maim in the chief sinews of War The Subsidies from France bore no proportion to the charge of our Fleets and our Strength at Sea seem'd rather lessen'd than increas'd by the conjunction of theirs Our Seamen fought without heart and were0 more afraid of their Friends than their Enemies and our Discontents were so great at Land that the Assembling of our Militia to defend our Coasts was thought as dangerous as an Invasion But that which most press'd His Majesty to the thoughts of a Peace was the resolution of Spain to declare the War with England as they had done already with France in favour of Holland unless the Peace were suddenly made which would have been such a blow to our Trade as could not easily have been fenc'd and lost us that of the Mediterranean as the Dutch War had done that of the Northern Seas So as the necessity of this conjuncture was only kept off by the Honour of our Alliance with France However that Crown being not able to furnish Supplies enough to carry on the War without a Parliament could not oppose the calling one upon this occasion When the Parliament met tho' they seem'd willing to give the King Money yet it was to make the Peace with Holland and not to carry on the War And upon His Majesty's demanding their Advice they gave it unanimously That the Peace should be made There were too many Parties engag'd in this Quarrel to think of a General Peace tho' a Treaty to that purpose had been set on foot an Cologn under the Mediation of the Swedes between the Ministers of the Emperor Spain Holland and some Princes of the Empire on the one part and His Majesty and France on the other but without any the least appearance of success For tho' all the Confederates had a mind to the Peace between England and Holland yet none of them desir'd it with France This made both the Dutch and the Spaniards set on foot all the engins they could to engage His Majesty in some Treaty of a separate Peace to which the necessity of His Affairs the humour of his People and the instances of his Parliament at last determin'd him towards the end of the year 1673. Upon the first Meeting of the Parliament the Duke of Buckingham to ingratiate himself with the House of Commons whose ill humour began to appear against those they esteem'd the chief Authors of the War had desir'd leave of that House that he might be heard there in his own defence upon that subject In his Speech among many endeavours to throw the odium of the War from himself upon the Lord Arlington he desir'd that Lord might be ask'd who was the Author of the Triple-Alliance As if he understood himself to be so The Lord Arlington coming afterwards upon the like desire into the same House of Commons and answering some parts of the Duke's Speech when he came to that Particular He told them he could easily answer that Question of the Duke's by telling them That the Author of that Alliance was Sir William Temple This I suppose gave the occasion for Reflections upon what had pass'd in the course of my former Ambassies in Holland and at Aix and His Majesty and his Ministers the resolution to send for me out of my private retreat where I had passed two years as I intended to do the rest of my Life and to engage me in going over into Holland to make the separate Peace with that State Upon the 2d of February 1671 4. His Majesty receiv'd the certain Advice of the States having passed a resolution That the Charges and Dignities possessed by the Prince of Orange and his Ancestors should become Hereditary to his Children And at the same time he also receiv'd a Letter from the States with the desire of Pasports for the Ambassadors whom they were resolv'd to send to His Majesty with Instructions and Powers to treat and conclude a Peace and in the mean time they offer'd a suspension of Arms. This offer coming upon the neck of the Parliaments advice to His Majesty to enter into Treaty with the Spanish Ambassador upon the Propositions he had advanced and which the King had order'd to be sent to the Parliament It was not believ'd by the Ministers that a Treaty could be refus'd without drawing too much odium upon themselves and reflection upon the Government On th' other side it was suspected what Practices might be set on foot by Dutch Ambassadors upon the general discontent reigning against the present War Therefore that very afternoon a resolution was taken at the private Juncto to send rather than to receive an Ambassy upon this subject and that I should be the Person imploy'd Two Gentlemen were sent to my House within half an hour of one another from the Earl of Danby then Lord Treasurer and the Earl of Arlington first Secretary of State to order my attendance upon His Majesty My Lord Arlington told me he would not pretend the merit of having nam'd me upon this occasion nor could he well tell whether the King or Lord Treasurer did it first but that the whole Committee had joyn'd in it and concluded That since the Peace was to be made there was no other Person to be thought of for it And accordingly the King gave me his Commands with many expressions of kindness and confidence to prepare for my Journey and the Secretary to draw up my Instructions I told the King I would obey him and with a great deal of pleasure to see His Majesty returning to the Measures upon which I had formerly serv'd him but that I might do it the better I begg'd of him that I might go over without the Character of Ambassador which would delay or embarras me with preparations of Equipage and with Ceremonies there that were uncessary to so sudden a dispatch His Majesty thought what I said very pertinent and so order'd that I should go only as Plenipotentiary but that I should have in all kinds the appointment of Ambassador and that I should take upon me the Character too when the Peace was concluded Within three days I was ready and the morning my Dispatches were so too the Marquess of Frezno Spanish Ambassador sent my Lord Arlington word while I was with him that he had receiv'd full power from the States to Treat and Conclude a Peace and was ready to enter upon it whenever His Majesty pleased My Lord Arlington surpriz'd was at first of opinion the King should go on his own way and I my Journy and give
to my Father upon this Subject he was so violent against my charging my self with this Ambassy that I could not find any temper to satisfie him and upon it was forc'd to make my excuses to the King When I did so His Majesty was pleas'd to assure me he did not at all take it ill of me and that on the contrary he intended me a better Employment That he was at present engag'd for the Secretary's Place upon my Lord Arlington's removal to Chamberlain but that he resolv'd the next removal should be to make room for me This I told my Lord Arlington who presently said That he believ'd I could not refuse the Spanish Ambassay but upon design of the Secretary's Place and since I desir'd it and the King fell into it of himself he would play the easiest Part in it that he could He was indeed agreed with Sir Joseph Williamson for 6000 l. and the King had consented that he should enter upon it at his return from Cologn which was every day expected but yet he made such a difference between the Persons that he would find some way to avoid it in case I would lay down the 6000 l. I assur'd his Lordship I had no such design nor such a Sum of Money to lay down while my Father enjoy'd the Estate of the Family That if I had I should be very unwilling to pursue it so far as to give his Lordship any strain in a matter already promis'd concluded therefore desir'd him to think no further of it But he was not of opinion I could stick at any thing but the Money and acquainted Mr. Montague and Mr. Sidney who were Friends to us both with this transaction and set them upon me to bring it to an issue before the other came over they both endeavoured it with great instances and Mr. Montague was so kind as to offer to lend me the Money but I was positive in refusing it yet at the same time I told my Lord Arlington That not to seem humorous in declining the offers he had made me from the King or from himself I was content they should both know That if his Majesty had occasion to send an Ambassy into Holland upon the Peace I would very willingly seave him there where I knew the Scene so well So that matter slept for the present In the mean while France had thought fit to accept and approve the King's offer of Mediation That of Sweden being enden by the Assembly at Cologns breaking up in expostulations and quarrels upon the Emperor's seizing the person of Prince William of Furstenburgh a subject of the Empire but an instrument of France as his Brother the Bishop of Strasburgh had been in all the late designs and invasions of that Crown upon their Neighbours The King told me That being resolv'd to offer his Mediation to all the Confederates as he had done already to France and finding I had no mind to engage in either of those imployments which had of late been offer'd me He was resolv'd to send me Ambassador Extraordinary into Holland to offer His Mediation there as the Scene of the Confederates Common Councils and by their means to endeavour the acceptance of it by the rest of the Princes concern'd in the War That I knew the Place and Persons better than any Man and could do him more Service both in this and continuing all good correspondency between Him and the States which He was resolv'd to preserve That I should have the Character of Ambassador Extraoadinary and the same allowance I should have had in Spain Upon this offer I made no demur but immediately accepted it and so my Ambassy was declared in May 1674. But to make way for my entring upon this great Scene it will be necessaay to deduce in short the course of Affairs abroad from the first Period of the present War to this second of His Majesty's separate Peace with Holland and the several Dispositions among the Parties that were likely to facilitate or to cross the design of the King 's intended Mediation No Clap of Thunder in a fair frosty Day could more astonish the World than our Declaration of War against Holland in 1672. first by matter of Fact in falling upon their Smyrna Fleet and in consequence of that however it fail'd by a formal Declaration in which we gave Reasons for our Quarrel while France contented themselves to give no other for their part of it than only the Glory of that King The Dutch could never be possest with a belief that we were in earnest till the blow was given but thought our unkindness and expostulations of late would end at last either in demands of Money or the Prince of Orange's Restitution to the Authority of his Ancestors The Princes concern'd in their Safety could not believe that after having sav'd Flanders out of the hands of France we would suffer Holland to fall into the same Danger and my Lord Arlington told me at that time that the Court of France did not believe it themselves till the Blow was struck in the Attack of the Smyrna Fleet. But then they immediately set out their Declaration and began their Invasion This surprize made way for their prodigious successes The Dutch had made no provision for their Defence either at Home or Abroad and the Empire Spain and Sweden stood at a gaze upon the opening of the War not knowing upon what Concerts between us and France it was begun nor how far we would suffer it to go on upon the French Conquests Besides the Animosities of the Parties in Holland long express'd under their new Constitution and de Witt 's Ministry began to flame again upon this misfortune of their State The Prince's Friends talk'd loud and boldly that there was no way to satisfy England but restoring the Prince and that the Baseness and Cowardice of their Troops were the effects of turning out all Officers of Worth and Bravery for their inclinations to the Prince and mean Fellows brought in for no other desert than their Enmity declar'd to the House of Orange Upon this all Men expected a sudden Change the States were in disorder and irresolute what to do the Troops were without a General and which is worse without heart and tho De Ruyter by admirable Conduct kept the Infection of these Evils out of his Fleet which was our part to deal with yet Faction Distrust Sedition and Distraction made such entrances upon the State and the Army when the French Troops first invaded them that of all the Towns and Fortresses on the German-side held impregnable in all their former Wars not one besides Mastricht made any shew of Resistance and the French became immediately Masters of all the In-land Parts of the Provinces in as little time as Travellers usually employ to see and consider them Mastricht was taken after a short Siege as Skinsconce by the help of an extreme dry Season that made Rivers fordable where they
of a new rupture He bid me further assure the Prince That for his Patrimonial Lands in Burgundy which were about eight thousand Pounds a year and Lordships of the greatest Royalty in that County he would undertake for his secure possessing them tho that County should remain in the French hands or for selling them to that King and at what price the Prince himself could think fit to value them The Prince's Answer was That for his own part he could be very well content to leave the terms of a Peace to his Majesty himself and believ'd the States would do so too but they were both engag'd by Treaty and Honour to their Allies and there was no thought of making Peace without them That he believ'd the Spaniards might be perswaded to it upon the terms of Aix with restitution only of Aeth Charleroy and Oudenarde towards composing some kind of necessary Frontier on that side but to part with Aire and St Omer without any further and greater exchange he believ'd they would not in the present posture of things That for France retaining the County of Burgundy as Conquer'd in this last War he was sure neither Spain nor the Emperor would ever consent to it unless they were beaten into it by disasters they had no reason to expect tho' for his own part he should be content with it provided the French would restore Tournay Courtray Lisle and Doway with their dependencies to the Spaniards in lieu of it because by that means Flanders would have a secure Frontier on that side and a reasonable good one by Aeth and Charleroy on the other and the security of Flanders was the chief interest of the States upon the Peace That for himself he thank'd his Majesty for his offer as to his Lands in Burgundy but they never came into his thought upon the terms of a Peace nor should ever hinder it but on t'other side he would be content to lose them all to gain one good Town more for the Spanjards in Flanders When I put him in mind as the King order'd me of the apprehensions He and the States might have of the Greatness of the House of Austria if their Successes continued he told me There was no need of that till they should go beyond the Peace of the Pyrenees whenever that should happen he should be as much a French man as he was now a Spaniard but not before He ended in desiring That whatever Plan his Majesty thought fit to propose for a Peace he would do it at the Congress at Nimeguen for the number and variety of Pretensions and Interests were grown so great by all the Parties now engag'd in a war that it could not be done in any other place and for his part he could never consent to any Treaty separate from his Allies That he believ'd they would be reasonable and if France would be so too the Peace might be made if not perhaps another Campania might bring them to reason and that this might have done it if some differences between him and the Spanjards in the Actions propos'd had not hinder'd the successes they hop'd for in Flanders and if Montecuculi's impatience to be at Vienna and pass the Winter there upon the Factions stirring at Court had not made him repass the Rhine and take his Winter-quarters in the Circles of the Empire there because if he had done it in Alsace he doubted his presence with the Army might be thought necessary After this Conference and no return from His Majesty to the account I gave him of it the Discourse ceas'd of Private Measures to be agreed to between His Majesty and the Prince and States for promoting a Peace and all thoughts began now to turn upon forming the Congress at Nimeguen I had another testimony given me of the firmness I had always found in the Prince upon the subject of the Peace by what one of the Spanish Ministers told me had lately pass'd between him and the Duke of Villa Hermosa His Highness had a long pretence depending at Madrid for about Two hundred thousand Pounds owing to his Family from that Crown since the Peace of Munster It had ever been delay'd tho' never refus'd an Agent from the Prince had of late very much press'd the Queen Regent of Spain upon this Subject and with much ado had obtain'd an Order for Fifty thousand Pounds and Bills were put into his hands by the Ministers there which when they arriv'd in Flanders instead of being paid they were Protested The Duke Villa Hermosa was so asham'd of this treatment that he sent a person purposely to excuse it to the Prince and assure him the fault was not in the Queen nor Ministers but only in the choice of hands by which it was transmitted and desir'd his Highness would not take it ill of the Queen The Prince answer'd No not at all on t'other side I have reason to take it well of the Queen for if she did not think me the honestest Man in the World she would not use me so however nothing of this kind shall hinder me from doing what I owe to my Allies or to my Honour Notwithstanding all I had written from the Prince to His Majesty upon this Subject yet my Lord Arlington upon pretended intelligence from his Relations in Holland endeavour'd to perswade him that he knew not the Prince's mind for want of some body that had more credit with him than I had and at the same time he pursu'd the Prince by Letters to desire the King to send over some such person as he might treat with in the last confidence upon all matters between them The Prince shew'd me his Letters and bid me assure the King and my Lord Treasurer that he could say no more than he had done to me and would not say so much to any other Man However my Lord Arlington upon the former suggestions prevail'd with the King to send over Sir Gabriel Sylvius instructed to know the bottom of the Prince's Mind upon the Subject of the Peace before the Campania began He acquainted the Prince with this resolution and that he was a person they knew His Highness would trust The Prince shewed me this Letter too and said He knew not what he meant that Lord Arlington knew as well as any Man how far he trusted both Sir Gabriel Sylvius and me This good usage ended all Correspondence between Lord Arlington and me which had lasted by Letters to this time tho' coldly since my being last in England But upon Sir Gabriel Sylvius's coming to the Hague in January and my preparation to go for Nimeguen I ended that scene having not learn'd enough of the Age nor the Court I liv'd in to act an unsincere part either in Friendship or in Love When Sir Gabriel came to the Hague he pass'd for a Man of some great Intrigue was perpetually at Court or in Conversation and Visits with the persons near the Prince or most imploy'd in the
degrees this Lord's Favour declin'd the Earl of Danby's encreas'd who succeeded my Lord Clifford in the Treasury which had ever been my Arlington's Ambition This gave him an implacable Envy and Hatred against my Lord Danby and which no Offices of Friends could ever allay He was not well in the Nation for having had such a part in breaking the course of the Triple Alliance and making that with France for the Ruin of Holland and as was commonly thought for some ends more displeasing at home Yet when the ill humour of the Parliament had broken the Designs of the Cabal and made my Lord Schaftsbury shift his Sails and fall into the popular stream My Lord Arlington had gone so far upon the same scene as to join with the Duke of Ormond and Secretary Coventry to perswade the King to remove the Duke wholly from Court and publick business as a means to appease the Discontents of the Parliament upon some jealousies the late Conduct of Affairs had raised among them By this Council my Lord Arlington had very much offended the Duke and finding himself ill with his Royal Highness with the Parliament and every day declining in credit with the King He thought there was no way of retrieving his Game but by making himself the Instrument of some secret and close measures that might be taken between the King and the Prince of Orange He first infused into His Majesty the Necessity and Advantage of such a Negotiation and then that of his being employ'd in it from the Interest his Lady's Friends and Kindred in Holland would be able to give him as well as from the Credit of having been so long in the secret of the King's Affair and so best able to give them such colours as might render the late conduct of them less disagreeable to the Prince Tho he profest great friendship to me yet he represented me as unlikely to be treated with such a confidence from the Prince as was requisite in this Affair for having been so intimate with Monsieur De Witt in my former Ambassy and gave the Prince's unwillingness to see me during the Campagnia as a testimony of his dislike or at least indifferency to me He propos'd going over with all the Auxiliaries that were like to be of any succour in this expedition carrying not only my Lady Arlington but Madam Beverwoert her Sister who had something in her Humour and Conversation very agreeable to the Prince Sir Gabriel Sylvius who took himself to be in great credit in that Court where he had serv'd long and particularly with Monsieur Benting nor was it forgot to carry over Dr. Duril as a Man fit to practice Monsieur Marest a French Minister who was thought to have credit with the Prince and my Lord Ossory was known to have a great part in his kindness and esteem as well from his Marriage into the Beverwoert Family as from his Bravery so much applauded in all Actions where he had been which was a quality lov'd by this Prince tho' imploy'd against him My Lord Danby had been made believe that a Letter from the Prince to Monsieur Odyke then one of the Dutch Ambassadors in England had given occasion for this Journey as if the Prince had desir'd some person there from the King with whom he might enter in the last Confidence but the Prince assur'd me there was no such thing and that Monsieur Ruvigny the French Minister at London had more part in this Journey than he or perhaps any body else and that all the endeavours us'd towards a Peace came from that side However instructed at least thus accompanied my Lord Arlington came to the Hague where he told me at our first meeting that he came over to set right some things between the King and the Prince that he doubted were amiss and settle a perfect kindness and confidence between them for the time to come That to do this he must go to the bottom of the Sore and rake into things past which was an unpleasant work and which I could not do as having no part in the King's business during that time wherein the Prince took his offence at our Concils That the King had chosen him for this Office because he could best justify His Majesty's intentions towards His Highness in the whole course of that Affaiâ—â— That for the Peace tho His Majesty desir'd it yet he would not meddle with it unless the Prince of himself made any overtures about it but would only endeavour to give the Prince what lights he could as to the state of things in general and what he might hope from his Allies as well as from France That if the Prince made no advances to him upon it he would let it fall and leave it in my hands to be pursued by the Orders I should receive That he knew very well such a Commission as his might look unkind if not injurious to another Ambassador and that he would not have come if any other had been here but the King as well as he reckon'd so far upon the Friendship between us that they were both confident of my being easy in it and giving him any assistance he should want from me which he would acquaint me with as the matter proceeded He said besides That after having fought the King's Battel with the Prince he must fight another of his own who did not deserve the coldness his Highness had of late expressed to him and when this was done all his business was ended here and the rest would be only seeing his Friends and finding some diversion from a new Scene That he desired I would according to the Forms bring him and my Lord Ossory the first time to the Prince and after that they would see him no more in Ceremony nor give me that trouble I told his Lordship I was very glad to see him let his business be what it would That I should be gladder yet that the King's business should be done let it be by whom it would but much more that it might be by Him That for setting matters right between the King and Prince I thought it the best Office could be done them both That for the way he mention'd of raking into the Sore and fighting Battels in defence or justification of what was past I knew not what to say to it but would leave it to his own Prudence but from what I knew in particular of the Prince's humour and thoughts whatever he did of that sort I believ'd should be very gentle and not go too deep and for my own part I was always of opinion That Expostulations were very apt to end well between Lovers but ill between Friends That I would send to the Prince for an Hour and when I had brought him to his Highness I would leave him there after the first Entrances were past and desir'd no other part in his Affair than what he thought necessary to give me whenever he did I should
State but he and Lord Arlington were soon satisfied to how good purpose he came over for the Prince who is the sincerest Man in the World hating all tricks and those that use them gave him no mark of the least confidence while he stayed and sent him away with a very plain one of the contrary by trusting another hand with all he writ of consequence into England before he went into the Field The truth is the Prince took this Journey of his to have been design'd by my Lord Arlington both out of spight to me and to give jealousies to the Confederates by the suspicion of something in agitation between the King and the Prince that I was not thought fit to be trusted with and indeed several of their Ministers at the Hague were apt to fall into such surmises But Monsieur de Lyra a Spanish Minister a person much credited in his own Court and much in the Prince's Confidence was ever firm in the belief of His Highnesses Honour and Constancy which he us'd to say his Master trusted to more than to any Treaties and so help'd to prevent all such impressions In the mean time all motions necessary towards forming the Congress at Nimeguen began to be made by the several Parties and gave appearances of the Ambassadors meeting suddenly there The great obstruction hitherto had been the point of Prince William of Furstenberg's Liberty which France had absolutely insisted on before they sent their Ambassadors and the Emperor had been induced to promise only upon conclusion of the Treaty But an Expedient was found out to salve the Honour of France upon this point rather than the Treaty should be hinder'd which was at that time thought necessary for their Affairs The Bishop of Strasburg made a formal request to the King of France That no Private Interests or Respects of his Brother might delay the Treaty of a Peace which was of so much consequence to all Christendom and this Request being at this time easily receiv'd and granted no further difficulty was made upon this point His Majesty thereupon invited all the Princes concern'd in the War to hasten away their Ministers to the place of Congress and acquainted them with his having order'd his own to repair immediately thither and having some Months before appointed the Lord Berkly then Ambassador at Paris Sir William Temple and Sir Lionel Jenkins His Ambassadors Mediators and Plenipotentiaries for the Treaty of Nimeguen Sir Lionel was accordingly dispatch'd away and arriv'd at the Hague towards the end of January 1676. and brought with him our instructions for that Ambassy and after some few days stay at the Hague went away for Nimeguen But the Expedition of the Pasports from and to all the Ministers of the several Parties having been for some time under my care and many of them come to my hands tho' others were entangled still in some difficulty or other we both concluded it necessary for me to continue at the Hague till this was dispatch'd whilst Sir Lionel should go upon the place of Congress and by the presence of a Mediator invite the rest to make more haste than many of them seem'd dispos'd to at this time The French Ambassadors were already come to Charleville where they stayed for their Pasports only to go on with their Journey and upon Sir Lionel's arrival at the Hague the Dutch Ambassadors came to us to acquaint us with the States Orders for their immediate repair to Nimeguen and for the Magistrates of that City which they now consider'd as a Neutral Town to receive all Orders from us the Mediators and particularly any we pleas'd to give about our reception upon our arrival there We told them His Majesty's thoughts were upon the successes of the Treaty and that nothing could more obstruct it than the Ceremonies which used to attend those Meetings and therefore he order'd us to introduce as much as we could the method of all the Ambassadors living there as much like private men as could consist with the Honour of their Characters and to this end that we should make no publick Entries and give thereby an example to those that came after us To avoid all punctilio's about the time of the several Parties dispatching the Passports it was agreed that all should be sent to the Hague from the several Courts and there should be put into my hands to the end that when I found my self possess'd I should make the distribution reciprocally to both Parties at the same time Those of France were early with me but short in some points of those from the Confederates the chief whereof was the omission of Liberty granted to the Ambassadors to dispatch Couriers to their Masters Courts upon Passports of the respective Ambassadors which was thought necessary for the progress of the Treaty Another was the omission of Passports for the Duke of Lorain's Ministers in the form usual and expected for whereas the Crown of France had always treated the former Dukes of Lorain with the Titles of Duke and Appellations of Brother their Passports now treated the new Duke only with Cousin and Prince Charles of Lorain the rest were minute differences or mistakes of words which are not worth the mention and were easily surmounted Of all these his Majesty had early notice and imploy'd his Offices towards France for some months without answer upon that of Lorain and with positive refusal of inserting the Clause for liberty of Pasports tho Monsieur Van Beuningham several times during this pause writ to the States That the King often assur'd him their Ambassador at London That there should be no difficulty in the business of Loroin About the beginning of February this year 1676. I receiv'd a Letter from Monsieur Pompone then Secretary for the Foreign Affairs in France to tell me That his Master having been acquainted from His Majesty with the difficulties occurr'd in forming the Congress had order'd him to let me know his Reasons upon them As to that of Couriers That he thought it not fit to have his Countries and Towns lie open to his Enemies Observations and Discoveries upon pretext of such Couriers frequent passage That the inconvenience would be the same to the Confederates and that he ask'd no more than he gave As to the Point of Lorain That his Master could not give Passports with the stile of Duke which carried that of Brother pretending that Dutchy belong'd to His Most Christian Majesty by the Treaty in 1662. between Him and the last Duke Not many days after I receiv'd notice from Secretary Williamson of the same Account having been given His Majesty by Monsieur Ruvigny with order to acquaint the States with it which I had not done upon Monsieur Pompone's Letter as not thinking fit to make any paces in these matters without Orders from His Majesty The States and all their Allies were very much surpris'd with this pretence of Lorain which France had never before advanc'd or so much as
among all the Allies by the formal intervention of my Colleagues after they had first been concerted between the French and Dutch That these Ambassadors had entred into a course of mutual Visits owning publickly That they did it as necessary to facilitate the Progress of the Treaty and that the Dutch began to talk of finishing an eventual Treaty as they call'd it for themselves as soon as the Acts about Powers were wholly dispatched which should not take Place till the General Peace was concluded but after which They the Dutch intended to imploy their Offices between their Allies and the French I found likewise that Mr. Hide had encreas'd the Number of the Mediators in my Absence who having been sent into Poland the Summer past to Christen that Kings Child and to condole with the Emperour upon the late Emperor's Death had performed the first Compliment from his Majesty but upon his coming from thence to Vienna found the Emperour married and so pass'd on privately home and arriv'd at Nimeguen soon after I left it upon my Journey to the Hague where he came to me after having staid a Fortnight at Nimeguen He told me at the Hague That upon his Return by Rotterdam he had there met Letters from Court with a Commission to stop for some short time at Nimeguen and take the Character of one of the Ambassadors Mediators there by which he might be enabled at his Return to give His Majesty an Account of the State and Progress of Affairs there He said this Commission was intended to find him at Nimeguen upon the stop he made there but having not arriv'd till he had left that Place he was in doubt whether he should make any use of it or no and desir'd my Advice whether to return to Nimeguen or to go forward for England I easily perceiv'd what this Dispatch was intended for to introduce him into those kinds of Characters and Employments and so advised him to go back to Nimeguen which he did and made a part of the Ambassy during a short stay there but excus'd himself from entring into the management of any Conferences or Dispatches so that by his Modesty and my Lord Berkly's great Age and Infirmities the Fatigue of that Employment lay still upon me and Sir Lionel Jenkins who writ alternatively the Dispatches from the Ambassy to Court and the others to other Princes and Ministers by concert all the while I was upon the Place I found likewise at my return to Nimeguen some few Difficulties yet remaining which obstructed the Dispatch intended about the Powers For tho' the French had consented to furnish new Powers and several for the Emperor Spain Denmark and Holland yet they refus'd a distinct one for Brandenburgh which these Ministers insisted on and the Dutch were in such Oligations to that Prince that they were forc'd to do so too tho' unwillingly as doubting the Success with France and foreseeing the Consequence of the same Pretence to be rais'd upon it by other Princes of Germany not only Electors but the Houses of Lunenburgh and Nieuburgh who yielded to the Electors in no Point but that one of Precedence But the Dutch to distinguish that of Brandenburgh alledg'd to us that he was Principal in the War of Sweden and so could not be included as an Ally only either by the Emperor or by the States The Danish Ambassador stood positively upon the common Use of the Latin Tongue between France and them in their Powers or else to give his in Danish if they gave theirs in French These said That it was a Novelty and an Impertinence and that if in all the Intercourse that had ever been between those Two Crowns the Language had not been French on their side and Latin on the Danes even in any one Instrument they were content they should give their Powers not only in Danish but in Hebrew if they pleas'd The Dane said He could not give account of all Presidents that if ill ones had been hitherto us'd 't was time to establish new ones that were good That his Master had more Right to do it than any former King being now Successive in that Crown which was before Elective and being more Absolute in his Dominions than any other King of Christendom for there was now nothing in Denmark but La volonté du Roy upon all which he said his Orders were positive and he could not proceed without the Style he pretended These two Points chiefly had obstructed the final Agreement about the Powers for near a Month after which we prevail'd with the French to yield to new Powers for Brandenburgh upon Assurance from the Dutch Ambassadors that they expected no such Pretension for any other of their German Allies but that if any should be rais'd and refus'd by France yet that should not hinder or delay the Dutch from proceeding in the Treaty The Danish Pretence about the Languages being neither countenanc'd nor approv'd by any of his Allies was at last yielded by him which had been better never started as having lost him ground in that which was intended by it which was to establish the Principle of a Parity among Crown'd Heads There was an Accident happen'd likewise in my Absence which had rais'd great Heats among the Parties Upon Count Kinkski's Arrival the Allies began their Meetings at his House by which they hop'd to govern the general Resolutions and keep the Alliance from breaking into any separate Pieces The Dutch Ambassadors who pretended to influence the Peace more than any of their Allies stomach'd the Count's Design and Carriage at these Conferences where they said he pretended to be sole Dictator and they were unwilling to enter into plain Contradictions or the same Heats at his own House upon which they went to the Stadthouse and chose there a Room for their Conferences among all the Allies which upon the first Practice gave great Offence to the French Ambassadors They said it was a Breach upon the Neutrality of the Place establish'd by the Assembly's being there and that the Dutch had now arrogated to themselves the Disposal of the Town-House without common Agreement The Dutch alledg'd the Rooms they had taken were not belonging to the Town but to the Nobles of Gelderland and were below Stairs and that all above remain'd to be dispos'd of still by the Mediators for the common Use of the Parties when they should desire it The French were not satisfied with these Reasons and threatned to break the Assembly We at last prevail'd with the Allies to forbear the Use of the Stadthouse till we drew up a formal Proposal to be made by us the Mediators to all Parties desiring them That for their Ease and Convenience all Parties would meet in one Room at the Stadthouse or at least the two Alliances in two several Rooms whilst we should meet in another and be there ready to perform all Offices between them This last was accepted and we design'd the several Rooms for
observing the remaining Paces of the General Peace by that of the North which was left to be made at the Mercy of France And though Denmark and Brandenburgh looked big and spoke high for a time after the Peace between the Empire and France pretending they would defend what they had conquered from the Swedes in Germany yet upon the march of the French Troops into the Brandenburgh Countrey both those Princes made what haste they could to finish their separate Treaties with France and upon certain sums of Money agreed on delivered up all they had gained in this War to the Crown of Sweden Thus Christendom was left for the present in a General Peace and France to pursue what they could gain upon their Neighbours by their Pretensions of Dependences and by the droit de bienseance which they pursu'd with such imperious Methods both against the Empire and the Spaniardt as render'd their Acquisitions after the Peace greater at least in consequence than what they had gained by the War since not only great Tracts of Country upon the score of Dependences but Strashurgh and Lutzenburgh fell as Sacrifices to their Ambition without any neighbouring Prince or States concerning themselves in their Relief But these Enterprises I leave to some others Observations Very soon after my Arrival at the Hague the King sent me Orders to provide for my return as soon as I could possibly be ready and bid me acquaint the Prince and the States That he had sent for me over to come into the Place of first Secretary of State in Mr. Coventry's room My Lord Treasurer writ to me to the same purpose and with more Esteem than I could pretend to deserve telling me among other things They were fallen into a cruel Disease and had need of so Able a Physician This put me in mind of a Story of Dr. Prujean the greatest of that Profession in our time and which I told my Friends that were with me when these Letters came A certain Lady came to the Doctor in great trouble about her Daughter Why what ails she Alas Doctor I cannot tell but she has lost her Humour her Looks her Stomach her Strength consumes every day so as we fear she cannot live Why do not you Marry her Alas Doctor that we would fain do and have offer'd her as good a Match as she could ever expect but she will not hear of marrying Is there no other do you think that she would be content to Marry Ah Doctor that is it that troubles us for there is a young Gentleman we doubt she loves that her Father and I can never consent to Why look you Madam replies the Doctor gravely being among all his Books in his Closet then the case is this Your Daughter would Marry one Man and you would have her Marry another in all my Books I find no Remedy for such a Disease as this I confess I esteemed the Case as desperate in a Politick as in a Natural Body and as little to be attempted by a Man who neither ever had his own Fortune at heart which such Conjunctures are only proper for nor ever could resolve upon any pusuits of it to go against either the true Interest or the Laws of his Countrey One of which is commonly endanger'd upon the fatal misfortune of such Divisions in a Kingdom I chose therefore to make my excuses both to the King and to my Lord Treasurer and desir'd leave to go to Florence and discharge my self of a promise I had made some years past of a Visit to the Great Duke the first time I had leisure from my Publick Imployments Instead of granting this Suit the King sent a Yatch for me towards the end of February 167 8. with Orders to come immediately away to enter upon the Secretary's Office about the same time with my Lord Sunderland who was brought into Sir Joseph Williamson's Place I obey'd His Majesty and acquainted the Prince and States with my Journey and the design of it according to his Command who made me Compliments upon both and would have had me believe that the Secretary of State was to make amends for the loss of the Ambassador But I told the Prince that tho I must go yet if I found the Scene what it appear'd to us at that distance I would not charge my self with that Imployment upon any terms that could be offer'd me We knew very well in Holland That both Houses of Parliament believed the Plot That the Clergy the City the Countrey in general did so too or at least pursu'd it as if they all believ'd it We knew the King and some of the Court believ'd nothing of it and yet thought not fit to own that Opinion And the Prince told me He had reason to be confident that the King was in his heart a Roman Catholick tho he durst not profess it For my own part I knew not what to believe of one side or t'other but thought it easie to presage from such contrary Winds and Tides such a Storm must rise as would tear the Ship in pieces whatever Hand were at the Helm At my arrival in England about the latter end of February I found the King had Dissolv'd a Parliament that had sat eighteen years and given great testimonies of Loyalty and compliance with His Majesty till they broke first into Heats upon the French Alliances and at last into Flames upon the business of the Plot I found a new Parliament was called and that to make way for a calmer Session the resolution had been taken at Court for the Duke's going over into Holland who enbarqu'd the day after my arrival at London The Elections of the ensuing Parliament were so eagerly pursu'd that all were in a manner engag'd before I came over and by the dispositions that appear'd in both Electors and Elected it was easie to presage in what temper the Houses were like to meet My Lord Shaftsbury my Lord Essex and my Lord Hallifax had struck up with the Duke of Monmouth resolving to make use of His Credit with the King and to support it by Theirs in the Parliament and tho the first had been as deep as any in the Councels of the Cabal while he was Chancellor yet all Three had now fallen in with the common Humour against the Court and the Ministry endeavouring to inflame the Discontents against both and agreed among themselves That none of them would come into Court unless they did it all together Which was observed like other common strains of Court-Friendships Sir William Coventry had the most Credit of any man in the House of Commons and I think the most deservedly not only for his great Abilities but for having been turn'd out of the Council and the Treasury to make way for my Lord Cliffora's Greatness and the Designs of the Cabal He had been ever since opposite to the French Alliances and bent upon engaging England in a War with that Crown and assistance