A LETTER from a True Dutchman to his Friend Exhibiting the Reasons why the Confederates ought to refuse the Peace which is now offered to them by France Done out of French SIR IT was about this time Twelvemonth that I wrote concerning the Peace which the French King did then offer to the Allies You know the Reasons which I then brought to demonstrate the danger of accepting the same viz. That the Design of that Crown was first to break the Union amongst the Princes who had Leagu'd themselves against France for their own Preservation and then to accomplish the entire ruine of all the States in Christendom And now that at present the French King insists more than ever upon demanding a Peace which he could never obtain since the present War which I hope never shall upon any other Conditions than those of the Treaties of Munster and the Pyrenees I find my self obliged to entertain you again with this Subject and to discover the Fatal Snare which the French King lays for us I shall not trouble you Sir with the Reasons that I formerly hinted for I have others of greater Weight to Communicate which will effectually prove that the Dishonourable Peace which the French King does now offer is not a Real Peace and that if the same be accepted it will certainly issue in the Ruine of this State the Emperour Princes of the Empire and other Soveraigns and in a word will Terminate in the Desolation of Christendom and the Slavery of all Europe To set this Truth in its full Light we must consider in the first place what it is that the French King proposed to himself by Attacking his Neighbours unjustly and the pernicious Method which he made use of for that end And in the next place Let us consider the Motives which prevail'd with the Confederates to enter into such a strick Alliance against France And then let 's Examine whether those Motives have not the same Reason now which they had then both as to the one and the other that is to say whether the French King hath chang'd his Conduct and Designs And whether the Allies have as yet put him out of a Condition to disturb the Repose of Europe or Re-attempt the breach of Treaties As to the first It is evident that the Ultimate end of all the French Designs is the Universal Monarchy to which their boundless Ambition hath made them aspire now for some time This needs no proof the matter speaks of it self and every body is fully convinced of it Only we shall observe here that this great Project was form'd during the Ministry of Cardinal Richlieu and we shall now take a short view of all the Infamous Methods which have been made use of by the French to accomplish their design from that time to this very day It was then that famous Minister who while he applyed himself to weaken the House of Austria by the bloody Wars which he industriously fomented in the Empire did lay the Foundation of this Important Design by the taking of Rochelle and other places then Possessed by the Protestants After the Death of this Cardinal Mazarin his Successor carried on the Design by depriving the People of their Liberty the Parliament of their Rights and Priviledges and the Nobility and Gentry of their Credit and Authority The French King by this means being rais'd above the Law he became Absolute Master of the Lives and Estates of all his Subjects so that without any Obstacle he imposed what Taxes he pleased upon them and rendred himself Master of vast Sums which he hath imployed since in the Execution of his Ambitious Designs All Letts and Impediments being removed out of the way at Home his business was not to surmount the Difficulties from abroad and to compass his design he found it necessary to divide those Potentates whom he intended to subdue and to bring some of them over to his side while he should swallow up others Part of this he did effectuate by his Leuâ—s d'ors and the rest he brought about by his Unfaithfulness Cunning and Treachery but let us particularly take a view of the Operation which these different Methods have had since the Coronation of Charles II. King of England That Prince was hardly well seated on his Throne when France prevail'd with him to make War against Holland with a design not only to weaken the Dutch but also the English This War was followed by that betwixt the French and Spainard the Former taking away many places from the Latter in the Netherlands under the unjust pretence of the Queen of Frances Right of Succession Those Troubles were no sooner appeas'd by the Mediation of other Potentates and especially that of the States General when the French Kings Ambition rais'd up new ones by the Rupture of the Treaty of Aix La Chapelle and the War of 1672. It was chiefly upon the Dutch that France had an evil Eye looking upon them as the greatest Obstacle of their unjust designs and having Sworn their Ruine The French K. was so dexterous to bring over the K. England and the Bishop of Munster to his Party after he had Corrupted by his Gold those who were in chief trust in Holland and found powerful Factions against the Family of Orange The Hollanders were at that time secure reposing themselves upon the Publick Faith of the Treaty and were wholly taken up with their Commerce when on a sudden those Three Powers did fall in upon them and without the particular Assistance of Heav'n they had been infallibly ruined But seeing you know what were the Consequences of that dangerous War it 's needless to repeat them only I shall observe that it was the Cause of the Prince of Oranges being Restored to the Dignity of his Ancestors against the mind of the French King who would have had him brought under and that this happy Restoration was also the safety of the State And here I cannot omit to make you sensible of the great mistake which the Dutch made they knew the ill design which France had upon them and had just smarted under the Effects of it they were not ignorant of the French Kings Unfaithfulness his Tricks and his Cabals Yet nevertheless tho' they were but just delivered from the Brink of Ruine by the Valour and Safe Conduct of the Prince they were cheated with false appearances and clapt up a Peace against the Mind of their Illustrious Stadholder who very well foresaw the Consequences of it and that also at such a time when the French had abandoned all the places which they had taken from them and when they found themselves supported by their Allies and accordingly they found cause to Repent for scarcely was that unhappy Peace concluded when it was violated by France who immediately fell ' upon the Spanish Netherlands and the Palatinat with all manner of Injustice Violence Depredations Military Executions by Fire and all sorts of Crueltys Then they Establisht
Soveraign Chambers or Courts at Metz whereby the Prince and other Members of the Empire were Summond and Despoil'd of their Territories and Soveraignty under the Pretext of Dependancies had Re-unions Complaints hereof were made but to no purpose and then Conferences were held to Regulate Differences to which Issued in Converting the Peace into a 20 Tears Truce Which tho it left the French in Possession of Strasburg and many other places which they had made themselves Master of in time of profound Peace Yet it did not stop the Career of their Violence and Usurpations but on the contrary it hightned them until in fine they intirely ruin'd their own Protestants and by the secret League which the French King made with King James put himself in a Condition to bring England under his Yoke and Immerse the United Provinces in Irrecoverable Ruine But the Prince of Orange was the Glorious Instrument whom God made use of on this occasion to Ward off the fatal blow and it is to his Prudence and Valour that the English owe their Liberty and his Elevation to the Brittish Throne did as effectually save Holland then as his Restoration to the Office of Stadholder did deliver that Republick before After this deduction of the infamous Method by which the French King subjected the Princes and States of Europe it is to conceive the Reasons which obliged those Powers to unite themselves in such a great and mighty League against that Crown It was not meerly for their own Defence and to prevent their being forthwith enslaved nor was it to lay down Arms as soon as France should propose a Peace and promise to observe the same since Experience may teach them that she makes no scruple of breaking her Word and Oath but the Cause of their League was to restore Europe to its former Tranquillity by reducing France to such a Condition as to render her uncapable of troubling their Quiet any more Otherwise what profit should they have by this Alliance What fruit should they reap of all the Care they have taken all the trouble which they have been at and the vast Treasures which they have expended Can Persons of the lowest degree of Sense be guilty of such a piece of Conduct and don 't we know that to begin a Work and not bring it to Perfection is the way to lose all our Labour It is certain then that the Allies propos'd to themselves the continuance of the War until such time as France should give solid Proof of her Conversion by a faithful Restitution of all that she has usurp'd since the Peace of Munster and the Treaty of the Pyrenees or be compelled thereunto by an indispensible Necessity Those were the true Motives which prevail'd with the Allies to unite for their own Preservation Then let us see whether the Reasons of them be ceased and if the Peace now offer'd by France can restore the Peace of Europe and secure it against the horrible Attempts of that Ambitious Crown For as to what concerns the French King's Designs We need do no more but examine his Conduct and we shall quickly find that they are still the same The Master-piece of his Politicks is to re-establish his Affairs by Treaties of Peace which he can break when he pleases Did he not impudently violate that of Aix la Chappelle that of Nimeguen and the Twenty Years Truce and who can be Guarantee that he will not also break that which he now offers if we be so imprudent as to accept it Can we trust his Word Can we rely upon his Oath or his Fidelity Does not Experience convince us that he avowedly breaks the most sacred Ties that he mocks at all Laws Humane and Divine and that he despises Religion and prophanes our Altars Can Christian Princes put Confidence in a Crown which hath made an Alliance with the Turk solicited the Sworn Enemy of Christendom to break the Truce with the Emperor and hath since furnished the Infidels with Men and Mony to carry on their unjust Enterprizes Let us once at least learn to be wise at our own Cost We found that the Peace of Nimeguen set Europe upon the brink of Destruction unto which she must have undoubtedly fallen had not Heaven it self prevented it In effect had it not been for the Wonderful Revolution in England that Kingdom had been ere now at the Devotion of France and Holland lost beyond recovery and seeing it was so I leave it to those who have nothing left them but the very shadow of Reason to judge what would have been the Destiny of the other Princes and States of Europe and if France concluded the Peace at Nimeguen that she might the more assuredly effectual the Destruction of all the Potentates of Europe It is certain that her design in offering Peace now is only to accomplish it with the more Facility This is evident from her Maxims and Conduct We cannot say that she hath sincerely resolv'd to change them seeing she mentions nothing of Restitution at least of that which she is obliged to make but designs to maintain her self in a Condition to renue her Infractions when she pleases or rather when she hath made up the great Expence of her Men and Mony which her prodigious Efforts have engag'd her in But suppose that France means honestly at this time must we grant Peace as soon as she demands it and must she not give Satisfaction to those Powers upon whom she hath dar'd to commit the most cruel and disgraceful Outrages She hath treated them all with an unsupportable Pride The Pope hath felt the Effects of it as well as others his quality of Head of the Church not being sufficient to guard him against the Insults of France The Emperor and K. of Spain the Princes and States of the Empire and Italy as well as England and Holland have received Affronts from France which cannot be forgotten Not to insist on it that in Justice she ought to pay all the Charges of that Vexatious War in which she hath engaged the Confederates Hath she not treated Soveraignty it self with the utmost disdain what Insolence can be named that is not to be found in the Devices and Inscriptions which are to be seen at Paris and what Indignity is there with which she hath not Treated the Dutch in the Inscription upon the Gate of St. Denis Those People who are the Principal object or the hatred and malice of France are particulary concerned to prevent the Peace being obliged to oppose it for their own safety seeing they must unavoidably be the first who fall under the French Tyranny after the dissolution of the Confederacy by this Peace and then what will become of their Religion Liberty and Trade sh'ant they be brought under an Ignominious Slavery deprived of the Liberty of their Consciences and Subjected to a Tyranny beyond all that ever was heard of and can only be represented by that which the French Protestants and New Converts
did and do groan under being Slavery Barbarous that it hath been condemned by a Pope as it is at this day by all men of honesty either Papists or Protestants It is evident by these reasons which I have alledged that the French King hath neither chang'd his design nor conduct and that the Peace which he offers to the Allies is only to deceive them after he hath divided them and to destroy them one after another but whether he be in Condition to do this or whether the Allies have rendred him incapable of renewing his Infractions is that which we are now to Examine to compare then the French King now with what he was when he broke the Treatys of Aix la Chapelle and Nimeguen He is much Stronger in one respect and weaker in another He is much stronger because he hath extended his Conquests since and rendred himself Master of many strong places both in Flanders and Germany but he is much weaker because of the Extream Misery which reigns throughout his Kingdom and the Consumption of his Treasures If the Allies accept the Peace they have hitherto done nothing and France will remain more Powerful than ever If on the Contrary they continue the War they will have the satisfaction to see France fall under its own weight We must then conclude that in respect of the first the French King instead of being humbled will reap great Advantage and that in respect of the Second he is in such Circumstances that we may justly hope to see him fall of a sudden He knows this well enough and being sensible that he will gain all by a Peace and on the contrary lose all by the Continuation of the War We must not wonder if he tuake such pressing Instances to obtain the Former and Ward off the Latter This is the Motive which obliges him to make such Prodigious Efforts to draw the Allies into Peace which will be as prejudicial to them as advantagious to him But what Method shall we take say some to oppose the French Torrent That Crown has every day new advantages and we the misfortune of considerable losses if that continue France will still be in a condition to prescribe Laws to us and we shall at last be constrained to receive Peace on much harder terms than those which are now offered This way of Reasoning is a meer Illusion Affairs are not so desperate nor is it so difficult to put a stop to the Progress of France That Crown hath carried some Places of strength and occasioned us some Losses at Sea this year it is true but the French King hath exhausted himself for that end and he is no more in a Condition to continue the VVar with that same Vigour VVhereas on the contrary the Allies who have almost made no Efforts are still possessed of Ressources whereof France has none So that that there wants nothing but a good-will to obtain what we desire and if every one do their part we shall see such Armies on foot next year as will force our great Enemy to abandon his prize In fine there are only two things to chuse viz. Slavery or Liberty if we make Peace we cannot escape falling into the one and if we continue the War vvith Vigor vve shall infallibly preserve the other Shall we who are Dutch-men lose by a Cowardly Imprudence that dear Liberty which our Fathers purchas'd by shedding their Blood with so much Generosity which the Princes of Orange procur'd us by an admirable Valour and which the King of Great Britain the worthy Representative of that Illustrious Family Defends still by exposing his Sacred Person to the greatest of Dangers It is by his wise Conduct and singular Courage that we have been many times deliver'd from the brink of Destruction Let 's not then be so void of Sense as to put our selves again in danger of falling into it without hopes of Retrieve Let 's Back his Majesty s good Intentions who always gave us wise Counsels Let 's Generously employ our Estates our Persons and our Lives for the preservation of our Religion our Liberty our Wives and our Children VVe have no occasion to doubt of good Success provided that we acquit our selves as we ought Our Cause is Just and that of our Enemy every way Impious Soon or Late Heaven will humble his Pride and we shall enjoy the advantage and Satâ—â—â—action of having by God's assistance defended that which is most dear and which we should never abandon but with our Lives These Sir are the Reasons which I had to Communicate to make it evident that a Peace must needs be Fatal to us I may perhaps enlarge upon them when occasion offers and also furnish you with new ones In the mean time I am SIR