Politico to the quick and made him tear his hair was your King's postponing the Bankers and converting the Receipts of the Exchequer to his own use for now contrary to all expectation he saw his Majesty might put out a Fleet of himself that your Subjects who love not we know an overtopping Rival would even for their own interest prosecute the War once a foot let them be never so averse to it in the beginning But the thunder clap that gave him his mortal wound was the Liberty of Conscience so universally granted to the People this brought the Devil a thousand times into his mouth saying that nothing but he who owed Holland a shame could put it into your heads and that shortly you would be as united as our selves so that ever hereafter the Kings enemies must become the common enemy of the Nation and I must tell you 't was not so in the last War The effects of the Toleration were soon perceived by every body for many of your Country men at Rotterdam Delf Leyden and else where in this Land frighted heretofore out of England upon the score of Religion have now not only Longings homewards but are also generally lookt upon by our people as so many Spies to betray us whereas formerly no Dutchman was thought more faithful than they to the welâ—are and interest of this Government nay if this be not a wonder tell me one that a Quaker of yours at Rotterdam should be so transported at the news as to throw his Hat which had been naild at least ten years to his head into the fire and to drink the Kings health with a Vive le Roy in his mouth For my own part though two descents have not I think washed away all my English blood yet upon the account of my Mothers kindred and my own business who knows whether ever with convenience I can quit Holland or no but this I must tell you that my two Uncles their good-wives talk much of London and therefore I shall desire you to inform me what real foundation this Indulgence has that I may accordingly advise my scrupulous friends for there has been no question more ventilated at any time in these Quarters I do not I 'le assure you ask this of you upon my own score but theirs for had my Grand-mother had so digestive or rather charitable a stomack as mine I should have at present a greater interest in Mark-Lane than now I am ever like to have Yet to speak to you with my old frankness I am not able to conceive how a People so wedded to Persecution as you were thought in the general opinion of the World can so suddainly forget it as not to be grasping at it again upon every slight pretence and humour and thus having finished my request let us if you please return to our Fac-totum who had so groslly reckoned without his Host He was you may easily imagine much surprised at what had happened yet outwardly no man seemed less for in that way of disguise he was esteemed a great Master never wanting some plausible gloss or other to lessen the dread that suddain accidents brought along with them For as to the stopping of the Treasury he pretended it the greatest advantage to us in the world since no private man would hereafter trust the Crown let emergencies be never so great and yet every Monarch must often borrow of his Subjects And as concerning the Toleration he was not ignorant he said of the zeal and self love of your Clergy who one time or other would get it repealed and that then all Dissenters would be ten times more disobliged and implacable than before These and the former Reasons strangely satisfied the multitude yet many an honest man cryed that we had been mistaken in our measures last war that Kings find expedients when others little dream of them That your Kingdom was a place whose Maxims and Secrets were not to be guessed at for when we thought our selves wholly sure that you wanted either mony or men Allies abroad or Uuity at home and the like still some accident or other happened to deceive and ruine us But nothing can save them whom God infatuates nor could this Macchiavel keep himself as he imagined above board without the rash attempt of neglecting your Friendship and having thus made a false step he was forced in desperation to contrive as they say this following Treason He had for a long time kept fair with France and was as much in the Kings books as a forreign Minister could well be and this he did for a support in case his enemies the Prince beginning to be the Joy of the People should be able to contend and if they absolutely got the better then here should be a sure Refuge and Asylum for him He continued even after the Treaty at Breda still in favour with that Monarch who presently after daily more and more shewed his hatred to us nor did the Faction fail to insinuate to the people as if the Prince encouraged the King to a quarrel to become thereby his Tributary if he worsted us or at least to be restored by the States to the Dignity of his Ancestors since an Army and a General must be in vogue in a War and every body knows how much the Souldiers loved and adored him They had been as I should have told you before busie to lessen also the Princes esteem in England when they were forced in the year 70 to let him come over to you for they fancied that because his Grandfather had by the assistance of our established Ministry whom he protected agrandized himself and so crushed the potent Arminian Faction that they were all hated for a time by us therefore by the same rule if your Church men could be put out of conceit with him I mean the present Prince your People by their insinuation and power might be easily made averse and irreconcilable to his person let the King be never so kind Hereupon to make him seem a Phanatick which is the grand bug-bear of your Episcopal Government they expresly ordered him never to receive in any of your Churches kneeling but that the Minister should bring him the Bread Wine as he sate in his Pew or Seat for we called it an arrogant Institution of your Divines as pretending to be wiser forsooth than all the Reformed World seeing there is not one Protestant Congregation that ever knelt at the Communion besides your selves Here they were again unfortunate and the plot vanished in sumo for it seems your Spiritual Leaders had they been disgusted have not that influence over you as we once imagined Our Juncto were now in no little perplexity you may be assured nothing being able to hinder the encrease of his Highness's esteem in all our Provinces or to put any stop to the French Preparations whilst on the other side your King called aloud for satisfaction by his Embassadors who gave them
TWO LETTERS The One from a DUTCH MAN TO HIS Correspondent in ENGLAND The Other an ANSWER From the Said CORRESPONDENT In which most things of Note that relate to or have been transacted in this Hostility are very fully handled With the present Condition of both Countries Printed in the Year 1673. LETTER I YOurs of the 4th Instant which supposes me here at Hamborough and congratulates my arrival came a day before me for I left not Amsterdam so soon by a fortnight as you imagined Your Accounts I have sleightly perused but shall nothing to them till our Correspondents at Bruges and Antwerp send me theirs nor can I stir from hence these seven Months for besides the business I told you of I must expect the Phoenix which will not arrive till April and in it I hope to find as much of 1. B's effects as will near satisfie the debt he owed me Whilst I was at home knowing the vain suspitions of the Rabble I neither sent nor asked you any news but now I am here I by no means blame the desire you have to understand the posture of our affairs how they have been managed especially since you pretend to no further an information were I capable of more than what any stranger that passes through the Countrey gives his acquaintance I say I cannot blame this request having now the same favour also to ask of you for the Relations I heretofore saw were often very false and uncertain nor can this freedom I hope be any prejudice to our respective Governours for what may be great satisfaction and news to those in our sphere is none to them who have spies we are sure abroad informing them at another rate of all occurrencies But before I acquaint you with our misfortunes too well known to the world I must beg pardon if for my ease my Letter being long I write in Dutch which wants I confess the comprehensive harmony of your smooth and gentle Language That John de Witt was a man of parts is held by not a few of our wise ones yet either his ignorance in the state of your Kingdom which has hidden mysteries in it not to be fathom'd I think by forreign Polititians or God Almighties particular Judgment on those that glory too much in the strength of their understanding brought him to that dismal end and with this misfortune also as to be now esteemed a fool and a Traitor by the generality of his Countrey-men Two irreconcileable piques he had to England First because from thence he imagined that the Prince of Orange would have a perpetual support and be at length the ruine of him and his Cabal And secondly by reason of its strength its Ships its convenient Ports inclination to Trade 't would at one time or other ingross all negotiation to it self These thoughts prompted him and the rest of them instead of courting you in forrain Countries after the Peace to countenance under hand all kind of private affronts Libels that could be invented to lessen you as well in our own esteem as among our Neighbours and Allies and well mâ—ght we and our friends think we had been your Match in the late War when we often saw some of your Country men seem to yield by the hanging down of their heads that we had had the better of you Though out Sea-men and Factors were thus a Gog our Embassadours with you were sufficiently submiss and pliant calling it the drunken mirth of some private Subjects and assuring your chief Ministers that our States valued your Monarch above all things nor was it hard for them to believe this seeing that he alone forced his Christian Majesty in the height of his Conquest to the peace of Aquiâ—grane and was the only Defence we had against our being invaded by him Every body was satisfied therefore that the Great King of Fraence had no Equal but the Great King of England and that he thirsted for nothing more than liberty of salling upon us who had broken as he said our Faith with him He could never forgive us our underhand opposing his designs upon Flanders which obliged our Governors in spight oâ— all in-bred animosity to court you unto the triple Alliance that would have preserved us had it continued as 't was once happily begun in our old prosperous and flourishing condition England was not ignorant to be sure how much we wanted it's assistance and that it could never have a fairer occasion to oblige us to do Justice as you termed it to the Prince of Orange who now was of a fit age to receive those honours which the merits of his Family had as 't were entailed upon him But the ruâ—ing party that feared nothing like this resolved to obstruct it though with the utter ruine of their Countrey therefore when all imaginable intrigues of theirs could not make your Kiâ—â— desert the interest of his flesh blood they privately offered his Chriâ—tian Majâ—sty what conditions he pleased so he would but joyn his powerful Army with their Fleet and immediately fall upon you Having done this and not doubting of the acceptance of their Proposals they sent to our Admirals who were cruising with several Men of War to strike Flag to no single Ship of yours nor feared they any inconvenience because yoâ— had no number abroad This they knew would force you by degrees to a qâ—arrel and yet not without some plausibility of reason on their side it being a thing harsh in the general opinion of the World that a Fleet in all its glory and strength should do obeysance to every Cock-boat that owned it self of the Navy-Royal Your King soon resented this affront and demanded Reparation with that warmth and vigour as was imagin'd but whilst Agents were passing to and fro hâ—s Christian Majesty either distrusting us or thinking his game surer by having you his friend not only refus'd our Conditions but sends them to your King who as he thought out of Interest or Revenge would now joyn tooth and nail with him Your willingness nevertheless to accomodate all things with us was not so pleasing as one would imagine to De wit and his party because they knew that your terms would be much worse as to their own interest than formerly and therefore resolving to give you no satisfaction they buzz'd in every bodies ears that your King had not a penny of money That most of your Parliament being our Pentioners would give him none That the whole Nation hated the French that not a Seaman of yours would fight that your Non-conformists would be up in Arms and in fine after a thousand such lessening allegations they declared it to be an unpardonable folly to value or league with a people that wanted both Fidelity and Power to help their Friends all which noise spent not it self in vain but caused thousands to believe you could do us neither harm nor good The first unlook't for accident that touched our
we begin to make good use of this affliction and chastisement for with admiration I say it There was never a greater change in any Countrey and mercy alwaies attends a sorrowful and contrite people One thing I had almost forgot to tell you which makes the whole world stand amaz'd and wonder how they have been thus long deceived concerning you for all men of all Countries have ever cryed That 't was your Parliament that in truth governed your King being no body or at most but half a Prince This therefore made them generally conclude you an insignificant people either to Friend or Foe especially seeing there must be continual application in all business to both these Powers which as 't was thought instead of agreeing strove to circumvent each other But now the Scene is quite chaned for since they have seen your King raise an Army proclaim War set out his Fleet threaten Newters assist Friends pay every body and all this of himself they confess you are a potent Nation fit to be courted and that the ballance of Christendome is in your hands In short take it upon the word of an honest man This unexpected way of proceeding has done you over all Europe more real honour and the honour of a Countrey is the best part of its strength than any thing that has happened to you in this age Having thus fulfilled your commands in my plain and inartificial manner which I am sure your goodness will pardon though your admirable judgement cannot I say having thus shewed my obedience you must excuse my longing to hear from you and I doubt not but you will as frankly inform me how things stand with you I desire no intrigues of State as I hinted in the beginning but such an account as were I at London and 't is by your King's favour lawfull every body there would give me When you write direct your Letters to our Correspondent at Antwerp who grows rich by the great business that runs through his hands in these troubles for many Merchants of note and now you may see how the world is changed with us are compelled to such shifts being scarce able to vent one penny-worth of Goods without being beholden to others Farewell and God send us peace which is the incessant prayer of Hamburgh Decemb. 26. 1672. Your Faithfull Friend and Servant F. C. Reader I hope you 'l pardon this Translation though it comes short of the Dutch Original I put it in the nearest English I could to express the Author's sense and therefore take it in good part I beseech you LETTER II. I Will not trouble you now with the private affaires betwixt us since to thank you for your excellent and most satisfactory Letter of the 26 th past is task enough and far too much were I to do it as it deserves but how could I expect less from one who had Leyden for a Mistress so many years and after the death of your father so much experience in the world leaving then the Muses and your Dedication to Theo ogie for this so profi able a Study Yet for all I owe you many obligations you must pardon me if I express my mind freely in every thing and complain even in the beginning of your writing in Dutch which though I understand it shews in you methinks that aversion to us you ever profest against nor can you have any pretence for this our unusual way of corresponding unless resolving altogether to be critical you prefer your Mother-tongue before one which you have acquired half by Art This excuse is sufficient to me who so well know your gentle disposition and cannot but rejoyce at the profession you make that you have not yet lost all your English blood and therefore I must again and again repeat my entreaties That you would come hither and except of the Invitation of a Nation that exceeds when 't is confided in even it s own frank and generous promises As for Holland I pitty its condition I 'le assure you but if God Almighti'es particular Judgement as you your self intimate brought De Wiâ—t to that lamentable end for glorying too much in the strength of his understanding what could you in Just ce otherwise expect than some strange unparalleld disastre their being no Neighbour whom you have not in your vanity affronted and above all England it self so kind and friendly to you One Maxime I remember you had ever in your mouths That money was omnipotent and therefore abounding in it you could not possibly need or fear any thing but now you see the fallacy of that opinion and that you may want necessaries though your Coffers are full which pardon me if I yet tell you have been ever much emptier than you your selves pretended and besides none are sooner reduced to extremity than atrading people once out of their method and bias I must acknowledge as to my particular concerns I was extreamly glad at the Peace of Breda and believed also you would remember the danger you risqued in that War having nothing in the least to satisfie your losses but the Accident at Chatham when we were wholly unprovided and which you know we could have quickly redressed by a new Fleet had not we then concluded with you I say I was glad of this Peace but little dreamed to hear complaints on our Exchange immediately upon it That you durst vaunt in your Gazetts to have forced several Princes in the East-Indies to forbid us their Trade and that in the West-Indies our Colonies at Surinam were still detained and not suffered to come home according to our late and solemn Treaty Several other of your injuries and scorns were dayly told me but none moved me inwardly more I confess than Bracke's his publick affront who pretending to have broken the Chain at Shereness and done all the other exploits in that enterprise did in many places in the Streights and especially at Genoa Legorn and Zant invite the Dutch Factory aboard him clapping alwaies in the height of their joâ—lity tâ—e English Colours under the Dutch ones in token of our being Conquered and that now we must truâ—kle under you but as for your denying to strike Sail I was not in the least concerned looking upon it as a madness and that the Devil as your Politico you say confessed owed you a shame otherwise you could never be incited to deny us a Right which for its infinite consequences we value beyond expression even at that very time when no body did or could defend you from the fury of France but our selves Nothing 't is true is more visible than the strange animosity and hatred which your fac totum as you call him and his friends bore us yet I am so candid to his Memory as to be half perswaded that the greatest part of his Treason was the neglecting of the advice which the old Prince of Orange left the State on his Death-bed viz. To keep friendship with England