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A. C. Affoon as the Prince came to the Hague, Sir 1674. William Temple acquainted him with His Britan nick Majefty's perfonal Kindness and Esteem for Overtures his Highness; his Refolution to Cultivate his of a Peace prefent Priendship with the States, and defire to made by fee a General Peace reftor'd to Chriftendom, in Si W. which he intended to Act wholly in Concert with Temple His Highnefs, whofe Opinion as to the thing, and to the P. of the Conditions moft neceffary for his Highness to Orange. infift on, His Majefty very much defir'd to underftand as foon and as fully as he could. The Prince answer'd the English Ambaffador with Expreflions of Duty and Kindness to His Majefty, and Defires of a new Conjunction between the Difficulties two Nations, which he thought alone could make arted by His Majefty Safe at Home and Abroad. For the High Peace he faid, Tho' he could make many Complaints

of both Spaniards and Imperialists Conduct fince their Treaties; yet the States could not with any Faith or Honour make any Separate Peace, upon any Terms that France could offer them. That a General Peace could not be made without leaving Flanders in a Pofture of Defending it felf, upon any new or fudden Invafion, against which no Guarantees could fecure it. That Spain could not upon any Terms quit the Country of Burgundy, or Cambray, or any thing in Flanders, beyond the Treaty of the Pyrenees, unless it were Aire and St. Omer. This, his Highnefs faid, was his Opinion; but if he might know the King's, and find it at all Confiftent with the Safety of bis Country, and bis own Honour towards his Allies, he would do all be could to bring it about, as he had already done, the Point of His Majefties Mediation, which was accepted at Vienna and Madrid. Sir William Temple told the Prince: "That the King having been the "Author and Guarantee of the Peace of Aix-laChapelle, and not having yet feen the French beaten out of any Town that was given them by that Treaty, could with ill Grace propofe હૃદ any thing to France beyond thofe Terms, unless "it were upon fome Equivalent. The Prince re plied refolutely, "Twere better going on with the War let it last as long, and coft as much as it would

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That His Majefty might, if he pleas'd induce France A. C. to whatever he thought juft; and could never fhew 1674bim fo much Kindness, as to bring him out of this War with Honour. If he would not, it must go on till fome Change happen'd in the Condition of the Parties to make the Peace neceffary of one fide or other. How it would fall out, he could not tell, and must leave it to God; but he thought they had as fair a Game as the French. That he was fure they might have been abfolutely beaten at Senef, if Count Souches had pleas'd; and have had a fair Blow for it again at Oudenarde. That he was fure Germany could furnish more and better Men than France; and they were now in a manner united in the Common Defence, and he hop'd the Emperor's Councils would not be fo betray'd as they had been; that however he must perform what his own Honour, as well as that of the States was engag'd in to their Allies.

There was one Point more Sir William Temple 4 difcon entred into with the Prince, which was upon tented Para Occafion of the many difcontented Perfons in Eng- land, holds ty in England, at the Courfe of the laft Miniftry and War, Correfponwho were fufpected to have tamper'd with Hol- dence with land about raifing Seditions, and perhaps Infurre-the Prince tions in England, if the War continu'd; and the of Orange. Dutch Fleet Thould appear upon the English Coafts, that were like to be unguarded the next Summer, by the ftraights His Majefty was in for Money to let out a Fleet. It was thought among many others, the Lord Shafsbury was one, that had of late play'd this Game, who having been as deep as any Man in the Councils of the Cabal, and gone fo far in the publick Applaufe of them, as in a Speech called the in Parliament to have applied the Delenda Cartha-Minifwry of go, (Carthage is to be deftroy'd) to the Intereft of five Men England in the Destruction of Holland; yet when Charles he faw the Parliament and Nation fullen upon it, II. Reign, the first

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in King

Letters

of whofe Names made up the word Cabal, that is Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley and Lauderdale. Thefe Minifters were wholly devoted to the Intereft of France, and aim'd at making King Charles II. Absolute, and, as some suspected, introducing Popery,

and

A C. and that the King could not purfue it with fo 1674. much ill Humour in both, he turn'd fhort upon the Court, and the rest of the Cabal, fell in with the Popular Humour in the City as well as Parliament, Decried the prefent Designs and Conduct, tho' with the lofs of his Chancellor's Place, which was given to Sir Heneage Finch, and was believed to manage a Practice in Holland. "Sir William "Temple told the Prince what his Mafter fufpected "of fome of his Subjects without naming any; "how much Service it would be to His Ma"jefty to know 'em more certainly, and how kind 56 it would be in his Highness to Discover them. The Prince was ftanch, and faid, He was fure the King, would not prefs him upon a thing fo much a gainst all Honour, as to betray Men that profeft to be his Friends. The English Ambaflador gave His Majefty an Account of all that paffed between the Prince and him, which was thought at Court both Cold to His Majesty, and Stiff to the Peace. Sir William Temple had no Returns or Orders upon this Matter, but about the beginning of December, the Lord Arlington, and the Lord Offory ar riv'd at the Hague, tho' without any Character or thew of Bufinefs.

X. Charles My Lord Arlington brought Sir William Temple. II. grown a Letter from the King, acquainting him, That he Jealous of had fent him to fet fome Important Points right them, fends between His Majefty and the Prince, which ought not to be longer in Doubt, and recommending to Arlington him all the Affiftance he could give his Lordship to Expoftu at the Hague:

my Lord

late the Matter with the Prince.

The Mystery of this Journey and Affair was this: The Lord Arlington, who had been at the Head of thofe Measures that the King entred into during the Miniftry of the Cabal, and the late War with Holland, found his Credit finking with his Mafter upon the ill Iffue of that Affair. As this Lord's Favour declin'd fo the Earl of Danby's 'encreafed, who fucceeded the Lord Clifford in the Treafury, which had ever been the Lord Arlington's Ambition. This gave him an implacable Envy and Hatred against the Lord Danby, and which

no

no Offices of Friends could ever allay. He was A. C not well in the Nation, for having had fuch a 1674. fhare in breaking the Triple Alliance, and making that with France for the Ruin of Holland, and as 'twas commonly thought for fome ends more dif pleafing at Home; yet when the ill Humour of the Parliament had broken the Designs of the Cabal, My Lord Arlington follow'd fo far the Earl of Shafsbury's Example, as to join with the Duke of Ormond, and Secretary Coventry, to perfwade the King to remove the Duke wholly from Court and Bufinefs, as a means to appeafe the Discontents of the Nation upon fome Jealoufies of Popery, which the late Conduct of Affairs had rais'd. By this Advice the Lord Arlington had very much offended the Duke; and finding himself ill with his Royal Highness, with the Parliament, and every Day declining in Favour with the King; he thought there was no way of retrieving his Credit, but by making himself the Inftrument of fome fecret and clofe Measures between the King and the Prince of Orange. He first fuggefted to His Majefty the Neceflity and Advantage of fuch a Negociation; then that of his being imployed in it, from the Intereft his Lady's Friends and Relations had in Holland; and tho' the profest great Friendfhip to Sir William Temple, yet he reprefented him Sir W. as unlikely to be trufted with fuch a Confidence Temple's from the Prince as was requifite in this Affair, Memoirs. for having been fo intimate with Monfieur DeWitt in his former Embaffy. He went over with all the Auxiliaries that were like to be of any Succour in this Expedition, carrying not only my Lady Arlington, but Madam Beverwort her Sifter, whofe Converfation was very agreeable to the Prince, Sir Gabriel Sylvius, who pretended a great intimacy with Monfieur Bentinck; Dr. Durel, a Man fit to Practice Monfieur Du Marais, a French Minister in Credit with the Prince; and the Lord offory who had a great fhare in his Highness's Kindness and Efteem, as well from his Marriage into the Beverwort's Family, as from his

Perfonal

A. C.

Perfonal Bravery, a Quality lov'd by this Prince 1674. even in an Enemy.

My Lord Danby had been made to Believe, that a Letter from the Prince to Monfieur Odyck, then one of the Dutch Ambaffadors in England, had given occafion to this Journey, as if the Prince had defired fome Perfon at the Hague from the King, with whom he might enter into the last Confidence; but the Prince affured Sir William Temple that there was no fuch thing, and that Monfieur de Ruvigny, the French Ambaffador at London, had more part in this Journey than he, or perhaps any body elfe; and that all the Endeavours us'd towards a Peace came from that fide.

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My Lord Arlington, told Sir William Temple at their firft Meeting; "That he came over to fet right fome things between the King and the "Prince, that he doubted were amifs, and Set"tle a perfect Kindness and Confidence between "them; that to do this he must go to the bottom of the Sore, and rake into things paft, which was an unpleasant Work, and which Sir Willi"am could not do, as having no part in the King's "Business during that time wherein the Prince "took his Offence at the Councils of England. "That the King had chofen him for this Office, "because he could beft juftifie His Majefties In"tentions towards his Highness in the whole Course "of that Affair. That for the Peace, tho' His

Majefty defir'd it, yet he would not meddle with "it, unless the Prince, of himself, made any O"vertures 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 66 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 his Excellencies Hands. That he knew very "well fuch a Commiflion as his might look un"kind, if not injurious to another Ambaffador; "and that he would not have come, if any other "had been there; but the King, as well as he,. reckon'd fo far upon the Friendship between

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