Anno 30, Car. About this Time the Progrefs of the French Arms in the Spanish Netherlands gave fuch an Alarm to the Kingdom, that the Commons defired the Concurrence of the Lords to an Addrefs that his Majefty would immediately declare Way with France; but their Lordships making no Hate to join in it, the King came to the House March the zoth, pafs'd thoie Bills which were ready for the Royal Affent, and required Two Adjourn both Houses to adjourn to April the 11th; when they again adjourn'd, by his Directions, to the 29th: ments. At which Time the Lord Chancellor Finch, in his Maje fy's Name, among other Things, informed both Houses, that the States were negotiating a separate Peace with Frances, and demanded their Advice as to his Proceedings thereon: But the Commons paffing certain difagreeable + Votes, the King came to the Houfe of Peers, May the 13th, and put an And a Proroga End to the Seffion, by a short Prorogation of Ten Days. tion. [During this laft Seffion of Parliament, and fince the paffing of the Poll-Bill, within fix Weeks Time, the King had raised an Army of above twenty thoufand Men, the moft compleat, and, in all Appearance, the bravest Troops that could be feen in any Place; and might have raifed many more upon fo great a Concurrence of People's Humour with his Majefty's feeming Defign of entering into a War against France; and it was acknowledg'd by all the foreign Minifters, That no King in Chriftendom could have made and compleated fuch a Levy as this appeared, in fo fhort a Time. And now his Majefty's Refolutions appeared entirely for War, when, before the Parliament broke up, there came Letters from Mr. Hyde, and Mr. Godolphin, That Holland abfolutely defired the Peace, even upon the Terms propofed by France, and had refolved to fend Monfieur Van -Lewen into England, to difpofe the King to be contented with them. Upon his Arrival the King immediately fent Sir William Temple to know his Errand. He was the Chief of the Town of Leyden, and had joined with Amfterdam, and fome other Places, on promoting the Peace; but, being a Man of great Honour and Worth, and having come upap Sufpicion that England, at the Bottom, was till in with France, and that all the reit was but Amulement; the Prince of Orange had procured him to be fent over purpofely to fatisfy himfelf, and his Acccomplices for the Peace, that the King's Intentions were really for the War, which his Highnels thought CHANDLER'S Hift. Anno 30 Car. II. 1678, Page 276. thought the only Means to prevent the Peace, He freely Anno 30 Car. told Sir William Temple, That nothing was more again!t II. 1517. their Inclinations in Holland, than to make a Peace upon Terms fo low and unfafe for Flanders; and that if the King had gone into the War, as was promised, upon France's delaying to accept the Scheme, they would certainly have continu'd it: But his Majefty's Proceedings look'd ever fince fo uncertain or unrefolv'd, that it had ra:fed Jealoufies in Hotland, of the English Meafures being, at the Bottom, fixed with France; which made molt of the Towns in Holland think they had nothing left to do, but to go in with them as fait as they could; and the Approach of the French Army to Antwerp left them no Time to deliberate : Yet he profeffed to Sir William, in private, That if the King would im· mediately declare the War, he believ'd the States would still gə on with it, in pursuit of their Alliance, and the Terms con tained in it. Sir William made this Report to the King, who now was just ready to declare War, if the Parliament would support it; when on a fudden happened the forementioned cross Vote in the House of Commons, which fhewed there was fuch a mutual Diftrull, both in the Court and Parliament, as it was very hard to fall into found Measures between them. The King, at least, faw, that he had now loft his Time of entering into the War, and that he ought to have done it with the whale Confedederacy, upon the Return of the Lord Duras from France. But the witty Turn that his Majelly gave all this, was, That fince the Dutch would have a Peace upon the French Terms, and France offered Money for his Confent, to what he could not help, be did not know why he should not get the Money; and thereupon ordered Sir William to treat with Monfieur Barillon, the French Ambassador at London; but Sir William found Means handfomely to decline a Treaty, which, he said, belong`d not to his Poft. At the fame Time the Heats in the Houie of Commons much increased the ill Opinion the King had conceived of their Intentions in preffing him to enter upon a War. Yet, notwithstanding all this, he had conceived fuch Indignation at one Article of the private Treaty, propofed by the French Ambassador, that he faid, He would never forget it while he liv'd. Sir William, who tells us he had it from a good Hand, leaves us, however, in the dark, as to that fecret Article: But the Publisher of his Letters, Dr. Swift, acquaints us with that remarkable Paffage, namely, That France, in order to break the Force of the Confederacy, and elude all juft Conditions of a general Peace, refolved by any Means to enter into feparate Measures with Holland; to which end it was abfo lutely Anno 30, Car. lutely neceffary to engage the good Offices of the King of II. 1677. England, who was look'd upon as the Master of the Peace, whenever he pleas'd. The Bargain was ftruck for either three or four hundred thousand Pounds: But when all was agreed, Monfieur Barillon, the French Ambaffador, told the King, That he had Orders from his Master, before Payment, to add a private Article, by which his Majefty fhould be engaged, Never to keep above eight thousand Men of Standing Troops in his three Kingdoms. This unexpected Propofal put the King in a Rage, and made him fay, Codsfifh! Does my Brother of France think to ferve me thus? Are all his Promifes to make me abfolute Mafter of my ------ come to this? Or does he think that a Thing to be done with eight thousand Men? Tho' the King faid nothing to Sir William Temple of his Refentment, yet he observed his Majefty to be at this Time more refolved to enter into the War, than he had ever before feen, or thought him. In the mean time young Monfieur Rouvigny, who was difpatch'd into France, to know the laft Intention of that Court, being returned without any clear or pofitive Anfwer; the King proceeded to compleat his Levies, and to prepare for War: But this again was defeated by the Prorogation of the Parliament; and Monfieur Van Lewen, the Dutch Agent, diftafted with these Delays, and the Counter-Paces between King and Parliament, began to talk freely of the Neceffity his Mafters found to make the Peace as they could, fince there was no relying upon any Measures with England for carrying on the War; and the Seafon was too far advanced to admit of any longer Delays. Upon thefe Difcourfes from him, the King began again to cool in his Talk of a War, and to fay, The Peace muft be left to the Course which Holland had given it. And tho', at the next Meeting of the Parlirment, the Commons feemed in a much better Temper than they parted; yet News coming about the fame Time, that Monfieur Beverning was fent by the States-General to the French Court at Ghent, to propofe a Ceflation of Arms for fix Weeks, in order to negotiate the Terms of the Peace; both the Court and Parliament began to look upon it as a Thing concluded, or at leaft, as like to receive no other Motion than what should be given it by Helland and France. And indeed the Difpo ditions were fo inclined to it on both Sides, that the Terms were, in no long time, adjufted between them.] The Anno 30, Car. ** <3 <3 <38 ** ** *** *330 330 330 II. 1678. The SEVENTEENTH SESSION of the Second T Parliament. HE 23d of May, the King made a Speech to both Houfes from the Throne; and a long Amplification was added by the Lord Chancellor Finch, both of which are to be found in CHANDLER's Hift. Anno 30 Car. II. 1678, Page 281, 282, 383, as is likewife the Account of a Conference between the two Houfes on a Meffage from the King to the Lords on certain Advices from Nimeguen, Page 287, as alfo Page, 288, 289, of a second and a Third, on certain Amendments made by the Lordships to a MoneyBill. To which we have only to add the following Protefts; as containing all the public Bufinefs relating to the Lords, to be met with during this* Seffion. Protefts of this Seffion. Die Veneris 7° Junii, 1678. This Day being appointed to debate the Bufinefs of the Claim to the Petitioner that claims the Title of Viscount Purbeck, the Title of VifHoufe took into Confideration in what Method to proceed count Purbeck. therein, whether upon the whole Matter together, or divide it into Parts. And the Question being put, Whether to proceed in this Cafe upon the whole Matter? It was refolved in the Affirmative. Before the Question was put for proceeding in the Cafe of Proteft thereon. the Claim for the Title of Vifcount Purbeck, Leave being afked and granted to enter Protefts, if it was carried in the Affirmative; Towards the latter End of June, the Dutch being on the Point of striking up a separate Peace at Nimeguen, the French infifted on detaining the following Towns, Ghent, Aeth, Charleroy, Audenarde, Courtray, and Limburgh, till Reftitution had been made to the Swedes of all they had loft during the War: Of which the King (Charles) being appriz'd, and greatly allarm'd at it, both Sir William, and Van Lewen, the Dutch Embaffador here, were dispatch'd to the Hague: And, in the Space of fix Days after their Arrival, the famous Treaty of Alliance between England and Holland was happily concluded on the 26th of July, to the general Satisfaction of the Dutch Commiffioners; who, at the first Conference, made Sir William the Compliment, That they esteem'd his coming into Holland, like that of the Swallows, which always brought fair Weather with them. And it is obferverable, that Mr. Godolphin, who had been fo lately in Holland, told Sir William before his Departure, That if he brought the States to conclude the Treaty his Majefty propofed, he would move the Parliament to have his Statue fet up. On 11. 1678. Anno 30, Car. Affirmative; we accordingly do enter our Diffent, becauē there being three Points arifing from the Debate of the Cafe; The first of Illegitimacy; The fecond concerning the being of a Patent of Honour, which are Matters of Fact, and ought to be determined be fore the Point of Law, which is the third Point, concerning the extinguishing of Honour by a Fine; which by this Houle, in a full Affemb y, hath been adjudged (nemine contradicente) cannot legally be done; and that we cannot, upon complicated and accumulative Queftions, give a RefoJution; nor hath the Practice been fo, but upon the Cafe agreed, or fingle Propofitions, except where the Houfe is unanimous in Judgment; whereas in this Cafe they appear yet much divided. Oxford, Northampton, Anglesea, Winchefter, Huntingdon, Clare, F. Bridgewater, Shaftsbury, Bedford, Tho. Culpeper, Bath. Die On the commuicating the Treaty to France, all the Arts imaginable were practifed, on that fide, to elude it; particularly by drawing the Matter into a Negotiation, or, at least, a greater Length, which before had fo well fucceeded in England: But the States continued refolved not to recede from their laft Treaty, and were immoveable, till about five Days before the Expiration of the limited Time; when the Arrival of a certain Perfon in Holland gave a new and ftrange Turn to the whole Affair. This was one De Crofs, an inferior and busy Agent of Sweden, who came from London, with Orders from his Britannic Majefty for Sit William Temple immediately to repair to Nimeguen, and to use his utmost to perfuade the swedish Plenipotentiaries, to let the French there know, That they would, for the Sake of Christendom, confent, and even defire the King of France no longer to defer the Evacuation of the Towns, and con fequently the Peace; and to affure the faid Swedish Ambassadors, that after this Peace the King of England would use all the most effectual Endeavours he could, for the Reftitution of all the Towns and Territories the Swedes had loft in the War.' Sir William was extremely furprized at this new Dispatch; but Penfionary Fagel, being as it were Thunderftruck, went and told his Excellency the whole Contents of it, before he had mention'd it to any Man; and particularly, That De Crofs had moft industriously gone about to the Deputies of the feveral Towns, and acquainted them with it; and that the Terms of the Peace were abfolutely agreed between the two Kings that he brought Sir William Temple Orders to go ftrait to Nimeguen, where at his Arrival he should meet with Letters from the Lord Sunderland, the English Ambassador at Paris, with all the Particulars concluded between both their Majefties. How this strange Dispatch by De Crofs was gained, or by whom, was never certainly known: But upon Sir William's Return into England, the Duke of York told him, That he knew nothing of it till it was gone, having been a hunting that Morning. The Lord Treasurer faid all that could be to excuse himself of it; but the King indeed told him pleasantly, That the Rogue De Crofs had outwitted them all. The Truth is, thefe Orders feemed to be the Result of French Intrigues and Management; being agreed and dispatched one Morning in the Dutchess of Portf |