we confider the abandoned character of Charles, and add, 'he was a penfioner (TTT) to (TTT) He was a penfioner to France.] Wiquefort has a whole chapter to prove, that it is lawful for an ambaffador to corrupt the ministers of the court where he refides (r). But how lawful foever this may be in ambaffadors; it is much more lawful and neceffary for the princes, at whofe courts they refide, to watch them nar rowly, left they make themselves mafters of fecrets moft dangerous to be revealed. For they being fpies by office, privileged by character, and, for the most part, well fupplied with money; have great opportunities of corrupting indigent, avaritious, or weak men, whọ abound in all courts, and are entrusted with the most important affairs. Wife princes are fenfible of this: weak ones unconcerned about it. 'It is faid,' fays the above-cited author, that one day an English gentleman fignified to King James, that he had a matter of very great importance to impart to him; but that his majesty must affure him of his protection in a 'particular manner, becaufe, without that, his life * would be in great danger. After he had taken his • neceffary précautions, he told him, That feveral noblemen of his court and council received penfions from Spain; and that he could make it out. The < king answered him, That he knew it very well; and made a jeft of it. He moreover faid, He wished the King of Spain would give them ten times as much; take (r) Embarfador, p. 353. fol. Lond. 1716. (s) Id. p. 354. to the crown of France; So loft was he to 'take pleasure in publishing the good they do, as well as the favours they receive, have endeavoured to make . · . ༤ it believed, that the minifters of the court of England ⚫ were not very difficult on that fubject not long fince. Queen Elizabeth would not have suffered it. Henry IV. had given the order of St. Michael to Nicholas Clifford, and to Anthony Shirley, on account of the fervices they had done him in the war. These two gentlemen, being returned into England, the queen fent them to prifon, and commanded them to fend back the order, and to cause their names to be raz'd out of the regifters. She faid, that, as a virtuous woman ought to ⚫ look on none but her husband, fo a fubject ought not ⚫ to caft his eyes on any other fovereign, than him God had fet over him. I will not,' faid fhe, have my fheep marked with a strange brand; nor fuffer them to follow the pipe of a strange fhepherd.' Queen Chrifiina would not permit the Prince Palatin to re'ceive the order of the Garter; nor the Count de la Garde to be made a Prince of the Empire. These two queens were in the right to hinder their subjects from entering into engagements with foreign princes. They cannot share out their affection, nor their zeal, without robbing their fovereign of all that portion they fo bestow; who ought to be as jealous thereof, as the husband is of his wife's honor (s).' would this writer have faid of a prince, who bargained for a penfion, and authorized his minifter to negotiate it for him in the beft manner? If minifters are blameworthy in fharing out their affection and their zeal; What how to all thame! If we turn now to affairs how much more culpable the fovereign, who facrifices his people to a bribe, and fills his privy purse at the expence of their welfare? And how jealous, with reafon, ought a nation to be, when under a head capable of fuch a dirty, infamous traffick? We have already feen Charles leagued with France, in order to fubdue Holland and introduce popery into his own kingdoms: we have feen that, to facilitate thefe infamous projects, he received 200,000l. per annum from France z whereby England was hurted, and Europe likely to be enslaved (t): it now remains, in order to have a full view of this part of his character, to fee what was his conduct when he had been forced to make peace with the Dutch, and the congrefs was held for putting an end to the war, at Nimeguen, under his mediation. To fuch as have not the Danby papers in their poffeffion, the following extracts will afford entertainment, as well as information, on the subject-matter of this note. Mr. Mountague, ambaffador to the French King, in a letter to his own mafter, dated, Paris, June 21, 1677, N. S. fays, That your majefty may understand me the 'better, you must call to mind how, when you made feparate peace with Holland, Mr. Ruvigny (at that • time the King of France his minister in England) was fo importé [outragious] and paffionate upon it, that you were extreamly diffatisfied with him and his pro'ceedings; and at an entertainment made you by my Lord Lindsey, at Chelfey, you were pleafed to call me to you, and command me, because of my friendship and 'acquaintance with him, to advife him to change his 6 language R 2 (+) See noté (RRR). affairs at home; we fhall find them moft R miferably language and behaviour: that you could not believe his mafter would countenance him in it; and that you thought you gave great marks of your friendship in 'proceeding no farther, and not taking up the triple al⚫liance again: that, whilft you had been joined with his master, the crown of France had extreamly advanc'ed his own intereft, and none of your majesty's as he 6 was obliged to by his treaty. When I delivered to ' him your majesty's message, I found him extreamly furprized and frighted; which I improved as much as I 'could. All that he had to fay to me was, after such great fums that his master had paid in England, it was • hard to be left fo. I told him that, as for the fums of C money, they were not fo great as to regret the payment ' of them: that, to my knowledge, the crown of France paid to the crown of Sweden two millions and a half for 'being neuters (for fo the Swedes were then); and that your majefty, who was so great and so powerful a king, had but three millions of livres for fo vast a feet as you put to fea, and for fome ten thoufand of your majesty's fubjects that you let pass over into French fervice. That thefe kind of difcourfes and reproaches would but ex• afperate your majefty: that I did not know how far that might carry you: that his best way was to be difcreet, • and fay nothing. I remember his expreffion: E bien, • je pargnerai mes paroles, & le roy mon maistre fon argent [Well then, I fhall fave my breath, and the king my mafter his money]. With this I left him, and your majesty an account, without troubling you with the particulars I do now, that I had obeyed your com'mands I gave miferably adminifteṛed. The doctrines> of 'mands to Mr. Ruvigny. You ordered me alfo to give my Lord Arlington an account (who was yet fecretary of ftate) of what had paffed between us; which I alfo ' did : and told him, that although Mr. Ruvigny talked very high, yet I obferved, with what I had faid to him of the triple alliance being taken up again, he was extreamly frighted; and so much, that I was fure, if he were well managed, the three millions you had during the war might be continued to you. He anfwered me, 'that I was out of play, and no longer ambassador; and that you would not take it well, he was fure, my medling any more in business: upon which admonition I let that fort of difcourfe fall. Some few days after, Mr. Ruvigny came to see me; telling me, that in re"turn of my kindness for having advised him so well, he ❝ was come to be advised by me: that he found all your • ministers turning against France, and my lord treasurer particularly, abfolutely in the Prince of Orange's intereft; that he was afraid you would be brought to join ⚫ with the Confederates, and abandon France. For himfelf, he was at his wits end; and knew not what mea'fures to take, except I would advise him. Whereupon I told him, that my lord treasurer was the man you • most trusted; and, in my opinion (if your majesty would < accept of it), the best way was to offer the continu > ance of the three millions during the war: Car dans се monde on ne fait rien pour rien [For in this world nobody does any thing for nothing]. After this, I heard nothing from Mr. Ruvigny of three months, till at laft he came and told me, Vous m'avez donné un bon • confeil, R 3 |