Will. III." and no further profecution thereupon, the impeachment "and articles are hereby difmiffed. 1701. Remarks on "The house of commons having impeached Thomas duke "of Leeds of high crimes and mifdemeanors on the 27th "of April 1695, and on the 29th exhibited articles against "him, to which he answered, but the commons not profe"cuting, the impeachment and articles are hereby dif"miffed." Each house ordered a narrative of the proceedings to be thefe pro- publifhed (a); and they had gone fo far in their votes against ceedings. Burnet. (a) It may not be improper to fubjoin here fome remarks concerning thofe proceedings, extracted from a MS. written by a very confiderable perfon of that time. 66 "The partition treaty, fays "he, was no fooner published, "but it appeared that the French "ambaffador, monfieur Tal"lard, had formed a strong 66 party here against it, and had "engaged Dr. Davenant to write against it. It was not enough for the French court "to refolve on braking it, but, to compleat the perfidy, "it muft die with infamy. At "the first opening of the feffion, "addreffes were made to the "king from the houses for all "the treaties that had been "made fince that at Ryfwick. "This was done on the 12th or one gratify their refentments by falling on that treaty, and on "all concerned in it, that, I am "told, on two or three occa"fions they complained of it, yet by fome fecret but power"ful charm all men were fo re"ftrained, that, from the 26th "of February to the 20th of "March, no notice at all was "taken of it; but on the zoth "the train was fired, and all was foon in a flame. I can"not certainly tell you what was the occafion of this great patience and long filence, af"ter some had shewn an eager"nefs, that seemed not very governable. I will only tell "you what happened at that "time at the Hague. After the "French had poffeffed them"felves of the Spanish Nether"lands, and found the States ་་ 13th of February, two or ting and copying these went were not very easy in their neighbourhood, they defired "to treat with them, and know "what would fatisfy them. "The States infifted upon the " engagements given by the "partition treaty, and com"plained of the violation of it, "and asked fuch fecurities as "they thought neceffary. The "king ordered his minister to "join with them in the like "complaints and demands. "Thefe one another, that it was believed, they would never meet Will. III. again. The proceedings of the lords had the general appro- 1701. bation matter was taken up by the "lords, and feverely arraigned, "first by those who value them"felves upon their finding fault "with every thing that is done, "ing of it; and though fome 66 66 very extraordinary piece of "Thefe were given in on the courtship, was, that those who "are moft in the king's confi"dence and feel the best effects "of it, fell upon the treaty "in a moft particular manner. "Words not very decent, if 66 applied to the actions of the "meaneft fubject, were employed to lay out the ridiculoafnefs, the injuftice, the "treachery and barbarity of the "treaty, as things fit to give "horror. Now fince what "fhare foever the late miniftry "might be fuppofed to have in "it, yet it was well known, "that it was chiefly of the "king's own defigning, there"fore though a parliament of England may with a due firm"nefs, as well as with juft re"spect, reprefent to the king "fuch errors as he may fall in L 3 "to ; Will. III. bation of the nation on their fide. Moft of the bishops ad1701. hered to the impeached lords, and their behaviour, on this "to; yet a decency of ftyle was but fuitable, especially in men bred in courts, and ac"customed enough to a more "fubmiffive dialect in former "reigns. This might have been "expected from thofe, who "know, that the king thought it no leffening of himself to "own, that he believed he had "made the best bargain poffi"ble, all circumftances con"fidered. This was not all; "those who attacked the treaty, "five or fix in a ftring, did all "of them fay, they meant not to find fault; that they had "no other defign but to amend "what had been amifs, and "to prevent the like errors for "the future. They did not in*tend to fall upon any one perfon, not fo much as to a "reprimand: all they meant "was to have errors corrected, "and to have things put in a "better method. While the "debate went on upon this foot, and that all thofe who were known to have a fhare ""in the confidence, went into cenfuring the treaty, thofe "who could not help the hav"ing other thoughts of it, could "not of the fudden know what "was fit to be done. Many "thought it was concerted at "court to let the treaty be cen"fured; and that all the ill hu"mour raifed upon it was to "evaporate in fome angry votes, "without carrying the matter further, No intimations had "been given, that the king de fired that the thing might be occafion, was much commended. The violence, as well as Will. III. folly of the party, loft them much ground with all indifferent 1701. 66 oppofition would fignify little "and pafs for officiousness and "court-flattery. So they gave way, and the votes paffed "without contradiction. This "point was no fooner gained, "than fome of those very per"fons who had made the fulleft "proteftations of their having "no intention to carry the mat"ter further, immediately laid "off the mafk; for you know, "in parliamentary proceedings "all men are not equally exact "in performing what they pro"mifed, when they have once "carried the point they aimed "at. These arts are fo fami"liar to fome, that instead of "being out of countenance, "they value themselves upon "their dexterity at them. So "it happened here. This is "the true account of that mat men, "he came to the house, gave "fo clear an account of the "fhare that himself had in it, "that there were not two in the "whole houfe who did not "feem entirely fatisfied with his "behaviour in that matter. "This was fignified by fhouts. "and acclamations, that were "raised higher and continued longer than fome, who had "fat long there, had ever obferved before. If thofe lords. "had known, that the king de"fired, that right should be "done him in defending both "his honour, juftice, and wif"dom, as they were concerned in that treaty, they who "have often hazarded them"felves much further in his fer"vice, would not have been "wanting in that piece of duty "and respect. But it was ge nerally believed at that time, "that the king was lefs con"cerned in that matter, than it "has been apprehended he was "afterwards, when the ftroke "was ftruck, and could not be "retrieved. Indeed a new "fcene opened foon after that, "when it was fuggefted by the "lord Wharton, that what " fenfe foever the house might "have of the partition treaty, yet fince, to the obfervation "of all Europe, the French 66 ter, without any difguife. "The lords, fince accufed for “it, did indeed offer such an "account of the fhare they had "in the treaty in the year 1699," "that it was impoffible to lay "any blame on them for it; "and the lord Sommers, whofe "health was out of order the "first two days in which this was before the lords, when king had broke it, it was fit "to make that a paragraph of "the addrefs, that the king, "in all future treaties with that "crown, fhould not truft to "verbal affurances, but demand "a real fecurity. This was fo L 4 "con Will. III. men, but with none more than with the king himself, who 1701. found his error in changing his ministry at so critical a time; and "conformable to the foot upon "which the king and the State's "did give in the memorials at "the Hague, and was fo contrary to the designs of the "French, who intended to of"fer no other fecurity but the "renewing the treaty of Ryf"wick, that it was no wonder, "if men, gained by the French "gold, fhould have oppofed it, "but it feemed very strange to "fee fo great an oppofition made "to it by men that must be pre"fumed incapable of corruption " and who are esteemed fteady "to their country; yet as there "are odd accidents that happen "fometimes, but that lie fo far "out of the way, that no ac"count can be given of them; "fo this drew on, I cannot tell "how, a debate of many hours, "and of much heat. If Ver"failles had dictated the arguments, they could not have "chofen them better, or wifhed "them to have been more dex"troufly managed; though I am fure you are not capable "of letting this pass upon you, "as if thofe great men were "fubject to the common frailty. "of loving for ready money.. "Therefore I will take no more "pains to fecure you from it. "The vote was carried, and it 66 was followed by a proteft, on "which I will make no reflec"tions, for the perfons are a"bove. I must only obferve. one thing more, that votes are generally conceived in "plain and fimple terms; but "when addreffes are to be made |