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A. C.

1677.

Perfon of undoubted Sincerity, feems to prove the contrary. The Lord Berkley coming to fee the Prince at Arlington Houfe, his Highness asked him the News. His Lordfhip made Anfwer, that he had been with fome Parliament Men, who were very warm for the Bill of Exclufion, and whom, by many Arguments, he had endeavour'd to perfwade against it: And why did you fo? reply'd the Prince. Thefe Words ftrangely furpriz'd the Lord Berkley, who perceiving how ill he made his Court to the Prince, by taking the Duke of York's part, turn'd the Converfation upon a more agreeable Subject. 'Tis certain that his Highness's Prefence gave fresh Spirit to the English Difcontents, and that King Charles was rid of a great Uneafinefs when the Prince* embark'd with his Royal Con-The Prince fort for Holland, where Affairs prefs'd his Return, returns to beyond the hopes of my Lord Duras from France. Holland, The King affur'd him he would never part from Novemb. the least Point of the Scheme feat over, and would 21. O. S. enter into the War against France, if they refus'd Decemb. it; but nevertheless his Highnefs went away with 1. N. S. the Mortification, to fee the Parliament Prorogued to the next Spring, which the French Ambaffador had gain'd of the King, to keep up the Credit of France after the Princes's Marriage,and before the Dispatch of the Project of Peace to that Court, However the ill humour of the People growing higher upon the noife of a Peace,Negotiated in France, and the Prorogation of the Parliament, this was by a Procla. mation Anticipated foon after the Lord Duras's Return; and a fhew made as if the King defign'd to enter into the War; for which the Parliament feem'd impatient whenever the King feem'd averfe to it;but grew jealous of Prevarication, whenever the Court appear'd enclin'd to it. The Prince and Princefs being Landed at Terheyde, went from thence to Hounflardike, where they tarried fome few Days, till they made their Publick Entry into the Hague, which was perform'd with Extraordinary Magni ficence.

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A. C. The News of the Prince's Marriage had reach'd 1673. Nimeguen fome time before, which gave the Confeder tes great Hopes that the King of England would now Declare in their Favour. But it had quite another Effect in Holland, particularly in Amfterdam, where the French Emiffaries found the Secret of raifing Jealoufies of the Measures concerted between the King and Prince, upon this new Alliance, as Dangerous to the Liberty of their Country, and to make it there Believ'd, that by this Match the King and the Duke had wholly brought over the Prince to their Intereft and Sentiments; whereas the Prince, went indeed away poffeffed of having drawn them into his; tho' they were all equally Miftaken. But how different foever their Apprehenfions abroad might be of things, King Charles entirely receded from his Engagements to the Prince, of entering into the War with all the Allies, in cafe of no direct and immediate Anfwer from the King of France upon the Terms of the Peace; and contented himself to fend Mr. Thinn over in Holland with a Draught of an Alliance to be made with the States, in order to Force France and Spain into a Compliance with the Scheme agreed on, and to Confign the fame into the Hands of Mr. Hide then at the Hague. Accordingly the Treaty was Sign'd on the 16th of January, tho' not without great Difficulties, and much Diffatisfaction on the Part of the Prince of Orange, who was yet covered in it by the private Confent of the Spanish Minifter there, in behalf of his Mafter; fo that the War could not break out but upon France, in Cafe of their Refufal. This Alliance be. ing thus Concluded, the King of England difpatched Mr. Montague into France, to prefs that Monarch to accept his Terms, and at the fame time gave out Commiffions for raifing an Army; but nevertheless the French King rejected thefe Conditions of Peace, and made great Preparations to open the Campagne earlier than ordinary. Thereupon His Britannick Majefty recall'd the Troops he had in. the Service of France, and having Summon'd his Parliament, Communicated to them the late Alli

ance

A. C. 1678,

ance he had made with Holland, for the publick Be nefit and Repofe of Christendom, and ask'd them Money upon it for putting himself in a Pofture to carry on the War, if the Peace fail'd. The House of Commons return'd His Majefty Thanks for the great Care he took of the Proteftant Religion, in Marrying his Niece to a Proteftant Prince, befeeching him not to Confent to any Conditions of Peace with France, unless they were better than thofe at the Pyrenean Treaty. To which the King having Confented, the Commons after a long Debate, refolv'd to Equip a Fleet of Fourfcore and Ten Men of War, and to raise an Army of Thirty Thousand Land Men, and nam'd Commiffioners to Compute the Charge. In the mean time, if an ill grounded Sufpicion in Holland of the Prince's Conduct and ambitious Designs fince his Marriage, made them uneafie among themfelves, and daily more and more enclin'd them to a Peace; yet the News that came at this time of the French taking from them the Ifland of Tobago, befides the Death of Binks Admiral of Zealand, and the utter Ruin of that Colony, did no lefs fenfibly affect them. But what was a more formidable Blow than all the reft, was the vaft Progrefs of the French Army this Spring in the Spanish Netherlands. For, towards the end of February, his most Christian Majefty, Marching at the Head of his Forces, and carrying the Queen and the Ladies to Mentz, feem'd to have a Delign either on Luxemburgh, Namur or Mons; but having drawn the Spaniards that way, all on a fudden, and to the no lefs Surprize of the French themfelves, than of the Allies, hecroft the Countries, fat down before Ghent, and notwithstanding the Ghent Difficulties occafion'd by the Seafon, and the Be- and Ypre fieg'd drowning part of the Country, made him- Be fieg'd felf Master both of that Town, and foon after of by the Tpre; and thereby gave a mighty Alarm to Holland, French, and ftrengthen'd the Credit and Endeavours of thofe he had already difpos'd to his Conditions of a Peace, as grown now abfolutely neceffary, while England amus'd the People with a feeming Refo lution to go into the War, or at least furnish'd the

and taken

A. C. Confederates with many fuch Hopes. After the 1678. taking of thefe two Places the King of France difpos'd his Armies into Quarters of Refreshment, whether he thought them fufficiently haraft, or whether he was afraid of the English, who at the Deure of the Spanish Ambaffador, had fent over confiderable Forces, under the Command of the Duke of Monmouth, to fecure the Important Town of Oftend, which the French feem'd to threaten.

. Not long after the World was aftonish'd to hear that the French King had entirely abandon'd Meffind, and all Sicily. Some afcribed it to meer Necettity, and others to a Defign of pursuing the Conqueft of Flanders with redoubled Vigour and Application. However it was, the Parliament of England were of this laft Opinion, and therefore to stop his Career, they petition'd the King to Declare open War against him, and granted His Majefty a Poll-Bill, Prohibiting by the fame At the Importation of all French Commodities. King Charles who was now defirous to enter into a League with the Empire, Spain, and the United Provinces, would oblige them to make the fame Prohibition in relation to French Goods; but while the Hollanders were demurring upon the last Point, believing that fuch a Prohibition would ruin their Trade, an unexpected Accident fell out, that chang'd the whole Scene of Affairs.

The King The King of France, after his return to Paris, feeof France'sing his Britannick Majefty fo warmly preft by his Project of Parliament to enter into the War, particularly fince Peace. the Prince of Orange's Journey into England, and his Apr. 9th. Marriage with the King's Niece, made a publick

1678.

Declaration of the Terms upon which he was refolved to make the Peace, which he fent to his Minifters at Nimeguen, there to be diftributed amongst the other Ambaffadors and Mediators. The Chief of these Propofals were, That the King of Sweden and the Duke of Gottorp fhould be entirely fatisfied. That the Prince and Bishop of Stratf burg fhould be reftor'd to all his Demefns, Goods, Honours and Prerogatives; and that his Brother Prince William of Furftemberg should be fet

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at Liberty. That as for the Emperor he fhould A. C.. alter nothing in the Publick Declarations that were 1678. made at the Treaty of Weftphalia; only he offer'd either to keep Phillipsburg and give up Friburg, or elfe to keep Friburg, and give up Philipsburgh. That as for Spain, he would Reftore Charleroy, Aeth, Oudenard, Courtray, Ghent, Limburgh, Binch and St. Guillain, with their Dependencies; but in Recompence, demanded all the Franche-Comté, Valencien nes, Bouchain, Condé, Cambray, Aire, St. Omers, pre, Werwick and Werneton, Bavay, Maubeuge, Poperin gue, Bailleul and Caffel, with all their Dependen cies; in a Word, all thofe Places he was in Poffeffion of, except thofe abovemention'd. Befides, he confented to Surrender Charlemont to the Ca tholick King, or in Lieu thereof Dinant and Bouvines, provided the Bishop of Liege and the Emperor agreed to it. By which means the Spanish Frontier in the Netherlands, would for the Future, begin from the Sea to the Meufe,by Newport, Dixmude Courtray,Oudenard, Aeth, Mons, Charleroyand Namur.That as for what concern'd the States General, befides theSatisfaction he gave them by what he yielded up toSpain,he offder'd to reftore Maeftricht to them, and to agree to the Treaty of Commerce in fuch Form as it was fram'd at Nimeguen with Monfieur Beverning. And as for the Interefts of the Duke of Lorrain, he was willing to Reftore him according to the Pyrenean Treaty; or to Surrender all his Territories to him, except the City of Nancy, but that by way of Recompence he would give the Important City of Toul, referving nevertheless to himfelf a Paflage from his Frontiers into Alfatia, and the Roads that would be neceffary to him from France to Nangy, and from Nancy to Mets, Brifac and the Franche-Comté,

Thefe Terms of Peace, tho' very different from thofe agreed between His Britannick Majefty and Holland,and more from the Pretenfions of the Allies; yet having, as to what concern'd Spain and Hol land, been privately agreed with fome Leaders of the Principal Towns, prov'd indeed the Scheme

of

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