A. C. and way'd it about his Head, to fhew the Wound 1676. was but in the Flefh, at which they all reviv'd, and his Highnefs went on without interruption

in the Profecution of the Sicge. But a cruel Sicknefs falling into his Army, weakened it more than all the Affaults they had given the Town. The Forces he expected from the Bishop of Munster, and the Dukes of Lunenburgh, and upon which Affurance the: Siege was undertaken, came not up to Reinforce him; and the Rhinegrave, who, next the Prince, was the Chief Spring of this Action, happening to be wounded foon after, was forc'd to retire to a Caftle in the Neighbourhood, where he died, by all which the Army grew difpirited and the Siege faint. In the mean time, Marefchal Schomberg, who trufted to a Vigorous DeRaifes the fence at Macftricht had befieg'd and taken Aire, a Siege. Place then of confiderable Strength, and after the Prince's Army was weaken'd by all the Accidents and Difappointments of the Siege, march'd with all the French Forces throughthe Heart of the Spanish Low-Countries, to the Relief of Macftricht; upon his Approach, and the Refolutions of aCouncil of War in his Highness's Camp, the Siege was rais'd, and with it the Campaign ended in Flanders.

From this time, the Prince of Orange began to Defpair of any Succefs in this War, after fuch Trials of fuch Weakness in the Spanish Troops and Conduct, and uncertainty in the German Refolutions. 'Tis remarkable that tho' his Highnels did afterwards make ufe of Marefchal Schomberg's Counfels and Experience in his Expedition into England, and in the Reduction of Ireland, yet he ftill had a fecret Pique against that great General, for forcing him to rife from before Maeftricht. 'Tis alfo reported, That at this Siege the Prince of Orange gave fome hard Words to Colonel (afterwards Sir John) Fenwick, which the Colonel ftomach'd fo much, that he ever after profest an Enmity.to his Treaty car- Highness.

ried on at

Nimeguen.

The Campaign being thus ended, the French made all the Advances they could towards the Progrefs of the Treaty, and they were no doubt

in Earnest being in a Pofture to infift upon their A. C. prefent Poffeffions: And having made a great Hand 1676. of this laft Summer, were willing, like winning

*

Gamefters, to give over unless oblig'd to Play on * Sir. W by the Lofers. The Swedes were more in haft and Temple's in earnest for the Peace than any; the Dutch were Memoirs. grown Impatient for it, finding France would make p. 127. no Difficulty of any thing between them; but Denmark and Brandenburgh were as violent against it, having fwallow'd up in their Hopes all that Sweden had Poffefs'd in Germany; and the Emperor feem'd to pretend little more after the taking of Philipsburgh, befides the Reftitution of Lorrain, and the Towns of Alfatia, to the Pofture they were left in by the Munfter-Treaty; yet they were fo faft link'd both with their German Allies as well as Spain, that they refolv'd to make no ftep in the Treaty but by common Confent; and Spain, tho' Senfible of the ill Condition of their Affairs, both in Flanders and in Sicily, yet upon a Design then hatching at Madrid, for removing the Queen Regent and her Miniftry, to place Don John at the Head of the Government, had conceiv'd great Hopes to recover thofe defperate Infirmities, that their inveterate Disorders both in Councils and Conduct, had for a long time occafion'd; befides the Affurances they had still given them from their Minifters in England, that His Britannick Majesty would not, after all, be contented to fee Flanders loft, or would be forc'd into the War by the Humour of the Parliament. For thefe Reafons the Allies feem'd to make no haft at all to the Congrefs: But about the end of September the French Ambaffadors gave the English Mediators Notice, That their Mafter was refolv'd to recall his Ambafadors, unless thofe of the Chief Confederates fhould repair to Nimeguen within the space of a Month. This the Mediators communicated to the Dutch Ambaffadors, and they to the States, who after fome Conference with the Minifters of the Allies, came to a Refolution, that they would enter upon the Treaty themfelves, if the Minifters of their Confederates fhould not repair to Nimeguen, by

the

A. C. the first of November, Old Stile. This Refolution 1676. had fo good Effect, that the feveral Allies did upon it begin to haften away one or other of their intended Ambaffadors towards Nimeguen ; (as Count Kinkski from Vienna, Don Pedro Ronquil lo from England, where he then refided as Spanif Envoy) but not the Perfons principally intrufted, or at the Head of their Embailies, nor with Powers to proceed further than Preliminaries; and from Denmark, Monfieur Heug without any News of Count Antoine's Preparation, who was appointed Chief of that Embaffie; any more than of the Bifhop of Gurke, or Marquis de los Balbaces, the | Chiefeft of thofe defign'd from the Emperor and Full Powers Spain. Upon the Delivery of the Refpective full deliver'd, Powers of the feveral Ambaffadors into the Hands Novemb. of the Mediators in November; the Dutch Ambaf

the 21.

1676.

fadors made feveral Exceptions against fome Expreffions in the French and Swedish Prefaces to their Powers. After much Debate, they all agreed in the Defiring the English Mediators to draw up a Form of Powers to be us'd by all the Parties, which was done and approv'd by them all, with fome Reserve only from the French, whether it would be fit to mention any Mediation, fince that of the Pope was left out; and fome Overtures made to the English Ambaffadors, whether they would be Content to leave out all Mention of His Majefties Mediation, as well as that of the Pope. This they excus'd themfelves from doing, the whole Frame of the Congrefs having proceeded from His Majefties Mediation, without any InDifputes tervention of the Pope's; and the King's having about the been accepted by all the Parties which the Pope's Pope's Me had not been, but on the contrary, the very mendiation. tion of it in the Powers, Declar'd against by feveral of them. And by Order they received from His Britannick Majefty upon this Difpute, they Declar'd to all the Parties, That tho' his Majefty pretended not to Exclude any other Mediation that the Parties fhould think fit to ufe, yet he could not in any wife At jointly with that of the Pope, nor fuffer his Minifters to enter into any

Com

Commerce either of Vifits or Conferences, with A. C. any of his, that might be employ'd at Nimeguen. 1676. The Spanish Ambaffador agreed with the French in this one Point, of defiring either the Pope's Mediation might be mention'd in their Powers, or that His Britannick Majefty, in Confideration of the Peace, would fuffer his to be left out; but the Danes on t'other fide agreed with the Dutch in refufing to admit any Power with mention of the Pope's Mediation. There arofe likewife another Difficulty from a feeming Expedient propos'd by the Dutch, of having from each Party feveral Powers granted for treating with the feveral Parties they were in War with, which the French refus'd, or to grant other Powers than for the Dutch and their Allics; and in thefe Difputes the Year 1676 ended.

The Prince of Orange, about the latter end of December, Writ very Earneftly to Sir William Temple to make a step for fome few Days to the Hague: and Sir William finding all things without prefent Motion at Nimeguen, went thither the last Day of the Year. The first of the next having attended his Highnefs, they fell into large Difcourfes of the Progrefs of the Treaty, and coldness of the Parties, the affected Delays of the Imperialists and Spaniards, the Declar'd Averfions of the Danes and Brandenburghers, and concluded how little was to be expected from the formal fteps of this Congrefs. Upon all which the Prince ask'd the English Minifter, Whether he had heard any more of His Majefties Mind upon the Peace? Sir William told him, that he remembred a faying of His Majefties laft Letter to him upon that Subject, which was, That he concluded from the Prince's Difcourfes to Sir William, that he had then no Mind to a Peace that he was Sorry for it, because he thought it was his Interest to have it. That he had try'd to know the Mind of France upon it, but if they would not open themselves further ef one fide, nor his Highnes on the other, than they had yet done, he would Content himself with performing his Part of a Mediator, and in the Commmon Forms. The Prince told Sir William

A. C. William, "This look'd very cold, fince his Ma1677. jefty was alone able to make the Peace, and "knew very well what it would come to by the "Forms of the Congrels. That for his own Part "he defir'd it, and had a great deal of Reason, "both because His Majefty feem'd to do fo, and 66 to think it his own Intereft as well as the Prince's, and becaufe the States not only thought it "their Intereft, but abfolutely neceffary for them. "That he would, not fay this to any but the King "by Sir VVillam; becaufe if France fhould know "it, they would, he doubted, be harder upon the "Terms. That both Spain and the Emperor had "lefs mind to it now, than they had at the end of "the last Campaign, fo that none of the Allies had 66 a mind to it befides the States. That for his own Part, he fhould always be in the fame "Mind with them; and that if His Majefty would "let him know freely the Conditions upon which "either he defir'd or believ'd it might be made, he "would endeavour to concert it the beft he could "with His Majefty, and that with all the Freedom "and Sincerenefs in the World, fo it might be "done with any fafety to his own Honour and "the Interests of his Country. All which he defir'd Sir VVilliam Temple to write directly to His Majefty from him.

Two Days after, Sir VVilliam had a Conference The Dutch with Penfioner Fagel, wherein the Penfioner told a Separate him, That the States not only defir'd the Peace from

incline to

a

Peace.

their Hearts, but thought it abfolutely necessary for them; nay, that they would not infift upon a Peace according to their Allies Pretentions, nor could be AnSwer that they would not make a Separate one. Sir VVilliam Temple reply'd. That was a Matter of fuch Moment, as he was fure they would think of it another Year before they did it. With this the Penfioner began a Difcourfe with more Heat and Earneftness, than agreed well with the Pofture of Health he was in, faying, That they had thought enough of it already, and with thinking much began to find it was without Remedy. Then he fell into Expoftulations with their Allies, but principally

the