A. C. 1597.

" on it, but only of Aeth and charleroy, for Aire " and St. Omer; which two last, he thought, im“ported a great deal more to France than the o

thers, unless they would Declare, that they in“tended to end this War with the Prospect of be

ginning another, by which they must get the rest “c of Flanders. That this was all that should pass

between France and Spain, and for the Emperor " and the States, that the first having taken Pbilips“ burgh from the French, should raze it, and the “ French having taken Maestricht from the Dutch, “ should raze it too, and this whole War should

pass, like a Whirl-wind that had ceas'd, after it 6 had threatned much, and made but little alteration Sin the World.

Sir William Temple was surpriz'd to hear a Proposition fo on the sudden, fo judicious, so short and so decisive, and that seem'd so easie towards a short Close, it His Majesty of Great Britain, should give into it. However, his Excellency obsery'd to his Highness, that he had not explain'd what was to become of Lorrain and Burgundy; and next, whether he believ'd it at all likely, that France should come to such Reftitutions of what they had lately acquird, without an Equivalent ? 'The Prince reply'd, " Both were explain'd by the “Terms he propos'd of Aix-la-Chapelle, that for

Lorrain, France never pretended to keep it, but “ from the last Duke only. That Burgundy could

not he parted with bv Spain, without the French

Restoring so many Towns for it in Flanders, as « would raise endleis Debates, and fo leave the Bu. “ finess to the decision of another Campaign. For as the Second, he said, He had Reason to doubt it,

and did not believe it would be done, but by 66 His Britannick Majesty's vigorous Interposition ; “but if His Majesty would not endeavour it, the

War must go on, and God Almighty must de.
cide it. That for himself, the King could never

do so kind a Part, as to bring him with some
“ Honour out of it, and upon fome Moderate

Terms, but if he was Content that France should make them Insupportable, the Allies would

1

66

Venture all, rather than receive them. And A: C.
for Holland's making a Separate Peace, let the 1677.
Pensioner, or any others, fay what they would,
they should never do it while he was alive, and
was able to hinder it; and he would say one

thing more, That he believ'd he was able to hin-
der it. That if he died, he knew it would be

done the next day ; but when that should hap-
pen, this Matter must be some others Care,

and perhaps the English were the most concern'd
"to look after it. Sir William Temple gave an
Account of this Discourse to his Master, and in
the mean time, Sir Lionel Fenkins his Colleague at
Nimeguen, having discover'd a Secret and Sepa-
rate Negociation between the French and the Dutch
Plenipotentionaries, gave Account of it to the
Court, and receiv'd an immediate Order from the
King of Great Britain, publickly to Protest against
it, in His Majesty's Name; which however wa
prevented by Sir William Temple's representing
the insignificancy of such a Protestation.

Sir William Temple having * receiv'd His Ma-
ster's Answer to his Dispatches by the Prince's Di.Jan. ,
sections, carried them immediately away to Dieren, 1677.
and there Communicated them to the Prince. The
King's Answer consisted of two Parts; the First,
An Offer of His Majesty's entring into the strongest
Defensive Alliance with the Durch, thereby to secure
them from all Apprehensions from France, after the
Peace should be made ; and the Second was His Ma-
jesty's Remarks, rather than Conclusion upon the
Terms propos'd by the Prince for a Peace. Thar
he believ'd it might be compafs’d with France upon the
Exchange of Cambray, Aire, and St. Omer, for
Aeth, Charlery, Oudenarde, Condé and Bouchain,
That this Scheme was what His Majesty thought posible
to be obtain'de of France, tho' not what was to be
wisb’d.

The Prince's Countenance chang'd when Sir
VVilliam Temple nam'd Cambray, and the rest of the
Towns; nevertheless, his Highness heard him
through, and the many Nice Reasons of Sir Joseph

G 3.

A C. Williamson upon the Matter, as of a double Fron 1677. tier this would give to Flanders. After which the

Prince faid, he believ'd Dinner was ready, and he would talk of it when they had Din'd, tho he would tell him now, and in few Words, That he mut rather Die than make such a Peace.

After Dinner the Prince told the English Ambarsador, " That he had not expected such a Re" 'turn of the Confadence he had begun towards “His Majesty. He observd the Offer of Alliance 6 came to him in a Letter of His Majesties own “ Hand; but that abour the Terms of a Peace, from 6 the Secretary only; that it was in a Stile, as if

he thought him a Child, or to be Fed with whipt “Cream; that since all this had been before the “Foreign Committee, he knew very well, it had 6 been with the French Ambassador too, and that "the Terms were his, and a great deal worse than “they could have directly from France. That in " short, all must be ventur'd, since he was in, and “ found no other way out; and that he would ra"ther Charge a Thoufand Men with an Hundred,

nay, tho’he were fure to Die in the Charge, " than enter into any Concert of a Peace upon " these Conditions.

Sir William imparted to the Court of England what past in this Interview, to which he * recei. ved an Answer from Secretary Viliamson, which his Highness relish'd as ill as he had done the former, insomuch that he told Sir VVilliam, “That he was Sorry to find the King's Thoughts fo diffe

rent from his, and that whenever they grew nearer, he should be glad to know it. But he “look'd now upon the Campagne as begun, " and believ'd at the Time they talk'd, the Guns

were playing before Valenciennes. Thar he law

now no hopes of a Peace, but expected a long " War, unless Flanders should be lost, and in that “ Cafe the States must make the beft Terms they “ could. That he expected a very ill beginning “ of the Campagne, and to make an ill Figure in

Feb. 24.

“form'd what he promis’d, the Campagne might A. C. "not end as it began. That however he was in, 1677. " and must go on; adding, And when one is at

High Mass one is at it; meaning, one must stay
" till’tis done, because the Crowd is so great one
“can't get out. After this Interview, which pale'd
at Soefdike, one of the Prince's Houses, his High-
ness went immediately away for the Hague, and
Sir VVilliam Temple return'd to Nimeguen, where tho
most of the Preliminaries were already adjusted,
the Pope's Mediation rejected, and that of the
King of Great Britain only accepted by all Parties,
get all Negociacions seem'd wholly at a stand, and
To continu'd till towards the end of April.

Whilst the Plenipotentiaries at the Congress,
were contending about Trifles, and amuling one
another with the Ceremonial, the Effential Parts -
of the Treaty were warmly Disputed with Fire
and Sword in the field. France had in the
nig of the Year, hot withstanding the Rigour of the
Seafon, over-run all the Country about Valencien-
nes, Cambriy, and St. Omer, and in a manner Block-
ed up these three Important Places, openly boast-
ing that they would make themselves Masters of
two of them before the Spaniards were in a Con-
dition to take the field. 'About the end of Febru-
ary, having provided fufficient Magazines for the
Súblistance

of their Forces, they began to penetrate
into Flanders, and into those Parrs of Germany on!
t'other side of the Rhine, where they made their
first Eslay of burning and spoiling defenceless
Towns and Villages, which they have since im.
prov'd to fo.dreadful a Degree. The Confederates
complain’d to the King of England of this new
manner of making War, who employd his Offices
to hinder fuch Unchristian Devastations, while a
Treaty was on Foot under his Mediation; but the
thing was done, and the French had gaind their
Point, which was by an absolute ruin of the Coun-
try to cut off the Imperialists from all Subîstance,
if they should March into Alsatia, and by that
means divert those Troops that France resolv'd to
employ in the Netherlands, before the Dutch could

leave

G4

A. C. leave their Winter Quarters, and Marcha to the 16-7. Relief of those Places they intended to Beliege.

About the beginning of March the Duke of LuxVa enci. cm'u gh and Count de Montal invested Valenciennes, ennes ia- with an Army of between Fifty and Sixty Thoumu by she find Men. Four Days after the King of France cerch, came in Person to the Camp, and by his Presence

ch 17.1o animated the Troops, that in few Days the 77. Town was carried by a General Assault; notwith

standing the Difficulties occasion d by the Season, and a Galiant Defence of a numerous Garrison, Commanded by the Marquiss de Risburg, Brother to Prince d'Epinoy. From Valenciennes the French King march'd with a mighty Army, and laid Siege to Cimbray with one part of it, and to St. Omer with the other, under the Duke of Orleans. In few Days, from the opening of the Trenches, the Lines of Circumvallation were finish d, and the

King commanded an Affault to be made on the The Town of

two Half Moons on the Castle fide, which the

French having foon made themselves Masters of, Cambray taken,

they immediately began to undermine the Ram. parts. This put the Bericgd into such a Confternation, that they desir'd to Capitulate, and Surrendred the Town of Cambray upon Articles; but the Cittadel held out for some Days longer, the Go. vernour having taken Advantage of the Ceflation of Arms to provide for its Defence.

In the mean time the Dutch having receiv’d their Payments due from Spain, and finding the French profecuted their Design upon Flanders, whilst the Negotiations of Peace ferv'd only to make the Spaniards more remiss in their Preparations, resolv’d to go on with another Campagne, being kept up to this Resolution by the Prince of Orange's preiling them to the Oblervance of their Treaties, and pursuit of their Interest, in the Preservation of the Spanish Netherlands. Upon the first Motion of the French, the Prince began to prepare for that of his Troops likewise, and prest the Spaniards to have theirs in readiness to join him ; and with all imaginable Diligence provided for the Sublistance of his Army in their March thro’ Flanders, which the

Span