A. C, the Duke of York. His Royal Highnefs was ex1677. treme cold upon the Propofal, which was very well receiv'd and flented to by His Majefty; but with this Condition, That the Terms of a Peace abroad might be firft agreed on between them. The Prince excus'd himself, and faid, He must end his fift Bufinefs before he began the other. The King and Duke were both pofitive in their Opinion, and the Prince refolute in his; and faid at laft, That his Allies, who were like to have hard Terms of the Peace, as things then flood, would be apt to believe that he had made this Match at their Expence, and for his part he would never fell his Honour for a Wife. Nevertheless the King remain'd fo firm for three or four days, that the whole Bufinefs was like to break upon this Punctilio. About that time Sir William Temple went to the Prince after Supper, and found him in very ill humour. His Highnefs told him, He repented be ever came into England, and was refolv'd to stay but two Days longer, if the King continued in his Mind for Treating upon the Peace before he was Maried; but that before he went he must chufe how they should live hereafter; for he was fure it must be either like the greateft Friends, or the greatest Enemies and defir'd Sir William to let His Majefty know So next Morning, and give him an account of what he should say upon it. Accordingly Sir William Temple told the King all the Prince had faid to him the Night before, and reprefented to his Majesty the ill Confequences of a Breach between them, confidering the ill Humour of fo many of his Subjects upon his late Measures with France, and the Invitations made his Highness by feveral of them, during the late War. The King heard Sir William with great Attention, and then faid, Well, I never yet was deceiv'd in judging of a Man's honesty by his looks, and if I am not deceiv'd in the Prince's Face, he is the honefteft Man in the World, and I will truft him, and he shall have his Wife, and you shall go immediately and tell my Brother fo, and that 'tis a thing I am refolv'd on. Sir William Temple did fo, and the Duke at first feem'd a little furpriz'd, but then faid, The King fhould be

obey'd,

*

obey'd, and he would be glad all his Subjects would learn A. C of him to obey him. From the Duke of York Sir 1677. William Temple went to the Prince of Orange, who was fo tranfported with this unexpected News, that embracing him he told him, He had made him the happiest Man in the World. Immediately after Sir William gave an account of what had pafs'd to the Lord Treasurer, who took upon him to adjuft all the reft between the King, the Duke, and the Prince; and indeed he conquer'd fo effectually the Duke's Unwillingness, by an enlargement of his Revenue, fettled upon the Poft-Office, that the Match was declar'd that Evening at the Committee, before any other in Court knew any thing of it) and next day in Council; and receiv'd there, and every where elfe in the Kingdom, with The Match Univerfal Joy. The French Ambaffador and the between the Prince of Lord Arlington appear'd the two only Perfons un-Orange fatisfied upon it at Court; the firft not knowing and the how to Anfwer it to his Mafter, that an Affair of Lady Ma that Importance fhould be tranfacted without hisry declar'd, Advice, or indeed fo much as his Knowledge, in Novem. 1. a Court where nothing before had done fo for ma-N. S. hy Years; and the Lord Arlington, that it fhould pafs without his Communication, who firft endeavour'd to keep up the Court in the Belief of his Confidence with the Prince. After this the whole Council went in a Body to Compliment the Lady Mary, and afterwards the Prince; the reft of the Nobility did the fame after their Example.

The Prince of Orange immediately dispatch'd away an Exprefs to the States, to acquaint, them with what had pafs'd, expecting their Approbation of the Match with all fpeed, that he might the fooner repair to them for the Service of their Country. Thereupon the States General Affembled, and having maturely weigh'd the Advantages which might accrue to their State from this Marriage, as for Inftance, a Confirmation of the Union between England and Holland; the Establishment and Illuftration of the Houfe of Orange, and the Conclufion of the Peace fo earnestly defir'd over and above the happy choice his Highness had

H

Mrade

A. C. made of a Princefs, every way Accomplish'd, ex1677. preft their Approbation by a Publick Edict, in Terms full of Joy and Satisfaction; declaring, moreover, the mighty Efteem they had for fo Glorious an Alliance, and their fincere and firm Refolution to cultivate the ancient Friendship and good Correfpondence which was between his Bri tannick Majefty and them.

The Mar

*

This Anfwer arriving at London on his Highriage is nefs's Birth-day, the Marriage was Celebrated at Confumma Eleven at Night, but with fo little Noife, that the ted,* Nov. People knew nothing of it till the next Morning, 14. N. S. when they gave all Publick demonftrations of their Joy; and immediately after the King, Duke and Prince fell into the Debates upon the Terms of the Peace; to which, as to that of the Match, none but the Lord Treasurer and Sir William Tem ple were admitted. "The Prince infifted hard upon the ftrength and enlargement of a Frontier on "both fides of Flanders, without which France, he faid, would end this War with the Profpect of beginning another with more Advantage and ἐσ Surprize, after the breaking the prefent Confe "deracy. That their Ambition would never end "till they had all Flanders and Germany to the

66

66

Rhine, and thereby Holland in an abfolute depen"dance upon them, which would leave them "an ill Condition,and England in no good one; and "that Christendom could not be fafe without "fuch a Frontier as he propos'd in Flanders, and "the Reftitution of Lorrain, as well as what the "Emperor had loft in Alfatia. The King was content to leave that Bufinefs a little loofe, upon the Confidence that France was fo weary of this War, that if they could get out of it with Hohour, they would never begin another in this Reign; That the King of France grew paft his Youth and Lazy, and would turn to the Pleafures of the Court, and Building, and leave his Neighbours in quiet. Upon this Sir William Temple told the King: That in the Courfe of his Experience of the World, he had never obferv'd Men's Natures to alter by Age or Fortunes; but that a good Boy made a good,

Man

Man, and a young Coxcomb an old Fool; and that quiet A. C. Spirits were fo, young as well as old, and unquiet ones 1677. would be fo old as well as young; That he believ'd the n King of France would always have fome Bent or other, Jometimes War, fometimes Love, fometimes Building; but that he was of the Prince's Opinion, that he would never make Peace but with a defign of a new War, after he had finifh'd his Conqueft by the last; in which Opinion his Majefty feem'd to concur. The Points of Lorrain and Alfatia were readily agreed to by the King and the Duke of York, but they would not hear of the County of Burgundy, as what France would never part with; though the Prince infifted much upon it, fo as the King thought his Highness was touched by the Intereft of his own Territories there; and thereupon told him, "That for his Lands he "would charge himself with either his enjoying "them as fafely under France as Spain, or if he was rather willing to part with them than have "that dependance, he would undertake to get him "what Price he fhould himself value them at. But He answer'd generously, That he should not trouble scheme of a bimfelf nor the Peace about that Matter, and that he Peace a would be content to lofe all his Lands, to get one good greed on by Town more for the Spaniards, upon the Frontier of King CharFlanders. So that all Difficulties feem'd to center les II. and In what was thought neceffary on that fide. This the Prince occafion'd great Debates between the King and f Orange. Prince; One pretending France would never agree to one Scheme, and t'other that Spain would never confent to the other. Upon the whole matter it was refolv'd, that the Peace fhould be made upon thefe Terms, All to be reftor'd by France to the Empire and Emperor, that had been taken in the War; the Dutchy of Lorrain to that Duke, and all on both fides between France and Holland; and to Spain the Towns of Aeth, Charleroy, Oudenarde, Courtray, Tournay, Condé, Valenciennes, St Guillain, and Binch. That the Prince fhould endeavour to procure the Confent of Spain, and his Britannick Majefty that of France. To this purpose His Majefty was to fend a Perfon immediately over with the Propofition, who should be inftructed to enter H 2

into

A. C. into no other Reasonings upon it, but demand a 1677. pofitive Anfwer in two Days, and then forthwith return. The Queftion was who fhould go? And the Lord Treasurer said, It must be either he or Sir William Temple, none elfe being in the Confidence of this Affair. The Prince faid, It must be Sir William, for the Lord Treafarer could not be Spar'd: To which his Majefty readily agreed, and order'd Sir William to be ready in two Days. The Evening before he was to go, His Majefty told him, He had reflected on his Journey and his Errand, and how unwelcom he should be in France, as well as his Meffage: And therefore he had been thinking of fending another Perfon. Sir William told the King, "He never had lefs mind to any Journey in his Life, and that he would do him the greatest "Pleafure in the World to fend another. Thereupon the King ask'd him, what he thought of the Lord Duras? Sir William faid, Very well; upon which His Majefty feem'd to refolve it, though the thing had been already agreed in the Morning, upon the Duke of York's defire, who either thought France would accept the Terms, and had a mind to have the Honour of the Peace, by fending a Servant of his own; or, as fome fufpected, defign'd to favour the French intereft. This laft Opinion feem'd to be confirm'd by the fuccefs of the Lord Duras's Entbafly, who after the delivery of his Meffage, was prevail'd with to stay longer than his time, and,after all, came away without any positive Anfwer; whereby the Bufinefs came to be drawn out into fo many Meffages and Returns from France, that it dwindled into nothing.

The Duke of York had reafon to be averfe to his Daughter's Marrying the Prince of Orange, for as this Match was Treating, the Bill of Exclufion was upon the Anvil, by which the Lady Mary was to fucceed to the Crown upon the Death of King Charles. Some Hiftorians have advanc'd, that Welwood while this Affair was depending the Prince of Orange look'd on, without efpouling any of the Parties, that struggled for or against the faid Bill; but the following Paffage, which I had from a

Doctor

Perfor