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A. C. of the Peace, both for the Dutch, and all the o 1678. ther Confederates engag'd in the War. And here the French began their Imperious way of Treating, which they afterwards purfued in the whole Negotiation of the enfuing Peace, Declaring, These were the lowest Conditions the King of France would admit, and upon which his Enemies might make Choice either of War or Peace; and to which he pretended to be tied no longer than to the 10th of May, after which be would be at Liberty to Change or Reftrain them, as he fhould think fit.

ney by France.

The Imperialists, of all others, feem'd the leaft | inclinable to accept the foregoing Conditions; and the Point of requiring full Satisfaction_to Sweden, was infupportable to the Northern Princes; nay, the Spaniards and the Confederates look'd upon them fo hard, that they faid, They would Hazard all, rather than Submit to them. When the French Ambaffador carried those Proposals to Sir Lionel Fenkins, then Sole Mediator, in Order to be Communicated by him to the Minifters of the Allies, he made Anfwer, He could not do it as a Mediator, but that he would acquaint the Parties with them in Difcourfe, as a Matter to which he promis'd no Answer. This he did because of the other Terms that had already been agreed on in January, between England and Holland, for forcing France and Spain to a Compliance; which tho they prov'd of little ufe in the Courfe of this War, yet they made the French apprehenfive, that His Britannick Majefty might at last fall into the War in good Earneft, and thereupon abandon'd Meffi pa and Sicily, to Reinforce their Armies on the Rhine, and in the Netherlands.

To prevent the formidable Conjunction of the K. Charles King of England with the rest of the Allies, the II. tempted with Me French made ufe of an Argument which was most likely to prevail with a Prince, whom his Expenfive Miftreffes, and parfimonious Parliament kept in conftant Want: For Monfieur de Louvois in a long Conversation he had with Mr. Montague, His Britannick Majefty's Ambaffador at Paris, reprefented to his Excellency, The Measures they

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"had already taken for a Peace in Holland upon A. C. "the French Terms; that fince they were agreed 1678. there, they hoped the King of England would not "be against it; that however his Mafter had or"der'd him to make His Britannick Majesty the "offer of a great Sum of Money for his Confent, "tho' to a thing already accepted by Holland, "and wherein His Majefty was confequently not concern'd. The violent Difpofitions of the Dutch to run into a Peace at this time, whatever came of it, and fuch a fatal and mutual Diftruft as there was; both in Court and Parliament, feem'd to juftifie the King's accepting this profitable Propofal, who faid, That fince the Hollanders would have a Peace upon the French Terms, and that France offer'd him Money for his Approbation of what he could not help, he knew no Reason why he might not get the Money, and fo required Sir William Temple to treat with the French Ambaffador about it. But that Worthy Patriot, out of a juft Tenderness of the King's Honour declip'd to enter into this opprobrious Negotiation with the French Ambaffador, who came to fee him for that purpose, and immediately retir'd into the Country.

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The Tenth of May, being the time limited by The Dutch the French Project of Peace, for the Allies to ac- accept of cept of the Terms or no, Monfieur Beverning the Dutch Plenipotentionary, fent fecretly to acquaint by France. cles offer'd the French Ambaffadors, That the States did accept of the King's Offer. However, that he might not by fuch a step alarm the Confederates, he gave the Count d'Avaux allo Notice, That he was very Defirous to speak with him in private, and for that end would take a Walk alone upon the Ramparts of Nimeguen, about Seven in the Morning, where they met accordingly, and, in a manner, fully concluded all Matters The Confequence of this interview was, the granting of Ten Days longer' for the Dutch to endeavour to petfwade their Allies to accept of the Terms propos'd as they them felves had done. The King of France being in form'd of thefe Advances, His Majefty writ a Let

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A. C. ter to the States, dated at his Camp at Deinfe, May 1678. the 8th, wherein he affured them, That he should ~ always be ready for their fake to Grant to Spain the The French fame Terms, with Relation to Flanders, which they King's Let- were now at Liberty to accept; and that in all that Ter to the time he would not attack any one Place in all thofe ProStates, vinces. That thus they should always find him readiMay 18. ly inclin'd, not only to form that Barrier, which they

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thought to neceffary for their own fafety, but to fecure it; and to let them enjoy, together with the Re-etablifoment of Commerce, whatever other Advantages they could expect from his Friendship. And if, for the Profecuting this Negotiation, they should think it neceffary fa fend Deputies to him, they would find him near Ghent will the 27th of that Month, and in the fame Difpofition be had declar'd to them in this LerThe States ter. The States after four Days Confultation, re. Anwer, turn'd his moft Chriftian Majefty an Antwer, May 25. wherein, "After having thankfully acknowledg'd the Honour he had done them, by Writing to

A Truce for fix Weeks

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them, and rejoic'd at the fincere Defire they "conceiv'd to be in His Majefty for the Peace "of Europe; they Pray'd he would be pleas'd to give Credit to Monfieur Beverning, their Extraordinary Ambaffador, whom they would fend "to inform him, how defirous they were on their "Part to give him fresh Affurances of their fincere Intentions alfo for the Peace. Monfieur Beverning attended the King of France accordingly, and manag'd his Negotiation fo well that he ob grated by taind a Ceflation of Arms for Six Weeks in Flan the K. of ders, to the end the Dutch might now, as Mediators, endeavour to perfwade the Spaniards to en ter into the Peace upon the Terms propos'd by France; and upon his return, he told the States That he found the French King as well inform'd of the Condition of his Enemies, and of the Places he might attack, as he was of his own AFfairs.

France.

England, in the mean time, was grown pretty The Allies, indifferent in the Bufinefs of the Peace; and the Spaniards feem'd inclin'd to comply with the nethe Dutch. ceflity of their Affairs, But the Emperor, King of

angry with

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Denmark, and Elector of Brandenburgh fell into the A. C. feverest Expoftulations and Reproaches against the 1678. States that could be well invented, ripping up all they ventur'd and fuffer'd in a War, wherein they had engag'd for the fole Prefervation of the United Provinces; but that now they were abandoned by them, under a Pretence of Concluding a Peace, and that, upon Imperious and Arbitrary Terms without their Confent. That they were not backward to treat with France, and make a Peace upon any fafe and reaforable Conditions, but would never fuffer to have them dictated, as from an Abfolute Conqueror; and would rather Venture their laft Stake, than tamely Yield to them; particularly to thofe for the Duke of Lorrain, whofe Cafe was the worst treated, tho' feemingly the most Favour'd by the Allies, and the leaft Difputed by France. The States were little mov'd at thefe verbal Storms, but held on their Course without regarding the Satisfaction of any other than Spain, in what concern'd the Barrier and fafety of Flanders; and the ftrights of that Crown made them eafie, tho' otherwife as little pleas'd as any of their Allies: Wherefore on June 22, the States gave Orders to their Plenipotentiaries at Nimeguen to fign the The States Peace with France, before the end of that Month; order their and at the fame time acquainted the King of France Plenipotens with their Compliance. But notwithstanding all tiaries to this tendency both in Spain and Holland to give Sign the the Treaty the finishing Stroke, yet at unexpect June 22ed Accident fell out, which went near to overturn 1678 the whole Fabrick, and renew the War with redoubled Vigour, and more equal Forces, by engaging England in a fhare of it, in favour of the Allies, which they had long been practising with out any Success. :

Peace,

In the Conditions the States had made for the The Peace French restoring the fix Spanish Towns in Flanders, obfiructed: there was no particular mention made of the time of that Reftitution, the Dutch and Spaniards prefuming, that it was to be upon the Ratification of the Treaty with Spain and Holland, whether any other of the Confederates were included or no

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A. C. And the Negotiation had been managed in that 1678. manner till the very day before the Peace was to be fign'd; when the Marquis de los Balbaces having either found or ftarted fome occafion of enquiring more particularly into the Intentions of France, bethought himfelf of an Explanation as to the time of the Reftitution of the laid Places. In order to that, he first went to the Dutch Plenipotentiaries to found their Opinions upon that Subject, who made Antwer, That if the French pretended to put off the Reftitution beyond the exchange of the Ratifications, it was a thing not meant by them; and thereupon going immediately to the French Ambaffadors to give them their Explications, which they would fend to the States General by an Exprefs, the latter did not stick to declare, That the King their Mafter being oblig'd to fee an entire Reftitution made to the Swedes, of all they had loft in the War, his Majefty would not evacuate the Towns in Flanders,till thofe belonging to the Swedes were likewife reftor'd; and that the keeping thefe Spanish Towns was the only means to enduce the Northern Princes to accept the Peace. The Dutch Ministers having receiv'd the States Answer thereupon, did upon the 25th of June declare to the French Plenipotentiaries, That they could not Sign the Peace unlefs his moft Chriftian Majesty did wave his Pretenfions, and restore the Spanish Towns upon the Ratifications of the Treaty. On the other fide, the French Ambaffadors were firm, and ftifly infifted on the Satisfaction of the Swedes. This ftrange Procedure of France made the States General fend to Monfieur Van Lewen, their Minifter at London, to acquaint his Britannick Majesty with it, and to know his Opinion upon a Point of fo great Importance. The King made difficulty at firft to believe it, but fending to the French Ambaffador at London to know the truth of it, and finding him own his Master's Intention, not to let go his hold in Flanders till the General Peace was concluded, and Sweden fatisfied, he was both Surpriz'd and Angry, and next Morning fent for Sir William Temple to the Foreign Committee, and

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