mendation to your foot guards and dragoons that can be, and which they deferve. We are very impatient for the to-morrow's letters, and hope to hear you have gained your point and relieved Mons. His Majefty has difpatched away Mr. Hyde to the Hague; and I believe you will not be displeased with the inftruction he carries, the fubftance of which you will have in cypher from the Lord Treasurer; fo that I fhall not repeat it to you, by which you will fee we do our parts, and that you shall always have reafon to believe me as kind to you as you can defire."

Duke of York to the Prince of Orange.—To the fame

66

I

purpose.

London, Aug. 13, 1678. RECEIVED this morning your's of the 20th from your camp near Revs, by the which I was very glad to find you had obtained your end without a fecond engagement, which has been much for your honour, and I hope will fet all things to rights where you are going. Before Before you receive this, you will have seen Mr. Hyde, and found that what you defired was done by advance; and I am fure you will have been pleased with the orders he carried, and you may be sure that nothing fhall be wanting on our fide, which that you may fee, we fhall fend over with all poffible fpeed three thoufand horfe and dragoons, and three battalions of foot into Flanders; it will be eight days before the first can embarke, but the foot fhall go fooner. We tell them here they fhall go for Brabant to join your army, because we would not have the French know they are to go to Flanders before they be landed there, which when they fhall know, will oblige them to fill their garrifons on

that

that fide, and by that means weaken their main army. We go to-morrow morning early to Windsor, but that fhall not hinder any of our preparations, for you shall find we shall be very vigorous in ftanding by you, and you shall have reafon to believe me kinder to you than ever."

Duke of York to the Prince of Orange.-Defpairs of the French making peace.

Windsor, August 19, 1678.

THIS bearer tells me he will be with you as foon as the poft, fo that I will answer by him yours of the 23 from the Hague; and according to what you wrote about a general suspension of arms, his Majesty has fent orders to his plenipotentiary at Nimeguen to propose it; but I doubt the French know too well the advantage they have to agree to it, unless they have more mind to a peace than I believe they have. We are in very great impatience to hear what refolutions you will have taken upon Mr. Hyde's arrival; I am fure you will be fatisfied with the orders he carried, by which you will have feen we fhall do our parts here, and you may be always aflured of the continuance of my kindness to you."

Duke of York to the Prince of Orange.-More troops fent over.-Is to go over himself.

"I

Windfor, Aug. 20, 1678.

WROTE yesterday to you, but this will be fooner with you, and therefore fhall give you an account of the troops defigned for Flanders, which will begin to

embarke

embarke on Monday next, and wind and weather permitting, `may be all landed at Oftend by the end of that week They are compofed of 27 troops of horse, 60 in each troop; 12 troops of dragoons, of 80 a-piece; and two battalions of foot, of 9 companies in each. The Earl of Feverfham goes over to command them, and he goes over before, himself, this week to prepare their quarters, and by that time the ceffation will be ended. I hope the horse will be refreshed and ready for any fervice if there be need of them; and if the war goes on, you will confider whether it will be beft for the fervice for them to ftay there in Flanders, or to join your army, or to have those foot of ours, which are already with : your army, come back into Flanders, to fee to make a diverfion on that fide now that Mons is relieved. I thought it neceffary to mention this to you, that you may have in your thoughts how to difpofe of them for the best of the fervice, for they fhall be difpofed on as you think beft, and pray let me know when it may be proper for me to go over myself, and then I fhall bring fome more troops with me. Lord Feverfham will write fo foon as he is on the other fide of the water. I long very much to hear what refolutions are taken at the Hague; I hope they will be to both of our fatiffactions."

to

you

The Duke of York to the Prince of Orange. More troops fent. He is himself to go.

SINCE

Windfor, Aug. 23, 1678.

INCE I wrote laft to you his Majefty has altered his mind as to the place where he will fend those troops I mentioned to you, and inftead of fending them into Flanders, has ordered them up the Scheld to land

near

near Antwerp, and fo to march towards the army to join it after they have refreshed themfelves a little. This was refolved upon the Duke of Monmouth's reprefenting to his Majefty, that you had rather have the foot that is now to go, to join your army than to go for Bruges ; and befides that, that the whole country of Flanders was now fo fickly, that certainly these troops which are now going over would foon have been rendered in as ill a condition to ferve as those that are there already; whereas, going into Brabant, and to join the army, we hope they may not be fo fickly. But before this refolution was taken, the two Spanish minifters were advised with about it, and have written to the Duke de Villahermoza to advertise him of it. The troops will begin to embark on Monday or Tuesday at fartheft, and Lord Fever ham goes a day or two before to prepare things for them. We had a very large account laft poft from Mr. Hyde, of what had then past upon his coming, and are very impatient for the next letters to know what refolutions will be taken, which I wifh may be vigorous ones, and then I may hope to be foon with you on the other fide of the water; which is all I have to fay, but that you may always depend upon my kindnesse."

No V.

Letters from Barillon to the French court, concerning his intrigues with Mr. Montagu and the popular party to accufe Lord Danby in parliament; and from the Duke of York to the Prince of Orange in the mean time.

BUT while Charles was fpending his anger every where in vain against France, fhe was fecretly preparing a mine to blow up his minifter and expofe himself,

by getting one of his own fervants to lay before parliament one of thofe fecret money tranfactions, into which fhe had herself drawn him. The beginning of the intrigue of Mr. Mountagu's attack upon Lord Danby in parliament, is to be found in the following difpatch of Barillon to Louis the XIV th.

Tranflation.

Letter from Mr. Barillon to Louis the XIVth, October 24, 1678.

SIRE,

"MR.

R. Montagu and I have had many occafions of talking upon the prefent ftate of affairs. I thought I ought not to hide entirely from him the reafons which your Majefty has to be ill fatisfied with the conduct of the court of England to you for fome time paft, which was already fufficiently known to him : This engaged him to speak openly to me, and to tell me it was in his power to ruin the high Treafurer, and that he would attack him in parliament, and accufe him of treafon, if he was aflured of the protection and good will of your Majefty in cafe of the confequences which this accufation might have. He pretends to prove from this minifter's letters, that he ordered him on the part of his Britannic Majefty to afk a fum of 18 millions from your Majefty, and to declare that it was the only means to prevent his joining your enemies, and without it that he fhould be obliged to enter into the league against France, and to declare war against you. He alleges that his refufal to obey fo extraordinary and fo unreasonable an order, and which was given unknown to the Secretaries of State, drew upon him the enmity of this minifter, and that it would be eafy for him to VOL. I. I i fhew