it will be prejudicial to your Highnefs. I cannot make any certain judgment, of this affair till the King hath fpoke to me, which I think he does not know how to do; I have been perpetually at his elbow expecting what he would fay, but he cannot bring it out; I fancy it goes against his nature to fay he was very kind to me last year, but hath changed his mind, he does not know why. One of the views of the Prince of Orange's journey was to bring the King to join in an affociation with the Dutch, the Emperor, Spain, and many German Princes, to stop the farther encroachments of France. After the Prince was gone, Vanbeuningen the Dutch, and Ronquillo the Spanish ambaffadors renewed the propofal to King Charles. Barillon writes, Nov. 13, 1681, that Charles was to concert with him the answer he fhould give them.. The following difpatch will fhow what that answer was, as well as the crooked ways of Charles's politics. Tranflation. Extract of a letter from Mr. Barillon to Louis the XIVth, -Charles's deceiving answer to a proposal for an association to flop the further encroachments of France.-In the Depot. November 15, 1681. I HAVE had a long conference with my Lord Hyde upon the terms in which his Britannic Majefty's answer to Vanbeuning fhould be conceived. He told me, that though the King of England did not enter into the league, he could not avoid explaining himself as if he intended it hereafter; and for this reafon he thought him felf felf obliged to anfwer, that when the Emperor, the King of Denmark, and the principal Princes of the empire shall have entered into the league of affociation, he will be ready alfo on his part to enter into it. I infifted that inftead of the principal Princes of the empire, they fhould fubftitute that when the Emperor and the empire jointly fhall have entered into the league, the King of England would be alfo difpofed to do the fame thing. My Lord Hyde answered, that the King his master's intention being always the fame with regard to your Majefty, and he not willing in any manner to enter into the league, nor to affemble his parliament as Vanbeuning defired, it was neceflary to make choice of terms which did not clearly fhew how far he was from liftening to fuch propofals, and that what he said left him at liberty to act as he pleased." In the above letter of the 13th of November, 1681, Barillon writes that Charles had avowed to him, that he had promised to Spain to call a parliament, and give them affiftance, but that he intended neither. And in another letter of the 22d of December, 1681, Barillon fays, that Charles in talking of his promise to the Spaniards to call a parliament, ufed these words: "I have no intention to call a parliament; these are devils who intend my ruin." During the fummer of the year 1681, the French were making continual encroachments on the fide of Germany and Flanders. It appears from Barillon's dispatches, that during thefe, the King and Lord Hyde, who alone knew of the late money treaty, were in the moft cruel diftrefs between the Spaniards preffing for the help to which they were entitled by their treaty with Charles, Charles, and France threatening that if it was given, she would withdraw her fubfidy promifed by the late verbal treaty. The difpatches are full of Charles's ftrong, but fruitless remonftrances of the engagement of the French court in the late verbal treaty, that the Low Countries fhould not be touched, and of the difgrace and unpopularity at home, both with his minifters and people, which he said he knew he was drawing upon himself by his inactivity. The extreme meanness to which he was reduced, may be seen in the following difpatch concerning Luxemburgh, the key to Germany and the Netherlands, which the French refolved to add to their other ufurpations, and to give a new bribe to procure Charles's confent. Tranflation. Extract of a letter from Mr. Barillon to Louis the XIVth. -A million of livres to be given to Charles, for allowing France to feize Luxembourg. November 17, 1681. IT appears to me that to execute your Majesty's last orders, what I have principally to do is to engage the King of England not to oppose your Majefty's design of having Luxembourg as an equivalent for all your pretenfions on the Low Countries. I have not omitted any of the reasons on which the juftice of your Majefty's pretenfion is founded, any more than those which render the acquifition of Luxembourg neceffary to the fecurity of your kingdom. I enlarged on the trifling jealoufy which this place, fituated as it is, ought to give to England and the States General. I spoke yesterday to Lord Hyde; thinking the time would not admit of the negociation being prolonged, and VOL. I. * L that that I ought to point out to this minifter clearly the ad vantages the King of England might obtain from your Majefty by favouring his pretenfion; I also represented to him that the King of England would have in his own. hands the repofe of the Low Countries, and that your Majefty would make him arbitrator of the treaty which fhould be made for that purpose; I fhewed him the inconveniences that would attend an oppofition to the defigns of your Majefty, the execution of which would be difficult to prevent; in fhort, I fet forth all the inconve niences of a parliament and a war, and at the fame time the fafety and utility of an union with your Majefty. I have not yet explained myself clearly upon the fum that I am impowered to offer; it feemed to me fufficient to commence the negociation, and to get the King of Eng. land, if I can, to enter into a fecret concert with me upon the affair of Luxembourg. I fhall not let the occafion flip to conclude whenever it prefents; I know well the importance of it. Lord Hyde fhewed immediately his uneasiness at what I had faid to him about your Majesty's refolution of having Luxembourg; he endeavoured to fhew me the confequences of a war in which almost all Europe would be united against your Majefty. I faid to him, that I much doubted when your Majesty's intentions fhould be well known, whether the Princes of the empire, the Kings of Sweden and Denmark, or even the States General, would enter into a war to hinder your Majesty from having Luxembourg; that your refolution was taken, and that you would not change it; that there was reason to believe that if a war was made with your Majefty for this single town, fituated as it is, they would make it although your Majefty had not attempted the acquifition, and that therefore it was better to prevent your enemies defigns. Lord Hyde represented to me, that if your Majefty's defign of having Luxembourg bourg fhould put the King of England under the neceffity of affembling the parliament (as he feared it would), it was the most dangerous thing that could happen to the Duke of York; and if his ruin followed it, your Majefty would fuffer a much greater lofs than that of the town of Luxembourg. By all Lord Hyde faid, it ap peared to me to be his opinion, that the King his mafter fhould make a merit to your Majefty of a thing which he would have a good deal of trouble to hinder; he nevertheless made a fhew of a great apprehenfion left the advice of Lord Halifax, and the other minifters whom the King of England might confult, fhould prevail over his, and put affairs here in a condition, to be without remedy. I converfed this day with the King of England at Lady Portfmouth's, I found him prepared by Lord Hyde upon what I had to fay to him; he expreffed a great chagrin to hear that your Majefty had taken the refolution to have Luxembourg as an equivalent for your pretenfions; he told me it would entirely difconcert all the measures he had taken in his affairs, and that all the inconveniences and embarrassments he could foresee from affembling the parliament, were lefs than the danger to which he should expose himself by not calling it, when it fhould appear that your Majefty had refolved to make the town of Luxembourg fail under your power: That if he did not then refolve to affemble his parliament, it would be faid he had betrayed the interefts of England, and fold your Majefty the most important place in the Low Countries. I reprefented to this Prince how little reason they had, who maintained that Luxembourg was fo confiderable a poft, not being on any river, and incapable to ferve as a defence to the rest of the Low Countries, but only fit to hurt your Majefty. I gave him freely and strongly my opinion * L 2 |