Will.III. particularly incumbent on the peers of a kingdom, who de1700-1. rive all their honour and luftre from the crown. This was feconded by another earl, who faid, That the king of France was not only to be refpected, but likewise to be feared. To whom another lord replied, That he hoped no man in England needed to be afraid of the French king; much less the peer, who spoke laft, who was too much a friend to that monarch, to fear any thing from him. Thus ended the firft day of the debate (b). The lords advised with in the treaty Burnet. The earl of Portland apprehending, that this might fall too heavily upon him, got the king's leave to communicate oppofed it. the whole matter next day to the house, when he told them, that he had not concluded the treaty alone, but had, by the king's order, acquainted fix of his chief minifters with it, who were the earls of Pembroke and Marlborough, the vifcount Lonsdale, the lord Somers and Hallifax, and fecretary Vernon. Upon which these lords, being likewife freed by the king from the oath of fecrefy, informed the houfe, that the earl of Jersey having in the king's name called them together, the treaty was read to them; and that they excepted to several things in it, but they were told, that his majesty had carried the matter as far as was poffible, and that he could obtain no better terms. That therefore when they were thus affured, that no alterations could be made, but that every thing was fettled, they gave over infifting on particulars, and only advised, that his majefty might not engage himself in any thing, that would bring on a new war, fince the nation had been fo uneafy under the laft. This was carried to the king, and that, a few days after, he told fome of them, that he was made acquainted with their exceptions; but, how reasonable foever they were, he had driven the matter as far as he could. The earl of Pembroke faid to the house of lords, he had offered the king thofe advices, that he thought were moft for his fervice, and (b) There was fo great warmth in the debates of the commons concerning this treaty, that more than one of the members broke in upon common decency and good manners to a high degree. Seymour, Bolles, and others compared the dividing another man's kingdom to robbing on the highway.' It was called, by Howe, a felonious treaty,' which, as the report then was, the king fo highly refented, that he dropped an expreffion, fignifying, that, if the difparity of their condition had not reftrained him, he would have demanded the fatisfaction of him, which all gentlemen have a right to demand of one that gives the lye. for for the good of the nation; but that he did not think himself Will.III. bout it. In conclufion, after three days debate, the house of lords re- The lorda folved to fet out this matter in an addrefs to the king, complain- addrefs aing both of the partition treaty, and of the method, in which it pr. H. L. had been carried on. The lord Wharton moved an addition II. 25. to the addrefs, that, whereas the French king had broke that treaty, they fhould advise his majesty to treat no more with him, or rely on his word, without a real fecurity. This was much oppofed by all thofe, who were against engaging in a new war: They faid all motions of that kind ought to come from the house of commons, who only could fupport fuch an advice, which did in effect engage us in a new war; nor could they lay the blame on the breaking of a treaty, which they were refolved to condemn. They alfo excepted to the words Real Security as ambiguous; but the majority of the houfe agreed to it, for there was fuch treachery in the French negotiations, that they could not be relied on without a good guarantee, and the pledge of fome ftrong places. It now plainly appeared, that the defign was to fet on the house of commons to impeach fome lords, who had been concerned in the partition treaty; for it was moved to fend the address to the commons for their concurrence, but that was not carried. The addrefs was to this effect: "That their lordships, ha"ving confidered the treaty of the 21ft of February, or the "15th of March 1700, made with the French king, toge"ther with the feparate and fecret articles, which his ma re jefty had been pleafed to communicate to them, did most "humbly reprefent to him, that, to their great forrow, they "found the matters thereof to have been of very ill con fequence to the peace and fafety of Europe; for that, be"fides the occafion it might have given to the late king of "Spain, to have made his will in favour of the duke of An"jou, if that treaty had taken effect; the prejudice to his "majefty and his fubjects, and indeed to all Europe, by the " addition of Sicily, Naples, feveral ports of the Mediterranean, the province of Guipufcoa, and the duchy of LorVOL. XV. H rain, 1 1700-1. Will.III. rain, had been not only very great, but contrary to the "pretence of the treaty itself, which was to prevent any um"brage that might have been taken, by uniting so many "ftates and dominions under one head. That, by all the "informations they had had of that fatal treaty, they could "not find, that the verbal orders and inftructions (if any "were given to his majesty's plenipotentiaries) were ever "confidered in any of his majefty's councils: or that the Cole, P. 354. draught of that treaty had ever been laid before his majesty, "at any meeting of his council, much lefs that it was ad"vifed or approved of by any council or committee of coun"cil. Wherefore they thought themselves bound in duty to "his majefty, and justice to their country, moft humbly to " befeech him, that, for the future, he would be pleafed to "require and admit, in all matters of importance, the ad"vice of his natural born fubiects, whofe known probity and "fortunes might give him and his people a juft affurance of "their fidelity to his fervice; and that, in order thereunto, "he would be pleased to constitute a council of fuch persons, "to whom his majefty might be pleafed to impart all affairs "both at home and abroad, which might any way concern "him and his dominions. For as intereft and natural af"fection to their country would incline them to wish the "welfare and profperity of it much more than others, who "had no fuch ties upon them; and as their experience and "knowledge of their country would also render them more "capable than ftrangers, of advifing his majefty in the true "interefts of it; fo they were confident, that, after fuch "large and repeated demonftrations of his fubjects duty and "affection, his majefty could not doubt of their zeal in his fervice, nor want the knowledge of perfons fit to be em"ployed in all his moft fecret and arduous affairs. And "that, fince it appeared the French king's accepting of the "king of Spain's will was a manifeft violation of that treaty, "they humbly advifed his majefty, in future treaties with "that prince, to proceed with fuch caution, as might carry a real fecurity." This addrefs being carried by the lord-keeper alone to Kenfington, who there found two or three of the lords in waiting, to make a fhew of a houfe, it was prefented, on the 24th of March, to his majefty, who answered, "That "it contained matter of very great moment; and that he "would always take care, that all treaties, he made, fhould be for the honour and fafety of England." The king feemed to bear this cenfure of the treaty with his ufual cold nefs: nefs: And the new minifters continued ftill in his confidence, Will. III. but he laid the matter much to heart. Now he perceived the 1700-1. error he had fallen into, by the change he had made in the miniftry. It was plain, they refolved to govern him in every thing, and not to be governed by him in any one thing. meffage fwer. On the 31st of March, the king acquainted the commons, The king's "That having received an account from Mr. Stanhope, his about the envoy at the Hague, that the French ambassador there had French "declared, that the king his master had no other answer to re- king's an "turn to the demand of the States-general, than that he was H. C. "ready to renew the treaty of Ryfwic, it being all the fecurity III. 132. "the States were to expect; and that he had no orders to give << any answer to his majesty's envoy; but, if his majefty had "any thing to demand, it might be done by his ambassador "at Paris, or the French minifter at London; and that he "had no command to treat with any but the States. And "his majesty having alfo received two refolutions of the "States, and a memorial from their envoy in England, relating to the fhips they were fending to join his majefty's "feet, and the fuccours they defired might be haftened to them, by virtue of the treaty of March 3, 1677; his majefty had thought fit to communicate the whole to that "houfe, that they might be particularly informed of the prefent ftate of affairs abroad, where the negotiations feemed "to be at an end, by the pofitive answer the French ambas"fador had given to the States, which his majefty recom"mended to the ferious confideration of that house, as a "matter of the greatest weight and confequence, and defired "they would give him fuch advice upon it, as might be for "their own fecurity, and that of the States-general, and "the peace of Europe." mons advice The commons, having taken this meffage into confidera- The comtion on the 2d of April, refolved unanimoufly, "That the "humble advice of this houfe be given to his majefty, to de fire, that his majefty will be pleafed to carry on the nego"tiations in concert with the States-general," and take such "meafures therein, as may moft conduce to their fafety; "and that his majefly would purfue the treaty made with "the States-general the 3d of March 1677; and to affure him, that they would effectually inable him to fupport the treaty of 1677." By this treaty made by king Charles with the Dutch, England was bound to affift them with ten thousand men, and twenty fhips of war, if they were attacked. Though the king knew what the commons meant by confining him to the treaty of 1677, and fpeaking in ge .. H 2 neral upon it. answer. Will.III. neral terms of his providing for their fecurity, namely to 1700-1. evade his defire of forming a confederacy for a new war, without which he forefaw France would never yield up any part of the Spanish monarchy.; he returned, however to The king's their refolution of advice, this foft anfwer; "That, accord"ing to their advice, he had given orders to his envoy at "the Hague, to carry on the negotiations in concert with the "States-general, and to take fuch meafures therein, as might "moft conduce to their fecurity. He thanked them for the "affurance they had given, that they would effectually in"able him to fupport the treaty of 1677; and told them, that "he would pursue the fame, as they advised; and he did "not doubt, but the readiness, which they had fhewn upon "this occafion, would very much contribute to the obtain"ing fuch a fecurity, as was defired." Burnet. Though the commons could not, upon this occafion, be carried farther than to advise the king to purfue the treaty of 1677; the house of lords, however, addreffed him to enter into leagues offenfive and defenfive with the emperor and other princes and ftates, who were interefted against the conjunction of the French and Spanish monarchies. This coldnefs and uncertainty in the English councils gave the French great advantages, in their negotiations both in Germany and Portugal. They tried the courts of Italy, but without fuccefs; only the duke of Mantua confented, that they should make a fhew, as if they had furprized him, and fo force him to put Mantua into their hands. The Pope and the Venetians would not declare themfelves. The former favoured the French, as the latter did the emperor, who began the war with a pretenfion on the duchy of Milan, as a fief of the empire, that devolved on him; and he was making magazines, both in Tirol and at Trent. The French feemed to defpife all he could do, and did not apprehend, that it was poffible for him to march an army into Italy. Both the king and the States-general preffed him to make that attempt. The elector of Bavaria and fome of the circles had agreed to a neutrality this year; fo that there was no hope of doing much upon the Rhine; and the French were making the Italians feel, what infolent mafters they were like to prove. produced a general uneafinefs among them, which determined the emperor to fend an army into Italy under the command of prince Eugene. England was all this while very unwilling to engage; yet, for fear we fhould at laft fee our intereft to clearly, that we must have fallen into it, thofe, who were practifed on to embroil the nation, fo that we might This not |