occasion, was much commended. The violence, as well as Will. III. folly of the party, loft them much ground with all indifferent 1701. "tended to have excufed, if not juftified the treaty, were pre"vailed on to fay nothing; not "fo much out of caution not to "go against the stream, but be"caufe they had no mind to feem more concerned in main"taining the honour of the "king's treaties than he was "himself. They thought their "oppofition would fignify little "and pafs for officioufnefs and "court-flattery. So they gave way, and the votes paffed "without contradiction. This "point was no fooner gained, *than some of those very per fons who had made the fulleft proteftations of their having "no intention to carry the mat ter further, immediately laid “' off the mask; for you know, "in parliamentary proceedings all men are not equally exact "in performing what they pro"mifed, when they have once "carried the point they aimed "at. Thefe arts are fo familiar to fome, that inftead of being out of countenance, "they value themselves upon "their dexterity at them. So "it it happened here. This is "the true account of that mat ter, without any disguise. The lords, fince accufed for "it, did indeed offer fuch an "account of the fhare they had in the treaty in the year 1699, "that it was impoffible to lay any blame on them for it; "and the lord Sommers, whofe "health was out of order the firft two days in which this was before the lords, when men, "he came to the house, gave "fo clear an account of the "fhare that himself had in it, "that there were not two in the "whole houfe who did not "feem entirely fatisfied with his "behaviour in that matter. "This was fignified by fhouts "and acclamations, that were "raised higher and continued longer than fome, who had "fat long there, had ever ob"ferved before. If thofe lords. "had known, that the king de"fired, that right should be "done him in defending both "his honour, justice, and wif dom, as they were concerned "in that treaty, they who "have often hazarded them"felves much further in his fer"vice, would not have been wanting in that piece of duty and respect. But it was generally believed at that time, "that the king was lefs con"cerned in that matter, than it "has been apprehended he was "afterwards, when the ftroke Will. III. men, but with none more than with the king himself, who 1701. found his error in changing his miniftry at fo critical a time; 66 Ofer no other fecurity but the I renewing the treaty of Ryf"wick, that it was no wonder, "if men, gained by the French gold, fhould have oppofed it, "but it seemed very strange to "fee fo great an oppofition made "to it by men that must be pre"fumed incapable of corruption "and who are esteemed fteady "to their country; yet as there "are odd accidents that happen fometimes, but that lie fo far "out of the way, that no ac"count can be given of them; "fo this drew on, I cannot tell "how, a debate of many hours, "and of much heat. If Ver"failles had dictated the argu"ments, they could not have "chofen them better, or wifhed "them to have been more dex"troufly managed; though I am fure you are not capable "of of letting this pass upon you, "as if thofe great men were "fubject to the common frailty "of loving for ready money. "Therefore I will take no more pains to fecure you from it. "The vote was carried, and it was followed by a protest, on " which I will make no reflec"tions, for the perfons are a"bove. I must only obferve "one thing more, that votes are generally conceived in plain and fimple terms; but "when addreffes are to be made and "pursuant to them, they are "enlarged in fuller expreffions; "and that was not wanting in "this addrefs; much rhetoric was employed the partition treaty was called, that fatal treaty, and was heavily load"ed; but the laft paragraph, concerning a real fecurity' 66 66 66 6 to be demanded from France, "was fet down in the bare "words of the vote, without the least enlargement, how "much foever fome who pen"ned it love the beauties of elo quence. Yet that was too "tender a point to be touched "with a rough hand; and ad"dition of any weighty words might have been made a pretence to a discount by those "who will have pennyworths "for their money." 66 The reader will undoubtedly be pleafed to find here another paper from the fame hand, never yet printed, concerning the conduct of the miniftry and of the leading men in the houfe of commons during this feffion, with respect to foreign affairs." It " is well known, fays he, that "a few days before the king came over, which was in the beginning of November, he "had ordered Mr. Blathwayte "to write two post-days, one "after another, to the lords 66 juftices, to prepare a procla"mation, giving notice, that "the parliament was to meet "to do bufinefs on the 18th of "November. The king came over himself before this was "to be published, and he foon "after and he now faw, that the Tories were at heart irreconcile- Will.III. able to him; in particular, he was extremely uneafy with the 1701. 66 "after had the news of the king "of Spain's will, and of his "death, which was quickly "followed with a declaration, "that the French king did ac"cept of the king of Spain's "will: and therefore did not "think fit to ftand to the par"tition treaty. The king had "a parliament current, and ready to meet in a few days, "as he had intended it should "before this great turn of af"fairs. But the parliament was "put off to a further day, and "upon the hopes, and, as is "faid, upon the undertakings "of fome, all was put off till "the new theriffs were pricked; "and as foon as they were fix"ed in their fervice, the writs "went out for a new parlia"ment, fummoned to the 6th, "but prorogued to the 10th of "February. Here was one par"liament diffolved, and another "called, and by this means "three months were loft, which "upon fuch a great turn is a "matter of no fmall confe"quence. England feemed un certain or afleep. This gave "the French no fmall encouragement, and was a great "dimeartening to the emperor " and the States. In all this "time it is pofitively faid, that "the new ministry preffed the king vehemently to own the "king of Spain. This is cer"tain, that both they and their "friends faid, in all companies, "and on all occafions, that it "was no matter who was king "of Spain; the king of Spain. not for a war; and that he "knew it was impracticable. "They spoke of the emperor as a prince not capable of doing 66 66 66 66 any thing, and for whom we were to have no regard. All "this while the king was on a great referve, and was told, as has been very confidently reported fince, that, if he "fhewed any inclination to a "war, that would raise jea"loufies which would very "much obstruct all business; "and therefore it was necessary “ for his affairs, that he should "not discover his own thoughts "of things. This well-meant "refervedness of the king's was "at the fame time given out to "flow from his own averfion to Will. III. earl of Rochefter, of whofe imperious and intractable temper 1701. he complained much, and feemed refolved to difengage him 66 felf " those who had taken much "pains in it, and, no doubt, "expected to be well rewarded "for it. The ftream run another way, and then it appeared, "that how much foever the "prejudices of fome had been "wrought upon, yet the bulk "of the houfe were ftill true 66 "of England, and fpake open- "favour, Englishmen; yet they retained "fo good an opinion of some "men that had got too much "credit among them, that things were fuffered to cool, "and the house was diverted to other matters, that can never "be managed with temper. "The house indeed declared "for an alliance with the Dutch, " and for a fleet; but it was fo "long before they could be "brought to declare for an al"liance with the emperor, that "if the French had not defpifed "all he could do, more per haps than they do now, and "if they had not depended "on the ftrength of their in" tereft here, they would have, "perhaps, made fuch offers to "the emperor, as might have prevailed on him, when he "had fo little reason to hope " for any concurrence from us. "The king received frequent "meffages from the States, re"prefenting the extremities to "which they were driven, of "which, fome were written in "fuch moving ftrains, that few "read them without feeling im"preffions of great tenderness. "But there was a Stoical apa"thy fomewhere, that could "not be wrought on and "when felf quickly from him, and never to return to him any more. Will. III, He thought the party was neither folid nor fincere, and that 1701. 66 they "well as in former feffions, to money; and this must have 66 a noble contrivance, to fur"nifh us with near three mil "when by the intercepting the 66 ❝ tenant. "In this flow method were things carried on, to the dif"couragement of all Europe, "who reckoned we were a fold "nation; or that we could be "no more depended on. "lions of paper-money, till as all the bankers faid, was "fufficient to keep up their cre"dit. But thofe, who had a "mind to make the fupply as "little effectual as was poffible, "moved, that one fhilling in "the pound should go towards "the quicker finking of them; and, fince it must have been "looked on as indecent to lay on more than three fhillings " in the pound, while we were "not actually engaged in a war, "by applying one of these to this effect, there were only "two left, to answer the pub"lic occafions, while yet the "nation was to be poffeffed "with this appearance of their "I could here run out into "zeal, by their giving three "a long digreffion, to fhew you" fhillings in the pound. It is "the various methods their "true, they voted a full propor "party have taken in this, as « tion of feamen for a good " feet; 11 " |