The Continuation of Mr. Rapin's History of England

"be pleased to order all treaties made by him, fince the late war, Will. III. "to be laid before them, that they might thereby be better 1700-I. "enabled

proofs of it fhould be laid before them. That, in France, they could difpatch every thing dans le cabinet. We had not fo ready a way, in England, but what we did must be publickly, and dans le marché. Whoever had fuppreffed fuch an advice, here, might justly have expected an accufation of treafon against him.

He faid, He did not difown, but they were fitting out fhips to fea; but they did it upon the preparations making in Holland, where they were at work, night and day, as well Sundays, as other days, to get out their fleet; therefore, they could not do lefs in France; but they were not fitting fo many fhips, as was reprefented; and that they had no thoughts of being at fea these three or four months.

play, upon the fame bottom;
and, by his way of writing, at
least, one muft fufpect, that he
is admitted into converfations
with the French minifters. It
feemed very extraordinary, that
he should prefs the improving
this opportunity, now the court
of France had refentments, upon
the discovery of fome treachery
they thought his majesty guilty
He faid, this was a pure
of.
fiction of Melfort's. I told him,
I was glad to hear them say so;
and his majefty was very well
fatisfied, that he had given no
occafion for any one's having
fuch hard thoughts of him. I
asked him once or twice, whe-
ther he knew of any difcovery
of this kind. He faid, he never
heard any thing like it, and
there was no fuch thing, in
reality.

I told him, I should be glad there might be no occafion for any fleets coming out on either fide. I was fure, all that we aimed at was, to be on the defenfive; and I fhould be much better pleased, and think it more our intereft, to be difarming of fhips, than arming them. As to the character he gave my lord Melfort, of fou & incenfé, when we faw him treated as fuch in France, we should be willing to have the fame opinion of him; till then we could not but remember, what an inftrument he had been, in promoting the intended affaffination and invafion, and must be concerned, that he is bringing himfelf again into

In conclufion, he faid, that people ought rather to appeale jealoufies on both fides, than inflame them. I told him, he could contribute a great deal towards it, and, I hoped, he would make use of his power. What I could do in any cafe, would be inconfiderable; but no endeavours of mine fhould be wanting to remove the mifunderstandings, and fo fecure the public peace.

Will. III." enabled to give their advice. They likewife requested his 1700-1. "majefty to engage in fuch alliances abroad, as he should "think

and thofe, that feem to doubt,
that they have fuch thoughts
here, have reasons for it. The
only hopes they have now left,
at St. Germain's, are, that they
are to be restored by a French
power, in a fhort time; and the
intrigues, carried on in Scot-
land, are too apparent to be
doubted on.

The expreffion, in the letter,
which you mention, muft mean
what was found in the pacquet
of Mr. Jolly, which he ground-
ed on the reports, at Paris; and
this went fo far, that they faid,
there was a defign to poifon the
king of Spain. This fhews how
little the French court trufts any
of them, elfe they would have
been better informed. There
can have been nothing in mon-
fieur Schonenberg's letter, but
an answer to the inftructions he
had; whereby we might have
feen in what difpofition they
were, in relation to us, &c. As
for Spain's depending on France,
I have often fhewn to monfieur de
Torcy, what jealousy that might
and does give to Europe. But
he always affured me, that it
was not the king's intention,
though, at prefent, he could not
but affift them, they not being
in a condition to help themfelves;
that so that matter can have no
ill effect, &c.

I believe, this court will be very angry with lord Melfort; for it is plain, by feveral accounts, and particularly by monfieur de Tallard's printing M. d'Avax's memorial, they are not willing to break with us;

though I ftill admire at their
proceedings in Flanders.

The earl of Manchester, to
Mr. fecretary Vernon.

Paris, March 9, 1701.

I had not your letter of February 10, till I came from Verfailles, where I found, that a courier of monfieur de Tallard was arrived the day before with the refolutions of the parliament, and a copy of Lord Melfort's letter. The conference I had with monfieur de Torcy was much the fame with what you had with the count de Tallard, his difcourfe turning in the fame manner, that the expofing this letter was only to create and excite animofities in the nation : That it shewed a defire of breaking with France. That he had fent for lord Melfort, who was with him this morning; and did own, that he had wrote a letter of that date, and that it was loft, which he believed gave occafion for the framing of this: That he had mentioned fomething in it of madam de Maintenon, whom he had seen about his private affairs; but he denies almost all that is in the letter. As for that of the bishop of Norwich, he could have no grounds to fay it, fince he hardly knew him, and he was satisfied of the contrary. As for lord Arran, he was convinced he was not in king James's intereft; that he was rather fetting up for himfelf, as having fome pretence to the crown of Scotland. In short,

"think proper for preferving the balance of Europe, affuring Will. III. "him, that they would readily concur with whatever fhould 1700-1. "be

I found his opinion was, that it was contrived only to frame a defign to incenfe the nation, and to break with France, &c. He faid, that I was fenfible how little credit lord Melfort had at this court, or at St. Germain's. He read the letter to me, as alfo a paper cried about the streets of London, of a new plot or confpiracy of France againft England. The answer I made him was, that by my last letter I had fome account of this letter: That, by as much as I knew of it, I did not in the leaft doubt but they were lord Melfort's thoughts, and wrote by him; but at the fame time I was fatisfied, that the French court was far from taking fuch meafures. That as to the communicating it to the parliament, if he knew our conftitution, he would know, that it was impoffible to do otherwife in this conjuncture, when greater preparations by fea and land were never known to be made than are actually making now in France, which was no fecret, nor did I believe, that there was any defire, that it fhould be fo. That he muft forgive me, if I thought lord Melfort was not fo defpicable a perfon, fince I faw him often at court, which, here efpecially, is no fign of it, fince men of that character were not permitted to approach fo near the king. That, not having yet my letters of the laft poit from England, I could not tell what effect it had caufed; but that my opinion was ftill, that

we were far from defiring a war; neither could it be our intereft; unless we were obliged to it for our own fecurity, and confequently that of Holland. I also took notice of the expreffion of the discovery of fome treachery, which the king was fuppofed to be guilty of, and which I did not understand, unless it meant the extravagant reports, that were at Paris, of letters found, which my fervant, who was drowned, brought from Madrid; and I did not doubt but he knew the fubftance of them very well, and was convinced of the contrary of the reports. I told him alfo, that the proceedings of the viceroy of Navarre in opening the letters,and fending them toMadrid, could not be any ways juftifiable, fince he could easily fee, that they were directed to a public minifter refiding at the court of France. He did own, he could not tell the meaning of that expreffion, fince the king was far from having any fuch thoughts. He feemed to know nothing of the letters, but he had heard of this accident; but he condemned very much the opening of them. I faid further, that, as for the paper cried about the ftreets, I did believe it was not done by order; that they printed what they pleased in England, though, if the authors were difcovered, they were liable to be punished. Because it is not fent to me, I am of opinion it is fuch a paper, as we have often at London; but I do affure you, it makes more

Will.III." be conducive to the honour and safety of England, prefer"vation of the Proteftant religion, and the peace of Europe. "Next

1700-1.

impreffion here than the letter. Endeavours are ufed to make it to be believed, that it was for ged only to ferve a turn, as they fay has been the custom at the beginning of parliament. This must reflect on the honour of his majefty; and I did venture to fay to monfieur de Torcy, that, in cafe it could be fuppofed fuch a letter was forged, I did not doubt but I might produce the original, if there was any occafion. I wonder he did not mention to me what had paffed between you and monheur de Tallard. In fhort, I am told, they take it for granted, that we fhall enter into a war; and as I happened to come a little later to Versailles yesterday than ufual, the whole court had it, that we had declared war; but when they faw me, it soon put a stop to that report.

fieur de Tallard (as I acquainted you) made no doubt but it was his letter, and I imagine monfieur de Torcy thinks fo too. My lord Seafield being newly come up from Scotland, I fhewed him the original letter, this morning: He is well acquainted with lord Melfort's hand-writing and feal, and knows both to be genuine.

As to the printed paper, that was fent to monfieur de Torcy, of the discovery of a new French plot upon England, I know nothing of it, nor have I met with any body that has feen it. I fuppofe it must be fome Grubftreet writer; and thofe, you know, print any ftuff, to get a penny; and their news dies as foon as it comes out: Therefore I wonder monfieur Torcy should lay ftrefs upon fuch unknown, unauthorized pieces, which he knows creep out daily on both fides, and are not taken

Mr. fecretary Vernon to the earl notice of by either. It is not a of Manchester.

fair charge upon us, that we feek occafions to ftir up animofities, and to pick quarrels with them. For my part I fhould be glad they would fhew us the way, how they are to be avoided with any reasonable fecurity to ourselves and neighbours.

The earl of Manchester to Mr. fecretary Vernon.

Paris, March 16, 1701.

Lord Melfort is fent to Angiers. The court of France concerted with that of St. Ger

"Next they humbly thanked his majefty for communicating Will.III. << the earl of Melfort's letter to them, and defired he would 1700-1. "be pleased to order the feizing of all horfes and arms of

Papifts, and other difaffected persons, and have those ill men removed from London, according to law; but efpe"cially they defired he would please to give directions for a << fearch to be made after arms and provifions of war men<tioned in the letter. Laftly, they requested, that such a "fleet might speedily be fitted out, as his majesty in his great "wisdom fhould think neceffary for the defence of himself "and kingdoms." His majefty thanked their lordships for this addrefs, and for the concern they expreffed in relation to the common fecurity both at home and abroad;' and told them, he would give the neceffary orders for those things they desired of him, and take care for fitting out such fhips, as in that conjuncture should be neceffary for their common fafety.'

the act of

The king having earnestly pressed the parliament to provide The firft for the fucceffion of the crown after himself and the princess vote about of Denmark, the commons took the fame into confideration, fucceffion. and on the 3d of March refolved, "That, for the preferving Drake, "the peace and happiness of this kingdom, and the fecurity "of the Proteftant religion by law eftablished, it is abfolutely "neceffary, a further declaration be made of the limitation

and fucceffion of the crown in the Proteftant line, after his "majefty, and the princefs, and the heirs of their bodies re

main's first. Lord Middleton is not a little pleased.

know, whether he ftill doubted
of lord Melfort's letter. He
faid, not in the least, and that

The earl of Manchester to Mr. his wife had owned it. The

fecretary Vernon.

Paris, March 19, 1701. Lord Melfort was ordered to Angiers by a Lettre de Cachet, yet fome will have it, that he has underhand had affurances, that he shall be restored, when affairs will admit of it.

excufe he made was, that the
confufion he was in, and its be-
ing read to him in French, made
him think, that there was fome-
thing added; but that he fince
found it otherwife, and that
thereupon he was banished. The
ufe I made of this was to fhew
him thofe fufpicions they had,
that it was done to enflame the

The earl of Manchefter to Mr. nation against France, could no fecretary Vernon.

Paris, March 23, 1701. What I mentioned first to Monfieur de Torcy, was to

longer remain; neither could I
learn any thing about fuch a
paper as count Tallard fent, and
was cried about the streets.

spectively

P. 28.

Burnet.

« 上一頁繼續 »

圖書

The Continuation of Mr. Rapin's History of England: From the ..., 第 3 卷