the most favourable. The greateft part returned general and Will. III. dilatory anfwers. The Italian ftates were unwilling to fee 1700. offence, and breach of the good faith, which ought to be obferved among Chriftians, and more particularly among allies and friends. That it ought not to be prefumed, of any prince or nation, and fill less of the king of the Spanish nation, that they are fo negligent, as not to take proper measures, upon future and unexpected accidents (if this fhould happen) to fecure the public peace, and the repofe of Europe, which has been the aim of the king and nation for so many ages, as it is now, and always will be. That, if there is not a speedy end put to thefe proceedings and projects, there will doubtlefs break out a direful and univerfal war over all Europe, difficult to be stopped when it is defired, and fo much the more prejudicial to the English, as they have but juft felt the effects of innovations, and of the late war. This matter is fo worthy of confideration, that it is not doubted but it will be thought fo by the parliament, the nobility, and the whole English nation, which has never been wanting in prudence and forefight. The fame nation muft confider their own particular interefts, and their commerce and treaties with the Spanish king and nation; the alteration, divifion, and partition of which would neceffarily be very detrimental to them; and all this the may be prevented by defifting from the project in hand, and by not promoting innovations, deftructive at all times to empires and kingdoms. That the ambaffador extraordinary of Spain will manifeft to the parliament, in the next feffions, the just refentment which he now expreffes, in the fame manner as his mafter has caufed it to be fhewn to all the public minifters of the kings, princes, and ftates, that refide at the court of Madrid. The tranflation of the paper fent, to the Spanish ambaffador, and which was written in French by Mr. fecretary Vernon, and dated, the 30th of September, 1699. His majesty having feen the paper, which the fecretary of the ambafly of Spain has lately delivered, by order of your excellency, to the lords juftices of the kingdom; his majesty thinks the contents fo infolent and feditious, that in refentment of fo extraordinary a proceeding, and which can by no means be juftified by the law of nations, he orders, that you go out of his dominions precifely in eighteen days, to be counted from this notification; and that you keep in your houfe till your departture. I am alfo ordered to let you know, that these are the orders of his majesty, that no writing be any more received from you nor any of your domeftics. A 4 Mr. Will. III. the French in poffeffion of Naples, and the States Del Pre1700. fidi. Those of Germany were, from motives of fear, or in tereft, Mr. Stanhope to the earl of The English translation of Mr. Manchester. Madrid, Nov. 5, 1699. By the inclofed copy of the complaint I have made here against the marquis de Canales's proceedings, your excellency will judge I have feen his infolent and feditious paper. They readily received mine, which I much doubted they would not; and it was fent within an hour hither from the Efcurial to the council of state. This was the day before yesterday in the morning, and they have been in close confults ever fince. I have advices from feveral hands, and fome from perfons of the first rank, that the refolution will probably be moderate; and that they will disown their ambaffador, fo far at leaft as to the brutality of his expreffions, and it may be as to the fubftance, now they find the world generally cry out againft the folly, as well as infolence of it; though I am fatisfied he had orders to do the thing, but not in that manner. This makes me willing to give them time to bethink themselves before they run on headlong into mifchiefs, against which they are fo ill provided, and it is a latitude my orders allow me. Befides that if I can prevent a breach, and procure his majesty humble fatisfaction, I fhall believe I do both him and my country good fervice. Stanhope's paper to Don An- Don Alexander Stanhope, envoy extraordinary of the king of Great Britain, kiffes the hands of Don Antonio de Ubilla, and fays, that he has orders from the king his mafter, immediately to pafs to the royal knowledge of his Catholic majesty the just motive of complaint given him by a paper, which the fecretary of the marquis de Canales, by order of his mafter, delivered to the lords juftices of England in London, of which the adjoined is a true copy, and from whofe contents, befides the rude and provoking language, it is manifeft the defign of it was to ftir up fedition in his kingdoms, by appealing to the parliament and people of England against his majefty; which is to own them fuperiors to his royal perfon, than which nothing can be more abfurd and contrary to the conftitution of the government of the kingdom of England; and is what the faid marquis de Canales, ambaffador from his Catholic majefty, neither ought nor could be ignorant of, after fo many years refidence in it. Notwithstanding which the paper is full of contumelious terms to his majefty's perfon, making ufe of feveral artifices, of infinuations and threats, purposely to breed a misunderstanding and dif reft, unwilling to difoblige the house of Auftria. Branden- Will.III. urgh expected the title of king from the authority and good 1700. offices ffention betwixt his majesty and his fubjects; an attempt, which no fovereign prince can uffer in his dominions: and therefore the king of Great-Briain, his master, found himself neceffitated to ftop, as foon as poffible, a mischief, which by he industry of the marquis went on fpreading itself daily, by ordering he should be required to go out of his kingdoms; and inally, the faid paper, being both in words and fubftance, affrontive to the majefty and facredness of kings, the king of Great-Britain, his mafter, does not believe it poffible, that the marquis writ or published it by the orders of his Catholic majefty, but on the contrary perfuades himself, that this his refentment will be much to his royal fatisfaction, as made for the common caufe of all kings; and that Don Alexander Stanhope will hope, that Don Antonio de Ubilla pafs all this to the royal knowledge of his Catholic majefty, whom God preferve, remaining Don Antonio's moft humble and affectionate fervant. Madrid, the 2d of November, 1699, N. S. Mr. Stanhope to the earl of Nov. 12, 1699, N. S. The next day after my laft, which was November 5, I had certain notice from feveral hands, the king had taken his refolution of ordering me to be gone; whereupon at midnight The tranflation of Mr. Stan- Will.III. offices of the Imperial court. Saxony and the northern crowns 1700. were taken up with their own quarrels; which the peace of Travendal tives, that neceffitated the king, his master, to fend the declaration, he lately did, to the marquis de Canales; and Don Alexander Stanhope having no other orders but to return to his majefty's royal prefence, as foon as poffible, he communicates this to Don Antonio de Ubilla, that he may please to put it into the royal knowledge of his Catholic majefty, whom he befeeches at the fame time, with all humble fubmiffion, to order fuch paffports to be given him, as will be neceffary for fuch a voyage; and Don Alexander Stanhope remains Don Antonio de Ubilla's moft humble and af. fectionate fervant. Madrid, Nov. 6. Mr. Stanhope's answer to the conductor of ambaffadors, when he came with a meffage from the king to order him to leave the Spanish dominions in eighteen days, and not ftir out of his houfe, till he fhould begin his journey. You will please to tell his Catholic majefty from me, that I will punctually comply in all that you have intimated to me by his royal order, because in fo doing I fhall obey the orders of the king my mafter, as his Catholic majefty cannot but have been informed by Don Antonio de Ubilla, to whom I communicated it two days ago by my fecretary at the Efcurial, defiring at the fame time paffports neceffary for my voyage; that I am glad to fee their two majefties minds fo unanimous, and defire they may continue the fame in all other matters. The fubftance of the earl of Manchester's audience of the French king at Versailles, on Sunday, Nov. 15, 1699. SIR, The king my master having found, that Monfieur de Tallard was, by his inftructions, obliged to quit Holland before he figned the treaty, which was projected with your majefty, relating to the fucceffion of Spain; his majesty has ordered me to defire this private audience, to affure you, Sir, that the king continues in the fame fentiments that treaty. Your majefty knows he was always of in regard to very well the good offices employed by the king my mafter, to make the Imperialists enter into it. He has also done all he could to make the States like it. His majefty continues to act as he did. As to what concerns the king's figning it, he caufed the earl of Jerfey to come into Holland exprefly for this end; and I doubt not, but the count of Tallard will have told your majefty, how often the king my mafter has offered to fign it, to fhew, that he was ready to do all that depended on him. Your majefty will give me leave to be a little long, in telling how this affair has paffed, that fo your majesty may have Travendal had by no means accomodated. Some thought Will.III. the duke of Savoy under engagements at Vienna; but it seems 1700. moft it perfectly cleared up, that there is no alteration in the intention of the king my mafter. The bufinefs was propofed to the States of the province of Holland, as to thofe, who were the most interested in it; for it was not apprehended, that any obftacles fhould be met with elsewhere, if the confent of that province was had. That was alfo the best way to make the fecret of this affair lefs apt to be divulged. The French king's anfwer. I own I was a little fuprized, that the affair was not finished at the expiration of the time, and before the king your mafter did fet out for England. I am fatisfied with the affurances, which you now give me from him, that he continues still in the fame intention; and I hope he will ftill continue to contribute all he can with the States. As for me, I am still of the fame mind, and I act with the fame fincerity. I will foon fend monfieur de Tallard with the neceffary inftructions. When I faid, "That the "reafon the States of Holland "were not fooner acquainted "with it, was, that it could "not be proposed to them, till "it was known, whether the 66 Sir, If it has been reprefented to you, that the king my matter might have made ufe of the credit he has with the States, to cause this treaty to be concluded; I will own, that the king has a great deal of credit in that country. But this credit does always conform itself to the manners and cuftoms of the country; and, tho' the States had found no objection, the bu- Imperialists would come in or finefs could not have been ended "no" the king faid, "They without the confent of every "have had time enough given city, which could not be had in "them, and even too much." lefs time than a month or three As to count Tallard's having orweeks, as the penfionary and ders to come away, the king the earl of Portland have given took no notice of it, nor that he count Tallard to understand. had been informed of every step. But, whilft his orders did not Upon my faying, "Monfieur give him leave to wait for the "Tallard has been informed of conclufion of the affair, the king "all that has been done in this my master hopes, that your ma- "affair, and has even feen all jefty will renew your orders to "the letters, which Mr. Hop Monfieur de Tallard, or will "wrote to the penfionary; and, fend orders to Monfieur de Bon- "it being firft proposed to the repos, to endeavour to remove province of Holland, it feemall obftacles, that fo the projected that he was fatisfied in of the treaty may have its ef- these points." I took occafion to fee, if monfieur de Bonrepos fect, |