Will.III."preffed in his speech for the Proteftant religion, and his 1700-1. "care for its preservation, by recommending to their confi

*Middle

ton.

❝deration

of Arran, it would be of great ufe to have an understanding with him. He will have none, where *.

listed, and their officers chofen,
and they had twenty horfes to a
troop; which troops lying at a
distance, in a horfe-country,
twenty horfes would foon have
mounted the reft. Thofe, who
could not divine the greatness
and use of the undertaking,
blamed the rashness of it; and
even fome churchmen have not
been disapproved, for endea-
vouring undutifully (because
contrary to the king's written
orders) to break the defign.
But I defire you, now, for all
this, to believe, that you have
not such an argument to use to
the court of France, as this.
And, if you can make it appear,
as it might have been, fome
years ago, I fhould have very
good hopes of this fummer's
work; nay, let the king have
what other hopes, even pro-
mifes, you please, from the
court of France, this is to be
put into the circumstances it was
in. For, if there will ever be
a landing in England, to pur-
pofe, it must be before they can
be armed; and they cannot be
armed, before the parliament
come to a resolution concerning
the war; and, confidering the
few troops in England, fuppofe
thefe men to be no better than
militia, what a diverfion would
it be? It is not neceffary for me
to fay any more of this article,
till I know whether their ma-
jefties have as good an opinion
of this undertaking, as I have.
If fo, I fhall fhew what I think
is to be done in it; if otherwise,
I fave the pains. As to the earl

so

-can pry. His all is at ftake, and he ought to be wary with whom he ventures to deal. I think it better for the king's fervice, that the court-party prevailed, in the manner they have done in the parliament of Scotland, than that the country-party should have got their will. Oppofition fwells the water to a flood; and, fo long as the country-party is not difcouraged, they gain more ground in the kingdom, than they lofe in the government; that the difaffection to the government will increase; and one may judge of the nation, in general, which is of another temper, than this pretended parliament, or rather Prefbyterian rabble, in representing the nation. For, fince even in it there. is fuch a struggle against the government, what would there be in a free parliament, which the prince of Orange durft never hazard to call? The nation, then, at least a great part of it, being difaffected to this government, it is of great confequence, that the earl of Arran may know what to do, in case of an invafion of England; or, in cafe he and his friends be obliged, for felf-prefervation, to rife in their own defence. The army, who are, and ever were, well affected, are to be gained by money; and a little goes a great way with them. The disbanded troops would be

engaged,

"deration a further provifion for the fucceffion to the crown Will. III. " in the Proteftant line. They added, that, being deeply 1700-I. "fenfible

engaged, and the officers are well inclined. The places of ftrength would be fecured, and fuch as can be put in defence, without expences, fortified. To do all this, at least, such a part of them, as can be begun with, a fmall fum will ferve; and he ought to have hopes of it, and of the command.

Thefe being only heads to be difcourfed of, and much to be faid of every part, it is not to be thought, that this letter can carry a final conclufion; for, it may be, upon difcourfe, I might change my mind, or be more confirmed in it, and fee further. This makes me infift, again, to you, upon two things, as appearing to me, abfolutely neceffary to put things upon a right foot. The first is, the removing of all impediments out of the way, and fending all fufpected perfons to Champagne or Burgundy, according to their guilt. And the fecond is of the Taft ufe, both to their majefties and the prince; which is, the eftablishing of fuch a number, under no qualifications, to talk of their affairs, in their majefties prefence; with whom we can freely converfe, and propose what may be for their majesties fervice.

Nothing is fo dangerous, as
to determine what one will do,
and then hear reasons against it,
and imitate the deaf adder,
"who hearkens not to the voice
"of the charmer, let him charm
"never fo sweetly." Reafons
against a refolution taken, of-
fend; and, the more force they
have, they offend the more;
whilft, before the refolution be
taken, reafon has its effect, and
the determinations are not the
effect of humour and faction,
but of prudence and justice. If
in any thing I fail, I'll fwear it
is want of understanding, and
And I beg, that
not of will.
their majefties may be perfuaded,
that it is no humour nor vanity,
but their fervice, I have in my
view; who am,

My dearest Brother,

Moft humbly yours.

There are fome remarkable
circumftances relating to this
letter, in Mr. Cole's Memoirs;
as will appear from the follow-
ing extracts.

Mr. fecretary Vernon to the
earl of Manchelter.

Whitehall, Feb. 17, 1700,
O. S.

I cannot but mention one expreffion in the letter, viz." That

As for the firft it will be for the king's reputation, both at the courts of Rome, France, this opportunity must be imand with all his true friends in proved, now the court of "France is diffatisfied with the England, for many reasons. As for the fecond, it is according "prince of Orange, for his to fcripture, "In the multitude "treacheries difcovered in their "of counsellors there is fafety." "hands."

F 3

His majesty does

not

Will. II.

fenfible of the weight of what his majefty had further re

1700-1❝commended to them, they could not but defire he would be

not know what they should mean
by it, unless it arifes from the
letters Jolly brought, which his
majefty knows nothing of. You
know all that we have fent to
Spain; which is affurances of
friendship, if they have the fame
difpofition on their fide, and to
exhort them to preserve their li-
berty. If this be an offence, it
is impoffible to avoid it, with
France. I fuppofe, you will
hear a good deal of this letter,
and that the parties concerned
will not well like, that it is come
hither, and made thus public,

Mr. fecretary Vernon to the earl

of Manchester.

Whitehall, Feb. 20, 1700,
O. S.

I fend you, inclofed, the earl
of Melfort's letter, printed by
order of the houfe of lords. I
fuppofe there will be no que-
ftion made at St. Germain's
whether the letter be genuine,
or not; at least, monfieur de
Tallard does not call that in
doubt, though he feems much
offended at the letter's being
communicated to the lords and
commons. He endeavoured to
speak with me on Monday night,
but I was gone to Kenfington;
and, upon his writing to me,
next morning, that I would ap-
point him a time, when he
might speak to me, I went to
him. He was full of expoftula-
tion, of the letter's being carried
to the two houses, by my lord
chamberlain and myfelf, as if it
were done to create an animo-

fity between the two nations,
and to give the alarm, That the
French had formed a defign to
invade England: whereas this
appeared to be only a chimeri-
cal notion of Melfort, who (as
he often repeated) was 'un fou
' & un extravagant;' that he
was banished from the court of
king James, and had nothing to
do in the court of France; that
his waiting upon madam de
Maintenon was only to get two
of his daughters put into the
nunnery of St. Cyr; that he had
no access to the French mini-
fters, but was fpinning cobwebs
of his own; and there ought to
have been no occafion taken,
from thence, to create jealoufies
and mifunderstandings. That
the French had fhewn their dif-
pofition to live in friendship with
England; and he thought care
ought to be taken, on our fide,
not to give any grounds to be-
lieve, that we were picking a
quarrel with them; and this he
thought neceffary to tell one, as
a matter that deferved atten-
tion.

I told him, The letter contained fomething that might appear notional, and like a project of his own; but other parts of it laid down facts, that it extremely concerned us to provide againft; fuch as the fitting out a fleet in France, that was like to be mafter of the fea, this fummer; that we could make no provifion for our fafety, but in parliament; and therefore it was fit they fhould be acquainted with our danger, and that the

proofs

"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 1700-1. "enabled

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

and thofe, that seem 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 said,
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 jealoufy 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 fo 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 fhewed 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 fatisfied of the contrary. As for lord Arran, he was convinced he was not in king James's intereft; that he was rather setting up for himfelf, as having fome pretence to the crown of Scotland. In short,