the Spaniards, and concluded, That tho' he should A. C. agree to a Separate Treaty with the greatest Regret that 1077. could be, yet he did not fee what else was to be done, and did not know one Man in Holland that was not of the fame Mind. Sir VVilliam ask'd him, "What he reckon'd would become of Flanders, after the "Dutch had made their Separate Peace; because "the Fate of that Country was that whereon the "reft of their Neighbours were concern'd, as well as they? Monfieur Fagel, anfwer'd, That he believ'd, Cambray, Valenciennes, Namur, and Mons might be loft in one Summer; that after their lofs the great Towns within would not offer at defending themfelves, excepting Antwerp and Oftend, for which, perhaps, they might take fome Meafures with France, as he knew the French had offer'd Monfieur De-Witt, upon their first Invafion in 1667. Sir VVilliam Temple interrupting him, ask'd him, "How "he reckon'd their State was to live with France "after the lofs of Flanders? And if he thought it "could be otherwife than at Difcretion. The Penfioner defir'd him to believe, That if they could hope to Save Flanders by the War, they would not think of a Separate Peace; but if it must be loft, they had rather it should be by the laft, which would lefs exhauft their Country, and Difhonour the Prince; that after Flanders was loft, they must live fo with France, as would make them find it their Intereft, rather to preferve their State, than to deftroy it; That the French could make better use of the Dutch Fleets, than of the few Poor Fisher-Towns, that they should be reduc'd to, if any Violations were made, either upon their Liberties or Religion; That the King of France had feen their Country, and knew it, and faid upon all Occafions, That he had rather have them for his Friends than his Subjects. That the Separate Treaty was not to be chofen, but to be Swallow'd like a defperate Remedy; That for his own Part he had ever believ'd that England would cry Halt, at one stop or other that France was making, and that if the Englifh would be Content to fee half Flanders loft, yet they would not all, nor Sicily neither, for the Intereft of their Trade in the Mediteranean; that the

A. C. King of Great Britain had the Peace in his Hands for 1677, these two Years paft, and might have made it when he pleas'd, and upon fuch Conditions as he should think fit for Fuftice and Safety to the rest of his Neighbour's as well as himself. That all Men knew France was not in a Condition to refufe whatever Terms his Britannick Majefty refolv'd on, or to Venture a VVar with England in Conjunction with the rest of the Allies. That they had long reprefented all this in England by Monfieur Van Beuninghen, and offer'd His Majefty to be the Arbiter of the Peace, but not a word in Anfwer, and all receiv'd with fuch coldness as never was, tho' other People thought the English had more Reason to be more concern'd fince after a Separate Peace, the Aims of France would be more upon Italy, or Germany, or perhaps upon England.

declares a

gainst it.

The next Morning Sir William Temple acquainted the Prince with his Conference with the Penfioner, and how amongst other things he faid, That The P. of he saw nothing else to be done, but to make a Separate Orange Peace, and that he knew not a Man in Holland who was not of his Mind. Thereupon the Prince inter rupted him, faying, Yes, I am fure I know one, and that is my Self; and I will do it as long as I can. Sir VVilliam ask'd him, Whether he was of the Penfioner's Mind, as to what he thought likely to happen the next Campaign? His Highnels anfwer'd, "The Appearances were ill, but Cam paigns did not always end as they began. That "Accidents might happen which no Man could

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forefee, and that if they came to one fair Bat"tle, none could anfwer for the Event. That the "King might make the Peace if he pleas'd, before "it began; but if the English were fo indifferent

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as to let this Seafon pafs, for his Part he must go 66 on and take his Fortune. That he had feen that "Morning a Poor Old Man, tugging alone in a "little Boat with his Oars, against the Eddy of a. "Sluce upon a Canal; that when, with the last "Endeavours, he was just got up to the place in દર tended, the force of the Eddy carried him quite. "back again; but he turn'd his Boat affoon as he. "could, and fell to his Oars again, and thus three

or four times whilft he faw him; concluding A. C. "this Old Man's Bufinefs and his were too like 1677. "one another, and that he ought however to do juft as the Old Man did, without knowing what would fucceed, any more than what did in the Poor Man's Cafe.

The Refult of these Conferences Sir William Temple very particularly reprefented to the Court of England, that His Majefty might want no Lights that were neceffary upon fo Nice, and yet fo dangerous a Conjuncture. The King anfwer'd him in a long Letter of his own hand, Complaining "much of the Confederate Minifters in London Caballing with Parliament Men,and raifing all Men's "Spirits as high against the Peace as they could; " and that they had done it to fuch a-Degree as “ made it very Difficult for him to make any "fteps with France towards a General Treaty, "unless the Dutch Ambaffador would firft put in a Memorial, preffing His Majefty from the "States to do it, and declaring, that without it "they faw Flanders would be loft. The Prince and Penfioner were both willing that the King fhould be comply'd with in Relation to the fteps and

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Language of the Dutch Ambaffador at London; Project of but his Highness preft Sir William to write once general more to know His Majefty's Opinion upon the Peace made Terms of the Peace, or elfe, he faid, it would by the P. of be too late, while the Seafon advanc'd towards Orange. the Campaign. Sir William Temple defir'd the Prince to Confider there would be three Weeks time loft, and that His Majefty would take it kinder if his Hignefs explain'd himself first. The Prince paus'd a while, and then faid, "To fhew the Con"fidence he defir'd to live in with His Majefty, "he would make no further Difficulty of it, tho "he might have many Reasons for it. That if 66 the King had a Mind to make a fudden Peace,' "he thought he must do it upon the Foot of Aixla-Chappelle; which he would have the more "Grounds for, becaufe it was a Peace he both "made and warranted. That for Exchanges he thought there fhould be no others propos'd up

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on it, but only of Aeth and charleroy, for Aire "and St. Omer; which two laft, he thought, im

ported a great deal more to France than the o"thers, unless they would Declare, that they in"tended to end this War with the Profpect of beginning another, by which they must get the rest "of Flanders. That this was all that fhould pafs between France and Spain, and for the Emperor "and the States, that the first having taken Philips૬. burgh from the French, fhould raze it; and the "French having taken Maeftricht from the Dutch, "fhould raze it too, and this whole War fhould "pafs, like a Whirl-wind that had ceas'd, after it "had threatned much, and made but little alteration 66 in the World.

Sir William Temple was furpriz'd to hear a Propofition fo on the fudden, fo judicious, fo fhort and fo decifive, and that feem'd fo eafie towards a fhort Clofe, if His Majefty of Great Britain, fhould give into it. However, his Excellency obferv'd to his Highness, that he had not explain'd what was to become of Lorrain and Burgundy; and next, whether he believ'd it at all likely, that France fhould come to fuch Reftitutions of what they had lately acquir'd, without an Equivalent? The Prince reply'd, "Both were explain'd by the "Terms he propos'd of Aix-la-Chapelle, that for

Lorrain, France never pretended to keep it, but "from the last Duke only. That Burgundy could not he parted with by Spain, without the French Reftoring fo many Towns for it in Flanders, as "would raise endless Debates, and fo leave the Bu"finefs to the decifion of another Campaign. For "the Second, he faid, He had Reafon to doubt it, "and did not believe it would be done, but by "His Britannick Majefty's vigorous Interpofition; "but if His Majefty would not endeavour it, the "War muft go on, and God Almighty muft de. "cide it. That for himself, the King could never દહે do fo kind a Part, as to bring him with fome "Honour out of it, and upon fome Moderate "Terms, but if he was Content that France fhould make them Infupportable, the Allies would

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Venture all, rather than receive them. And A: C. for Holland's making a Separate Peace, let the 1677. Penfioner, or any others, fay what they would, they fhould never do it while he was alive, and was able to hinder it; and he would fay one thing more, That he believ'd he was able to hinder it. That if he died, he knew it would be done the next day; but when that should happen, this Matter must be fome others Care, "and perhaps the English were the most concern'd "to look after it. Sir William Temple gave an Account of this Difcourfe to his Mafter, and in the mean time, Sir Lionel Jenkins his Colleague at Nimeguen, having difcover'd a Secret and Separate Negociation between the French and the Dutch Plenipotentionaries, gave Account of it to the Court, and receiv'd an immediate Order from the King of Great Britain, publickly to Protest against it, in His Majefty's Name; which however was prevented by Sir William Temple's reprefenting the infignificancy of fuch a Proteftation.

Sir William Temple having receiv'd His Mafter's Answer to his Difpatches by the Prince's Di-Jan. 25. rections, carried them immediately away to Dieren, 1677. and there Communicated them to the Prince. The King's Anfwer confifted of two Parts; the First, An Offer of His Majefty's entring into the strongest Defenfive Alliance with the Dutch, thereby to Secure them from all Apprehenfions from France, after the Peace fhould be made; and the Second was His Majefty's Remarks, rather than Conclufion upon the Terms propos'd by the Prince for a Peace. That he believ'd it might be compafs'd with France upon the Exchange of Cambray, Aire, and St. Omer, for Aeth, Charlery, Oudenarde, Condé and Bouchain, That this Scheme was what His Majesty thought poffible to be obtain'd of France, tho' not what was to be wish'd.

The Prince's Countenance chang'd when Sir VVilliam Temple nam'd Cambray, and the rest of the Towns; nevertheless, his Highness heard him through, and the many Nice Reafons of Sir Joseph VVIL

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