of the pretender, and to enable the French king to assist him; and is not he, in that monarch's opinion as well as his own, their lawful prince? I except against the emperor and the states; because it can be proved upon them, that the plaintiffs and they have an understanding together. I except against any prince who makes unreasonable demands, and threatens to recall his troops if they be not complied with; because they have been forced of late to change their language, and may perhaps be shortly obliged to observe their articles more strictly. I should be sorry, for the appealers sakes, to have their case referred to the kings of Sweden and Denmark, who infallibly would decree them to be all hanged up for their insolence to their sovereign. But, above all, the king of Spain would certainly be against them, when he considers with how scandalous a neglect his interests have been managed; and that the full possession of his kingdom was made a sacrifice to those, whose private or party interest swayed them to the continuance of the war. The author had reason to omit the grand seignior and czar in the list of his judges: The decrees of those princes are too sudden and sanguinary; and their lessons to instruct subjects in behaviour to their princes, by strangling them with a bowstring, or flinging them to be devoured alive by hogs, were enough to deter them from submitting to their jurisdiction.

A NEW

A NEW

JOURNEY TO PARIS;

TOGETHER WITH SOME

SECRET TRANSACTIONS

BETWEEN

THE FRENCH KING

AND

AN ENGLISH GENTLEMAN,

BY THE SIEUR DU BAUDRIER.

TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.

"I had rather be thought a good Englishman, than the best Poet, "or the greatest Scholar, that ever wrote."

PRIOR, Preface to "SOLOMON.”

VOL. V.

DD

"I have just thought of a project to bite the town. I have told 66 you, that it is now known that Mr. Prior has been lately in "France. I will make a printer of my own sit by me one day; and "I will dictate to him a formal relation of Prior's journey, with "several particulars, all pure invention; and I doubt not but it "will take." Journal to Stella, Aug. 31, 1711.

"This morning the printer sent me an account of Prior's journey ; "it makes a twopenny pamphlet: I suppose you will see it, for I "dare say it will run. It is a formal grave lie, from the begin "ning to the end. I wrote all but the last page; that I dic"tated, and the printer wrote. Mr. Secretary sent to me, to dine "where he did it was at Prior's. When I came in, Prior showed 56 me the pamphlet, seemed to be angry, and said, "Here is our "English Liberty!' I read some of it; said, 'I liked it mightily, "and envied the rogue the thought; for, had it come into my head, "I should have certainly done it myself."-Ibid. Sept. 11.

"The printer told me he sold yesterday, a thousand of Prior's "Journey, and had printed five hundred more. It will do rarely, "I believe, and is a pure bite."-Ibid. Sept. 12.

"Prior's Journey sells still; they have sold two thousand, "although the town is empty."-Ibid. Sept. 24.

"There came out some time ago an account of Mr. Prior's jour ney to France, pretended to be a translation; it is a pure inven. ❝tion from the beginning to the end. I will let your Grace into "the secret of it. The clamours of a party against any peace with "out Spain, and railing at the Ministry as if they designed to ruin " us, occafioned that production, out of indignity and contempt, "by way of furnishing fools with something to talk of; and it "has had a very great effect." Letter to Abp. King, Oct. 1, 1711.

THE original of the following discourse was transmitted to me three days ago from the Hague, to which town it was sent from France; but in the titlepage there was no mention of the place where it was printed, only the author's name at length, and the year of our Lord. That the tract is genuine, I believe no person will doubt. You see all along the vanity of that nation, in a mean man giving himself the airs of a secretary, when it appears, by several circumstances, that he was received only as a menial servant. It were to be wished, the author had been one of more importance, and farther trusted in the secrets of his master's negotiation; but, to make amends, he informs us of several particulars, which one of more consequence would not have given himself the trouble about: and the particulars are such, as we at home will perhaps be curious to know; not to mention that he gives us much light into some things that are of great moment; and by his not pretending to know more, we cannot doubt the truth. of what he relates.

It is plain, he waited at table, carried his master's valise, and attended in his bedchamber; though he takes care to tell us, that monsieur Prior made many excuses and apologies, because these mean offices appear very inconsistent with the character of secretary, which he would seem to set up for.

I shall make no reflections on this important affair, nor upon the consequences we may expect from it. To reason upon secrets of state, without knowing all the springs and motions of them, is too common a talent among us, and the foundation of a thousand errours. Here is room enough for speculations; but I advise the reader to let them serve for his own entertainment, without troubling the world with his