The secret history of White-Hall, from the restoration of Charles II down to the abdication of the late K. James writ at the request of a noble lord, and conveyed to him in letters, by ̲̲̲late secretary-interpreter to the Marquess of Louvois, who by that means had the perusal of all the private minutes between England and France for many years : the whole consisting of secret memoirs, which have hitherto lain conceal'd, as not being discoverable by any other hand / publish'd from the original papers, by D. Jones, gent.

LETTER XL. (Book 40)

Of the Prince of Wales's Birth, with the Sense of the French Court upon it.

My Lord,

I have upon another occasion hinted to your Lordship what Appearance of Joy there was at this Court for the Birth of the Prince of Wales; but they are now not a little morti∣fied at the Pasquils put forth in England and Holland to render his Birth suspected and the whole to be only a piece of Court Legerdemain to carry on the Catholick Cause; As for the later, the designs carry'd on against the King and his Ad∣herents as they are now no Secret to the World, so 'tis no wonder such Pamphlets are connived at; Then for England, its an Argument the Reigns of Government are of late much slacken∣ed, and that the Regal Authority is much in the Wain, when the King and the Courts Honour, is touched in so sensible a Part, and yet that no Redress can be made thereof, nor efficacious Remedy applied thereto; but I must tell you, my Lord, That tho' this Court has not so much reason to be concerned as that in England in this Point, yet such things dare not be much more than whispered here, because that upon the first broching of his being a supposititious Prince, there has been a very strict Charge given that none durst presume to speak of him otherwise than of a real Prince, neither dare the Cour∣tiers

even in private so much as emancipate themselves to speak otherwise, lest they should thereby, besides transgressing the present Orders, give also a Jealousie to old Lewis him∣self, that they designed obliquely to revive the old Disputes formerly raised about his own Legitimacy; but this I have heard them privately say; That could they have gotten away one of our Princesses (as I have for∣merly mentioned to your Lordship) to be mar∣ried here, and had had thereby another French Heir to put in, they believed the Prince of Wales would not be long-lived; But these things, my Lord, are ticklish things to meddle with at such a Juncture of Time. I pray God to keep your Lordship from all Harm, and to increase the Honours of your Family, and that I shall ever do, whirst

My Lord,

I am, &c.

Paris, Sept. 12. 1688. S. N.