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 XLIV. (Book 44)

Of the means whereby Mr. Skelton came to know of the Designs in Holland against King James, and of his acquainting the King his Master therewith.

My Lord,

MY last imported some Intimations to your Lordship of Mr. Skelton when the King's Envoy at the Hague, his discovering some secret Correspondence negotiated between England and Holland, as he judged, to his Master's dis∣advantage; I have also noted how the King had been advertised of it from this Court, where Mr Skelton is now in the same Quality, as at the Hague, and who, I can further assure your Lordship, has made a further Progress to un∣riddle the Intrigue since his Arrival, by the means of one whose Name is Budeus de Verace, a Protestant of Geneva; who having been some time since Captain of the Guards to the Prince of Orange, and having had the Misfor∣tune to kill a Man in a Duel, was casheered by him; Mr. Skelton being then at the Hague, and acquainted with the said Verace, found a way to reconcile him to his Master by the Re∣commendation of my Lord Clarendon, who having brought up his Son, my Lord Cornbury,

at Geneva, was under great Obligations to Ve∣race for the good Offices he had done him, and care taken of him; this Genevese being thus re-established in the Favour of the Prince, his Master, had it seems a greater Share of it than before, as he had also in the Secrets of Mon∣sieur B—his Favorite; however it was, it should seem by the sequel, that he was now by his second Introduction to Favour, become quite of Mr. Skelton's Interest, who was the Instrument to reconcile him; For not long since he has taken occasion to be dissatisfied with the Service he engaged in, and withdrawn, and being, as was given out, but whether so in reality or no, upon his return to his native City of Geneva, he took occasion to write a Letter to Mr. Skelton, now in this City, That the Noise about the Armamont in Holland was so far from being a false thing, or otherwise to be conceived, that it was a Matter of the highest Importance, and did no less than con∣cern the Safety of the Crown of his Master, the King of England, and that it was highly neces∣sary he should be made acquainted with a Son-in-Law, whom he knew not. This he desired Mr. Skelton to communicate to the King with all speed; but he was not willing to make any further Discovery of his Secret to any other save to the King himself in Person; if the King were so pleased as to send him Orders by Mr. Skelton to come and attend upon him. Up∣on the receipt of which Letter from the said Genevese, Mr. Skelton hath writ Five or Six Letters to the King in a very pressing, lively and urgent manner, but what effect they have had upon him, may be the Subject of another

Letter, and perhaps of my next, if my intelli∣gence fail me not, in the mean time I am and shall be,

My Lord,

Your Lordship's most humble and devoted Servant.

Paris, Aug. 14. 1688. N. S.