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 XXVII. (Book 27)

Of the Methods practised by the French Ministers to corrupt our Embassadors.

My Lord,

HAving given your Lordship some ac∣count of the opinion the French Court have had of some of our Statesmen; it may be it will not be unacceptable to recount to your honour in this place some of those ways they have taken here to corrupt and pervert our Embassadors; And I can bold∣ly affirm that there has been hardly any one Embassador sent from our Court hither, since the Restoration whom they have not endeavoured to corrupt and to get into a private Intreague to traverse not only what he was to Negotiate, but even something of what themselves prest on our Princes by their own private Agents, and on some of whom, I have named one

to your Lordship formerly, they have made very great impressions to our Nations detriment; for matters of main Conse∣quence, were treated of by private Mini∣sters or Messengers between both Kings, which were not as much as mentioned to the Embassadors sent in Publick, who have been on our side sent only for Parade, to Negotiate many times, things whereof the contrary had been most commonly agreed upon especially in private, only to blind by that piece of Formality the Eyes of our Subjects at home, and of our Neighbours abroad; or else to treat about matters of meer Complement or of but ordinary con∣cern; and tho' what has been privately treated on between the Two Kings, or but only proposed was of great Concern to be kept secret, and that for that very rea∣son they knew our Embassadors were not made acquainted with it, yet such has been their Malice and Treachery to our King and Country, as to discover to our Embassadors or Envoys and their Secreta∣ries, such parts thereof as they have thought, being once known to them, would be most proper and effectual to induce our Mini∣sters to enter into a particular Cabal with them for by-ends, and many times to af∣firm things more invidious than ordinary to have been agreed upon between both Courts, which were only proposed; which kind of Communication of theirs had a ve∣ry

powerful influence by the curiosity that is natural to all Mankind, to work upon our Ministers to entertain such a Corres∣pondence with them to the dishonour and detriment of their King and Country; for they have told them sometimes, that not only the Points proposed by the Dutchess of Orleans, but other things of as bad and dangerous consequence for the Subjects and Religion in England, were absolutely concluded on between both Crowns un∣known unto them; and that our King and Duke of York had taken such and such Measures to put themselves into a Condi∣tion to do what they pleased, and that the King their Master was willing to flatter them in such hopes and feed them with a little Money to keep them from taking part with his Enemies; yet that truly at the bottom he had no such Zeal for Re∣ligion nor for the Pope of Rome, as he had not for the King of England's over great Power and Absoluteness in Rule, being things which could not but be prejudicial and very incompatible with his own great∣ness, and therefore he should not fail un∣derhand to favour the People of England in supporting their Liberties and Rights, and defending their Religion, and confin∣ing the Kingly or Regal Power to its own due limits; And therefore if they, Viz. our Envoys or Ministers would serve him in that design, they might assure themselves

they should be well gratified for their Compliance; that there was no occasion to scruple it; since they knew well enough that our Government was but a qualified Monarchy, wherein the Subject owed ra∣ther more Allegiance to their Country than they did to their Prince; And that since their King went about to deal so un∣fairly and injuriously with their Country, as to enter into Leagues and Treaties, and that underhand with a Foreign Prince, contrary to their true Interest, and decei∣ved his Embassadors by transacting things different from, and opposite to what they had received in their Instructions, and trusted not his own Ministers but only Forreigners with his main Secrets of State; it could not be thought any great infidelity in them to deceive such a Prince, and to enter into private Intreagues against such Designs as were pernicious and destructive to their Country, and would be so to the Prince himself, if not prevented in time, with a great deal more matter still more in∣vidious than that, to the same purpose.

Such Methods as these, My Lord, I find in the minutes of the Instructions prescrib∣ed from time to time, to those who are imploy'd to converse with our English Em∣bassadors or Envoys, and after-notes do al∣so remark they had success enough with some of them, whom your Lordship may so well guess at, that I need not name them.

However this opinion they entertained of most of the English whom they gained in∣to Intrigue, except it were the Duke of Buckingham and one or two more, that they served them with the same mind, with which they imploy'd them, for this was and is still an usual saying with them, We imploy'd them not for any love we have had to them, or any good we intended them, but only for the Interest and Advantage of our own King, and the Dishonour and Disadvan∣tage of theirs. So they as we believe and have by experience found by most, served us not for any love to our Interest, but to our Money, and with intent to make what we intended for the disservice of their Country turn in the end for the good and benefit of it, or at least to the Factions and Perswasions they themselves were off; I could inlarge much more upon this Head but I have been already tedious and there∣fore I must conclude and remain,

My Lord,

Your Lordships most Devoted and Humble Servant.

Paris March 19. 1678. N. S.