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 XXVIII. (Book 28)

Of the Success of the French Arms a∣gainst the United Provinces, in the Year, 1672. Their further Resolves to Elude us, and their Wheedles to induce the Amsterdamers to yield.

My Lord,

THE States being at length roused up out of their sleepy Security, and be∣ginning to dread, that notwithstanding all the French Wheedles and Delusions, those vast Preparations by Land, and the lasie Movements of their Armies, boded no good to them, did by their Embassador at Paris, who was a Son of Hugo Grotius, offer the French King all the Satisfaction imaginable; But that haughty Monarch had concerted his Measures so well, and thought himself now so sure of his Game, that all their Of∣fers were laughed at. Your Lordship knows well enough, what a bustle was made in England, by Summoning of the East India Company to give an account of the Insults of the Dutch upon their Factories, since the Peace at Breda, (who answered, and gave it under their Hands, that they knew of none) and such other stuff as that was; yet the French King did not think

fit to trouble his Brains with any such Pre∣tensions; but his chief Motive to under∣take this War was, that that State did e∣clipse his Glory, and must be humbled, &c. And accordingly gave his Armies Orders to enter the Dutch Territories. I need not recite to your Lordship, the Success he met with in his Enterprize, and how like a Tor∣rent he carried all before him; how Rhinburg, Dossery, Deudek••m, Rees, Wesel, Eme∣rick, Doesburg, Turesume, Nimeguen, Swoll, Daventer, Grave, Arnheim, Skinenschon, Creve∣ceer, fell quickly into his hands; and Coventer to the Bishop of Munster, his Confederate; and the greedy Monsieur now began with an amorous Eye to look upon Amsterdam, which he did not question but to be speedi∣ly Master of, and it was the least of his In∣tension to allow our King any Share or Part of the Repartition before concerted on between them; And tho' it were pri∣vately suggested unto him, by a grave Mi∣nister that attended him, that if he pro∣ceeded any further, he doubted his Con∣duct would be contrary to his Interest, as tending, how much soever he doted on their friendship, to alienate the King of England's Affections from them by degrees, and convert the Confidence he had in their Sincerity, into utmost Detestation; espe∣cially the main Charms, being by the Death of his principal Charmeress, his late lovely and beloved Sister, in a manner dissolved; and

tho' he should be over-awed by other Con∣siderations, as to smother his Resentments; yet it would so loudly awaken the Old A∣version of our Nation against them; that far from being able to continue much longer in League with them, it would be impossible for him, during such a Juncture, and under such Provocations, to contain his irritated Subjects within the Bounds of a stupid Neutrality, or restrain their Fury from recoiling upon himself and the Royal Family any other way, then by letting of them loose upon the French; and suffering of them to wreak their Revenge and long curbed Inclination, in an open and vigor∣ous War on their old Adversaries, to oblige them to regorge those delicate Morsels, of which they had so perfidiously and unfair∣ly defrauded them of their stipulated Share, whilst their Allies and Confederates: Yet, My Lord, Excess of Prosperity, had so blinded the French King, that like the Em∣perour Charles V. of Austria, when he had taken Francis the first, then King of France, Prisoner at the Battle of Pavia, he fan∣cied they had all the World now in a String; and had partly already provided, and partly concerted such excellent Salves against all Inconveniencies of that kind; that as secure, against all Contingencies, or the jadish Tricks of Fortune, whom they imagined to be now fastned with too strong and well-contrived-harness, to their trium∣phant

Chariot, to kick against her Drivers, much less break her Rains; they thought they might incontrouledly play what Tricks they would with the English; tho' to flat∣ter us with the hopes of our Repartition, would be necessary yet for a time, as it would be easie, after the Reduction of Am∣sterdam, and the entire Conquest of those Countreys, both by specious Arguments, to justifie against our precarious Plea their intended retention of the whole to themselves, and to back their Usurpations by force, when once in Possession: As did the Lion in the Fable to the Beasts, who on the plausible Condition of being allow∣ed an equitable Share, had entred into a Confederacy of hunting with his Brutish Majesty; but he, when all was done, mak∣ing himself to be Judge and Sharer, had, upon Alamode Pretences, the Brutish Cons∣cience to take, and by force to keep all from them: And accordingly the French, when they found that on their side Victory advanced not on Tortoise Claws, but Ea∣gles Wings, and saw themselves before ei∣ther Neighbours or Allies were aware, Masters of the best part of the Territories of that distressed State, and with their Swords in their Hands, point almost to the Vitals of it: As they were most sur∣prisingly active, in taking all they could for themselves, most liberal in allotting our Auxiliaries in their Armies, their full share

in the Fatigues of the War, most false to the Faith of our mutual League, by de∣clining in their turn, to second those Ad∣vances we were ready to make to∣wards the like Success; and in fine, most perfidiously busie in casting Rubs in our way, as I have before hinted to your Lord∣ship, to balk, and in planting those Lights to misguide and shipwrack our Designs: So by their Conduct, as well as Minutes, it did appear, that they intended not to stop there, but that after those stupendious Pro∣gresses that favoured their Beginnings: It was resolved by them, to push on their Con∣quest to the utmost, without demurring upon any Points or Scruples relating to us, even into those Parts belonging to our Reparti∣tion; and especially to seize on Amsterdam it self, if possible, before we could reflect on, and much less oppose so sudden an Ex∣ploit; which, Capture alone, they, not without Reason thought, would be succee∣ded with a voluntary Cession of all the remaining Places and Provinces, and with the Accession of the most part of the Fleets, Merchants, and Colonies, of that potent Republick; who would not fail to conceive, partly, for fear of losing otherwise their whole Proprieties in the Moneys and Ef∣fects le••t by them, in that great Magazine of both Hemisphears; and partly to enjoy the pretended Liberties and Immunities, mighty Priviledges, and other prodigious Ad∣vantages,

with which their Agents contrary to their League withus, had already privately tempted, and had Instructions further, to allure those industrious and thriving People with, to come over perfectly to them, and decline us: Against whom their Emissaries imployed so many Arts, to exasperate those People; That tho' both Enemies, and the French much more formidable then we, to what by them, and all free-born People, was most Prizable, viz. Liberty, Proper∣ty, and Religion, yet the English was at that time, the more hated name of the two, to their depraved Apprehension.

And as for our King, they reckoned him so enchanted with the Opinion, both of the Necessity and Integrity of their Friend∣ship to him, and so intent in that confi∣dence on his beloved Pleasures, with a∣nother She-Magitian of theirs new∣ly sent him for that purpose, tempered with the most intoxicating Venom, known to Female Arts, that they never thought he could have any sense at liberty, to mind what they did: and therefore knowing on the other side, there could arrive no distur∣bance time enough from the Empire, to spoile their Game, it thundring from thence yet, but a far off, they were moving with all greediness, their Harpy-Talons, to seize ont his important Prey: And had without all doubt, attained their purpose in the strange and pannick Terror, that at that

time seemed to disable the Hands, and lock up the Senses, of the otherwise couragious and politick Inhabitants of that famous Emporium, had not Divine Providence just in that Moment, by two most unlikely Ac∣cidents, but yet most effectual Expedients interposed between them and Destruction, of which I may give your Lordship some hints in my next; who am in the mean time,

My Lord,

Your Honours, most humble Servant.

Paris, Apr. 29. 1678. N. S.