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 XXXIII. (Book 33)

Of the Negotiating a Marriage be∣tween the Duke of York and the Princess of Inspruck in Germany; How that Match came to be broke off; and how the French gain'd their Point in Marrying the Princess of Modena to him.

My Lord,

THings continuing in the same posture I mentioned in my last to your Lord∣ship, between England and France, the latter having the full ascendency over our King and Court, to keep them from the Peace with Holland, and to enter into a War in Conjunction with the rest of the Confede∣rates against them; and the Duke of York happening to be a Widower, who was en∣tirely, as they thought, in their Interests at this time, which was the year 1673. there was an Intrigue started up and carried on, that in all appearance was ••eady to break the Thread of all their Contrivances, and irrecoverably to overturn all they had been so long and with so much pains about; but another as lucky a hit interposed timely in their Aid, which salved all their drooping

Interest in our Court again sounder than ever, tho' like the Beast in the Apocalypse, it seemed to have received its deadly wound; For when a Negotiation was now not only set on foot, but in a manner concluded, for Matching our Duke with a Princess of the Austrian Family, an Alliance which would certainly have broke the neck of all Leagues with France, and make England once more the Ballance between those two mighty Powers; I say, just when a Match was concluded with a Princess of the House of Austria, and nothing seemed remaining to the accom∣plishing of it, but celebrating the Espousals, and bringing over the Lady into England, to remain the gage of a close and lasting Alliance, between the Royal Stem of Eng∣land, and that Illustrious and Potent House; and the Monsieur at biting his Nails for spite to see his Interest there desperate and past retrieval; it most luckily happened to him, that in that very interim the Empress died, and the Emperor coming to want a Confort, and finding no other worthy his Choice, according to the usu••l practice of the Austrian Families, whose Branches intermarry frequently with one another, he retain'd the Lady for himself; and so defeating our Prince of his Spouse, and putting of him in a new quest, gave the French an opportu∣nity to prosser him a Female, who they knew descended from a right Intriguing Breed, and would be sure to do their Work

throughly, and thereby not only renew, but make sure against all Events that Alliance that hath since proved so pernicious to all Europe, and so vexatious to the one, as well as to the other of our Princes: This Match they knew might be of great importance to them, not only as to the promoting their Ambitious Ends in England, but in Italy too; and if they could once ensnare the Duke into it, would as fixedly tie him to their Interests, as it would infalli∣bly lose him every where else, and engage not only the Protestant Subjects of these Kingdoms, but even all the other Powers of Christendom, as well of the Roman Com∣munion as the Reformed, to oppose his future Elevation, that so he might be wholly dependant upon them; She being a Lady, not only Italian by Nation, but a Relation of the Pope, (and in that Qua∣lity most odious to England) and also of the late Cardinal Mazarine; and in a word, of a Prince Pensionary to the French, and an adopted Daughter of France; which last Quality they honoured her with, to render her compleatly hateful to all the World, besides most liberally paying her Portion, Pentioning the King, and greasing the Ministers to have the Parliament Pro∣rogued, that in the interim the Match might be huddled up with all the precipitation imaginable, for fear upon the least delay, by contrary Sollicitations from the Austrians,

or any other Potentates abroad, (or any black) and grumbling Clouds at home, the unstable King might be over-persuaded or frighted from letting his Brother go on with that destructive Alliance. These, my Lord, were their Contrivances and Precautions upon this Subject; and they succeeded so well in their Endeavours, that mauger any Reasons the King might have to the con∣trary, or any Opposition made by some few then about him, that Match was concluded, from which England may in a very great measure date the commencement of her en∣suing Grievances; and which, according to the Parliament's Prediction of it, caused such terrible Earthquakes in the three Nations already, and God Almighty alone knows what the dire Effects may be, and where things will terminate at long run, though it may at the same time prove better than our fears. For after it was once done, they cared not what Storms it produced amongst us; for if the endeavours of an Alliance cemented with so charming a Fe∣male, unwearied in enticements, could not allure, nor the sug••ed Professions of a con∣stant Amity and Protection, besides the powerful Spells of continual Supplies of Money, engage sufficiently; yet they were confident the troubles it would cause, would necessitate him for Self-preservation to keep close to their Interests, and to be content perhaps for the preservation of the rest, to

give them part of his Estates, whenever it should succeed, and make them Executors of his Will; or at least, at all Adventures, keep up such Divisions, as by the care they would take to balance the respective Par∣ties concerned in them, would both divert and disable the Nation from exerting their Resentment against them to any great pur∣pose. These, my Lord, were the Improve∣ments they proposed to make by this Match, and herewith I shall conlude, who am,

My Lord,

Your Lordship's very humble Servant.

Paris, Aug. 30. 1678.