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 LXII. (Book 62)

Of the Solemn Embassy sent by the French King to King Charles II. in the Year 1677, in order to break off the Match with the Prince of Orange, &c.

My LORD,

PUrsuant to what I have already men∣tioned to your Lordship of the De∣signs concerted between his Royal High∣ness, and the French King, about getting of the Lady Mary, by a Stratagem, into France, if their other Measures about hin∣dring

the Match were broken, was the late solemn Embassy sent over from hence into England, whereof the Count d' Estree was the head, accompanied with the Duke de Vendosme, the Archbishop of Rheims, one of our great Minister, the Marquiss de Lou∣vois's Sons, and at least fifty Lords more of principal Note; and whose publick in∣structions, tho' they imported nothing more then a great Complement, and some overtures about forbiding any recruits, to be sent over to our Land Forces in the service of the Confederates; yet privately they were to endeavour a French match, and if they saw they could not succeed therein, to concert closer measures with the Duke, about puting in practise what he had before consented to, about geting the Princess his daughter privately con∣vey'd away, in Company of this Embassador into France; and perhaps your Lordship will not be dissatisfied, if I recount what I have heard discoursed one day at this Court, between our Commissioner and some other Courtiers concerning the Em∣bassy. Said one of them to theother,

What needed so splendid and costly an Embassy at this time of day to the King of England, when there is so little hopes that he durst give his Consent to what we de∣sire of him; if he were of himself dis∣posed thereto: Yes, says the other, 'Twill be well worth the Cost let things go as

they will upon this occasion, for 'tis a greater honour our King now does to the King of England, than he has ever yet done to any other Prince, or ever to the Emperor himself when at Peace with him; and such an Honour cannot but work sen∣sibly upon the heart of a Prince, who is so easily wrought upon, and may work some good Effects for us in time, if not for the present; And however, if the worst come to the worst, this extraordinary Honour now done him by our Monarch, will make his Parliament and People so fully persuaded that he hath entred into an extraordinary Engagement with him, that all he can say, or do, will never convince them of the contrary, or induce them to trust him with Money to make War a∣gainst France, for fear he should use it against themselves; and not only so, but it would make him as suspected among the Confederates, that none of them, from hence forward, would trust him, either for an Assistant Allie, or Mediator, and so would render him of insignificant force to thwart our Designs.

But the King did for once Trick the Trickers, by the care he had taken of the Princess, as I shall note elsewhere to your Lordship, and by his sudden marrying her to his Highness the Prince of Orange, so much to the surprize and disappointment of this Court, that I

cannot express it, and therefore must con∣clude, subscribing my self

My LORD,

Your Lordship's most humble and most devoted Servant.

Paris, Dece. 7. 1679. N. S.