Letters written by Sir William Temple during his being ambassador at The Hague, to the Earl of Arlington and Sir John Trevor, Secretaries of State to K. Charles II wherein are discovered many secrets hitherto concealed / published from the originals, under Sir William Temple's own hand ; and dedicated to the Right Honourable Sir Thomas Littleton, Speaker of the House of Commons, by D. Jones, Gent.

LETTER XXIV. Hague, March 22. S. N. 69.

SIR,

SInce my last I have received yours of the 5th current, with the enclosed Pacquet for Sir Gabriel Sylvius, which he is possest of; And in order to his Journey towards Lunenburgh, has begun to take his leave, where it was due here. I have put the Com∣pliment of these Dispatches from His Ma∣jesty, wholly upon Monsieur de Witt, who seems to take it, as he ought to do, and to be satisfied with all he hears of the course of His Majesty's present Counsels, both from Monsieur Boreel, and all other Hands. He tells me his Letters from their Ambas∣sador in Sweden, give him a very good Account of the Dispositions of that Court, which agreeing with what I hear both from Monsieur Appleboom, and Sylvercrown here, makes me hope all we wish in their Resolution upon the Projects of the Gua∣ranty and Subsidies lately sent them over.

The Duke of Lunemgburgh's Minister here is of Opinion Sir Gabriel Sylvius will find those Princes likewise in the same Di∣spositions, and obliged by this Compli∣ment from His Majesty: I doubt of two Difficulties in the engaging them: First, that they will expect to be admitted as Principals in our Alliance; And then that they will insist upon some Money by Swe∣den's Example

The enclosed I have newly received from the Baron Bonstetten, by which you will find the Negotiations in Switzerland to∣wards the common Alliance, proceed but slowly; That which they would perswade this State, is to allure them by setling con∣stant Pension upon the small Catholick Can∣tons, where they perswade him about fifty Thousand Franc's a Year, would do the Bu∣ness▪ And among the Protestant Cantons, there is nothing of that kind admitted (as they say) and so nothing needed, but Mon∣sieur de Witt is averse from this Counsel, arguing, that where things are wholly Venial, and at so small Rates, there can be no certainty; and that 50 from hence may serve turn, only till 60 be offer'd from some other Hand. He is in the mean time extreamly glad to hear we are like to fall into a good Correspondence with Den∣mark, and hopes the Hold of France will wear off in that Court, as ours grows on.

Considering how weary you must needs be of so much as has been written of late upon the Subject of passing those enchanted Forts, I suppose you will be content I trou∣ble you with nothing in that Matter by this Ordinary, the States having not yet sig∣nified any thing to me of what has been, or is ready to be represented to them by the Deputies of the East-India Company, who have been three Days in Town, and I hear were prepar'd to entertain them with long Reasonings upon it. I am of Opinion, that without producing Instances of what gave us the Apprehension at least, if not the Danger of new Practises, which we desire to prevent, or without shewing that the mention of Porcat and Iacatra, (which is all has yet been spoken of) is to the pur∣pose of this Complaint; It will be hopeless to do any thing in this Matter, the Jealou∣sies of our reach in it are grown so great, and now they have started a new one, which is, That this Proposition, (nor any thing towards it) was never made by us in any time of our hardest Demands (even by Cromwell's) but only in the last Paper of Sir George Downing, so as they will have it, that he has cast it in, as une pie••••e d'achope∣ment entre les d••ux Nations, knowing by his Transactions, and the Constitutions here, it was a thing could never be yielded: But I must expect the next Conference, to be a∣ble to give a further Judgment upon the whole success.

I cannot end this without acknowledg∣ing very sensibly the obliging Expressions at the end of your last, concerning your favour to me in my Wife's present Solici∣tations of the Performance in what His Majesty was pleased to promise me at my coming away, as to equality with his other Ministers. Monsieur de Witt had heard the King had granted it, and came to make me a Complement Yesterday upon it, as∣suring me he had several times spoken of it among his Friends here with Trouble; That he knew in the Train I lived, 'twas impossible to hold out upon what I had be∣fore from the King, which from so frugal a Man, is perhaps as good a Testimony, as what I hear some Persons, who have no more to do in it than he, take great pains in representing to the contrary. I am ever with very much Reason and Truth,

SIR,

Your most Faithful humble Servant, W. Temple.