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 XXXVI. Hague, Iune 4. S. N. 69▪

SIR,

I omitted to acknowledge by the last Post, one I had then received from you of the 13th past, because I could then add nothing to what I writ to my Lord Ar∣lington, having not communicated the pa∣pers you were pleas'd to send me, upon the Subject of the Dutch Peace at Macas∣sar. I have since done it, and discoursed with Monsieur de Witt upon them, who has taken them into his hands, to com∣municate with the East-India Company, and receive their Answer, which I thought best to attend, before I put in any Memo∣rial to the States, and so made it publick; because I find great use is made by the French, of the matters depending between us and the Dutch to possess other Princes, and especially those in Germany, with an Opinion of the unsteddiness of our com∣mon Counsels, in the pursuit of the Trip∣ple Alliance, which may be of ill conse∣quence to the general Affairs of this con∣juncture: For unless we are forced to fall

out, it will more than any thing, conduce to the present Peace of Christendom, so much desired by us both, that we be thought very good friends, whether we are so or no. I am sure we should be so, if it were not for the East-India Affairs, but what they may produce in time, God knows; for I take it for an ill presage to find upon all those matters, not only our Merchants, but our Ministers on both sides have Opinions strangely different, as to what is Reason and Equity between us. For I have both my Lord Arlington's and your Opinion upon this Action at Macas∣sar, in terms which make me see it is res∣sented in England; and in the Paper of the East-India Company, which is sent me over as the ground of my demands, one point absolutely insisted upon, is Repara∣tion of the Damages sustained there about four Months after the Treaty Signed at Breda. When I read the whole thing to Monsieur de Witt, he would very hardly believe those papers had been perused by our Ministers, but that they came imme∣diately from our Merchants, and made it very strange we should complain of any Hostilities that had been done there, when we were as much in War as we had been a year before, unless we could prove the hard usage of Prisoners, which he said was a thing not to be countenanced or suf∣fer'd by them. For the demand of Repa∣ration, he desired me only to read the 7th

Article of the Treaty at Breda, which gives 8 Months time on the other side the Equinoctial, for notification of the Peace; and says, that all Merchandise or Movea∣bles taken within that time, shall remain to the possessors without any exception, or any regard had to the making Restitu∣tion, or Compensation. I must confess, I was at a stand in both these points, but will believe it came from the inequality of the match between Monsieur de Witt and me, in the point of Reasoning; and therefore I must desire to be fortisied from better hands. That which occurs to me upon this matter, is, that we cannot com∣plain of them for what past in the War, but that in pursuit of our pretence upon the Marine Article, for passing Forts, we may demand that no Progress of their Conquests in the Indies, should be made use of to deprive us of a Trade we had before establisht in the Countries of any Indian Princes, nor no Treaties be made with any of them, to exclude us from such Trade: And this I tell Monsieur de Witt and all of them, upon all occasions will be absolutely necessary, if they in∣tend to live long in good intelligence with us, and in good humour between the Na∣tions. And after all their Arguments from Justice or Practice, I tell them, that whether it be by means just or unjust, usual or un∣usual, we shall never endure to see our Trade in the East-Indies devolve every

year by degrees into their hands, so as to give us apprehensions of our total Loss, and their absolute acquisition of it. I will add nothing more upon this Argument, (for all that is said upon it, would be endless) but expect their Answers upon those Papers, and what they promise of Proposals towards some expedient in the Marine Article from Amsterdam, for from thence it must come, Monsieur de Witt protesting, it is a thing he dares not med∣dle in, but by orders from thence, which I have some reason to believe.

I have expected all this day the Resolu∣tions about Surinam, having been assured I should have them, but it grows so late, I begin to doubt it; and the rather, be∣cause these two days have been all in dis∣order with the Prince's Feasts to the De∣puties of Zealand, and the States to the French Ambassador. The Affair between the two Provinces, is like to come to an issue, by an Expedient lately proposed, of the Zealanders quitting their Session in the Courts of Justice, but having the same share in the Supream Court of Appeals, which they had before in the other; and I do not find this is like to bring on any sud∣den mention of the Prince between them.

The Bishop of Munster makes a good deal of talk here, as I am sure, you know, by the common News. The truth of his business is, that his Troops in Garrison are encreased to about five or six Thousand,

and that he has about ten Thousand of his Peasants listed in Companies, who are paid at the rate of a Crown a Month, but which seems to be done with intention of drawing them into Service, though he pro∣fesses no intentions of any designs, but only to guard himself, in case the Dutch, now they are every where in Peace, should think of revenging themselves for his last adventure. It is not yet resolved, whe∣ther these Alarms will produce the Aug∣mentation of the Troops here, which hath been so often spoken off.

The paper mention'd in yours of the 18th will be very welcome, being much enquir'd after by the Swedes; I mean, his Majesties Answer upon their Propositions. I advise them to go as far as they can with Holland, with confidence his Majesties concurrence will not fail them, but they would have our Assistance too. I know nothing to encrease your trouble, beyond the professions of my being always,

SIR,

Your most Faithful, Humble Servant, W. Temple▪