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 XXXIX. Hague, Iune 21. S. N. 69. (Book 39)

SIR,

I have this day received one from you of the 8th current, and shall as you give me leave, make the best use I can of it here, and you need not fear that the Dutch Ministers want being Entertained by me, in the same Style you have used in both your last Letters, and in some others before. I had yesterday a large Confe∣rence with Monsieur de Witt, concerning the East-India Business, wherein, though he endeavour'd to maintain, they had no obli∣gation in Justice, to restore our Trade at Macassar, yet he said, he was very glad that Monsieur Van Benninghen had made me such an overture, and though he fear'd much, he would find difficulty in making it good; yet he assur'd me, he should have all his help in it. After all we could say of both sides, I desired him to take these two Maxims with him, as those that would never fail him in all his Negotiati∣ons with us: First, that the good or ill quarter we had with them in the East-In∣dies,

would ever have a great influence upon our Alliances, and good or ill intel∣ligence with them in Europe, since we o∣vermatch them here, as much as they did us in the Indies, and so must necessarily ballance one by the other. And to make this good the second Maxim I gave him, was, that how luckily soever they had es∣caped the danger of our last War, yet whenever a King of England should fall in frankly with the current humour of his People, for the understanding and mana∣ging any War, wherein both should take their Honour and Interest to be equally concerned, there was nothing which our Crown was not capable of, atchieving, since the true strength of all Kingdoms and States, consisted in the number of good and warlike Bodies of Men, that are their Native Subjects; in which I believed no King in Christendom could equal his Ma∣jesty, considering the number and natural courage of the Subjects in his several King∣doms, hesides the general Riches of En∣gland, whenever they meet an occasion that would make them willing to open their purses, to any degree near what all their Neighbours were forced to do every day. Monsieur de Witt acknowledged both these to be true, and upon the last, said, he be∣lieved France had more Men than we, but we had more good Men then they, and upon that Subject, he fell upon extolling the bravery of our Nation by many Exam∣ples,

and to a degree, that no English Man could have said more: And for the other point, he said we might be sure by our being so much stronger here then they were, that we should never want fair quarter with them in the Indies; but he hoped we would not press them upon things that they could not grant, without endangering the ruine of all their Esta∣blishments, or their Alliance with us. To say Truth upon all Discourses of this kind, or the necessity of their preserving our Al∣liance in this conjuncture, both Monsieur de Witt, and the rest of their Ministers ever yielded all I can say: But on the o∣ther side, what they think is reason, they hold they must perish▪ with it, and that when a Nation once yields that point in their Negotiations with any other, they must ever after treat rather as a Province, then as an equal State. And therefore I doubt the fault is in me, that have not yet been able to make them acknowledge, that we have reason in what we demand, though I am not yet out of hopes, to bring our East-India business to something, as far as I can ground by Monsieur de Witt, and Van Benninghen's last Discourses. And to that purpose, I resolve next week to make one step more than I have yet done, by a Journey to Amsterdam, which they both advise me to; and I hear those of that Town, have a good while expected it, as it seems other Ambassadors have used to

make them a visit in less time; and then I shall confer with the Directors all toge∣ther, and the chief of the Company be∣sides, and know what I am to trust to.

The day before yesterday, I conferr'd with the Pensionary of Zealand, who drew up the States last Answer about Surinam, and read him that part of your former long Letter which concerned that matter. He pretended to hope, when his Majesty had seen their Answer, he would be bet∣ter satisfied, but I soon beat him from that post, and pursued it so far, as to read him the last words of your Discourse, up∣on both the Subjects of the Marine and Surinam, concerning the ill consequences they were like to have, and that such as were friends to our Alliance, would not be long able to resist them. He answer'd me very gravely; First for our warranting my Lord Willoughby's Actions by the 7th Article, he would reason no more upon it, if the 6th▪ Article would not convince us by those words [shall be restored, bona fide, in the same state and condition where∣in they shall be found to be at the time, when▪ ever it shall be known in those pla∣ces, that the Peace is made.] He alledged likewise, the words in the 7th Article, [taken or gotten in Places and Coasts far distant after the Peace is concluded, and before it be notified unto those places,] and said, my Lord Willoughby's Actions were not only after he knew of the Peace,

but after he had received orders from his Majesty, for restoring that Colony accor∣ding to the Articles of the Peace. He ended, that though in compliance to his Majesty, they had given the last Answer; yet they could never allow the English at Surinam, to be his Majesties Subjects, as I called them, after that Colony was deli∣vered to them, according to the Articles of Breda, [with plenary right of Sove∣raignty and Propriety] Et que si sa Ma∣jesté estoit resolve de prendre c••lle petite affaire si ••aut, Il ••alloit avoir patience.

I had several times resolv'd, never any more to write you back any of the Rea∣sons used here against the demands I pro∣pose, and Arguments I use to make them good; because I have long sound, that it is taken by many in England, to be a pleading of their Cause; and therefore I thought never to send you any thing in this kind, but what they gave you in wri∣ting: Yet I have Transgress'd again for this time, because in your last, you seem to desire to know, what reply they make against my Lord Willoughby's being justi∣fied by the Treaty of Breda, which I had omitted hitherto to acquaint you with, because it was not directly a thing under my hands, though I have ever ob∣served, that the States General, as well as those of Zealand were as unsatisfied as could be, with all that part of the Kings last Answer to Monsieur Boreel, which

concern'd my Lord Willoughby. Besides I consider, that though it be the part of a good Courtier to offer nothing to his Prince, but what is like to please him; yet perhaps 'tis the part of a good Mini∣ster upon all Disputes, to be faithful in relating the Reasons that are given him, and thereby to lay all fair for a judgment to be made, that so his Ma∣jesty may be sure to ground his Resoluti∣ons upon clear and evident Reason, which is of infinite advantage to any Cause. If the King would have me do otherwise, I can much easier obey him, and perhaps much better for,

SIR,

Your most Faithful, Humble Servant, W. Temple.