The letter sent by the States-General of the United Provinces of the Low Countreys to His Majesty, by their Trumpeter together with His Majesties answer to the said letter / translated out of French into English.

THE LETTER Sent by the STATES-GENERAL Of the Ʋnited Provinces TO HIS MAJESTY, By their Trumpeter.

SIRE,

AS we have never desired any thing more then to me∣rit the good Will of Your Majesty, and to cultivate a Friendship which had been heretofore Hereditary between Your Majesties Kingdom and this Repub∣lick; so we were beyond measure troubled when we saw Your Majesty exasperated against us, and that by the Artifices of evil minded persons, Your Subjects and Ours have been overwhelmed with those miseries which are inseparable from War, and brought to shed that bloud which hath been alwayes dear to either side. The sad experience we had thereof on both parts in the preceeding War, had given us cause to believe at the same time, that after we were re-united, the Peace would be a blessing which was no more to be ravished from us. And we were the rather perswaded of it, because the New Alliances we were en∣tred into, seemed able to make our Union eternal: But seeing Divine Providence, for the Chastisement of the two Nations, hath permitted that things should not continue long in that happy estate, we no sooner perceived a Mis-understanding arise, but we thought our selves obliged to use all imaginable endeavours to stop the progress of it, and to omit nothing that might contribute to the preventing so great an evil as that of a Rupture. In order to which, being certainly informed that Your Ma∣jesty was offended at a Medal, which we had not suffered to be sold, but that we thought it very innocent, we immediatly suppressed it, and caused the very Stamps to be broken, for fear there might be some made secretly; And to give Your Majesty essential proofs of the esteem we had of Your Friendship, we yielded to Your Majesty whatever You were pleased to demand of us in behalf of the Inhabitants of Surinam, how prejudicial soe∣ver the thing were to us, and whatsoever reason we otherwise had not to consent to it. At the same time we sent the Sieur Van Beuningen to Your Majesty for removing, if it were possible, the sinister impressions which some laboured to possess Your Majesty with, and for perfecting a

Regulation proposed by Your Majesties Ambassador between Your East-India Company and Ours. Since that, although the little success which the said Sieur Van Beuningens Negotiation had had, gave us but too great cause to fear that we should not succeed better for the future; yet we no sooner understood that there were some who would perswade Your Ma∣jesty, as well against all likelyhood of truth, as truth it self, That we treated underhand with France to the prejudice of Your Majesties in∣terests, but we gave order without delay to our Ambassador with Your Majesty, to declare to Your Majesty in our name, That to shew the false∣hood of those reports which were spread abroad to our disadvantage, and to give Your Majesty essential and unquestionable marks of the sincerity of our intentions, we were ready to enter into such an Alliance with You, as You should think fit, how strict soever it should be, and to go far be∣yond any thing we had hitherto done, for securing the Peace of Europe. Then followed the affair of the Flagg, wherein we think our conduct hath been with all imaginable respect towards Your Majesties Person: And although the Answer we gave to Your Ambassadors Memorial be such, as we shall alwayes be ready to submit to the judgement of all Europe, Yet upon complaint that it was obscure and insufficient, we sent an Am∣bassador extraordinary to Your Majesty, and gave power to him, as also to our ordinary Ambassador, to clear what should be thought obscure, and to add what should be necessary. But in stead of entring into regular Conferences with them, and letting them know what was defective in our Answer, they were neglected, and no Conference granted them upon the point which might have ended all our differences, till an hour after Your Majesties Declaration of War had been read and approved in Your Council.

All this, SIRE, doth sufficiently evidence, with what application and zeal we have laboured to satisfie Your Majesty, and to extinguish in its beginning, a Fire which is ready to consume all Christendom. And as we have not entered into this War, but from an indispensable necessity of defending and protecting our Subjects, we have ever since the Rupture, as much as we were able, sought Your Majesties Friendship, and never given over the making overtures of Peace. Upon which account, we sent our Deputies Extraordinary to Your Majesty the last year in the moneth of June, in the year, 1672. who were confined to Hampton-Court, without having any Audience given them, or being heard what they had to say on our part. A Minister from the Elector of Branden∣burgh passed also into England upon the same subject, and charged him∣self at our request, with the representing to Your Majesty, the ardent de∣sire we had to see Your Majesty entertain other sentiments, and our dis∣position to do any thing in our power, to acquire again the honour of Your Majesties good correspondence. Since that, upon the Proposition made by the Mediators of a general Truce, for as much as according to our judgement, we could not consent to it without hazarding the safety of our States; yet to evidence to Your Majesty, how great a desire we had to give you all possible marks of our Respect, and to the end to pro∣cure to Your Subjects, all the advantages which they could have received from a general Truce, we offered one by Sea to Your Majesty for the term of a year, or a longer time, if Your Majesty thought convenient; judging,

that in the condition things were then in, we could not give a greater proof of the ardent passion we had to smooth the way to a happy Recon∣ciliation, then by putting all Your Majesties Subjects into a condition of tasting the sweetness of Peace, while ours should suffer all the incommo∣dities of War. The Ministers of the King of Spain have represented the same things from time to time to Your Majesty, and have often re∣peated their instances to encline Your Majesty to Peace: But besides all these advances, and the steps we have made in publick, we have made use of other means which we judged more efficacious; And his Highness the Prince of Orange, as well of his own inclination, as at the request we have several times reiterated to him, hath used all imaginable wayes of regaining the honour of Your Majesties friend∣ship for us, and representing to You the advantage and glory Your Majesty might acquire, by re-establishing the Quiet of Christen∣dom, and giving us a Peace which we had so often and so ardently desired. But albeit we had all reason to hope, that the instances of a Prince who hath the honour to be so nearly related to Your Majesty, and whose personal merit is so well known, would at last prevail over those who are ill-affected to us; and that besides we could hardly be∣lieve, that after His Highnesses interests and ours were become common, and were no longer separate in any thing, Your Majesty would retain Your former sentiments, and go about to involve in our ruine one of the most Illustrious Princes of Your blood; we have nevertheless with great sorrow seen, that all these reasons have been alike weak, and that Your Majesty hath not been induced by any motive to abate any thing of Your first rigour. So that when we expected a favourable Answer to our Overtures, it hath been declared to us at Cologne, that no Peace was to be hoped, unlesse there were accorded, not only to Your Majesty and the Most Christian King, but also to the Elector of Cologne and the Bishop of Munster, such Conditions as never were demanded of a Free People, and which can so little be proposed as Articles of Peace, that they can only be the consequences of an Absolute Conquest, the subver∣sion of the Reformed Religion, of which Your Majesty and the Kings Your most Illustrious Predecessors, have been the strongest Support and Defenders, and which carried with them at once the utter ruine not only of us, but also of the Low-Countries belonging to the King of Spain.

This hath obliged us on our side, after we had resolved upon a necessary defence, to presse our Friends to enter into a stricter Alliance with us; And it hath pleased GOD so to blesse our endeavours, and the means we have used in order thereunto, that the most August House of Austria hath declared in our favour, and the most Serene King of Spain in par∣ticular hath concluded with us a League Offensive and Defensive, in pursuance whereof he hath already declared War against the King of France. Things being thus, SIRE, Your Majesty will easily believe that the consequences must be greater, but before the evil be past remedy, we thought fit to make one final essay, and to assure Your Majesty, that whatsoever change hath hapned in Europe, our deference and respect for Your Majesty is still the same; and that how considerable and how po∣tent

soever our Allies are, we are not the lesse disposed to give Your Majesty all the satisfaction which You can reasonably pretend; And we have this happinesse, that our Allies are of the same mind with us here∣in; we presume therefore to hope that Your Majesty will not refuse at our request and their intercession, what we have not been hitherto able to obtain; And that You will not augment the desolation which is al∣ready but too universal.

But that we may omit nothing that may dispose Your Majesty there∣unto, we beseech You to reflect upon all that hath passed since the begin∣ning of the War, and at the same time to consider that it is from a parti∣cular one become general. When Your Majesty engaged in it, we were the only Enemies; At present a great part of Europe is no lesse interessed therein then we; And Your Majesty cannot continue a War, which hath already been so ruinous, without declaring it against those who are united with us, and without hazarding the Safety of all Christendom, if the Arms of the King of France should be victorious through the suc∣cours given by Your Majesty to him. And Your Majesty can no longer take it ill that we yield not what Your Majesty might demand of us for France, since by an indispensible necessity we can no longer do it but with the agreement of our Allies. So that as the General Treaty appears accompanied with many difficulties, and that we foresee that it will be a means to continue this unhappy War, which we desire to put an end to speedily, especially with Your Majesty, we shall think our selves very happy if any of these considerations may make impression upon Your Majesties mind, and dispose You to resume those sentiments which we have heretofore with joy observed in Your Majesty, and in which, upon the reconciliation we promise to our selves, we doubt not but Your Majesty will continue for ever. In the mean time we pray God,

SIRE,

To crown Your Majesties Reign with felicity, and to blesse Your Royal Person with health and long life. At the Hague,

the 25. of October, 1673.

Your MAJESTIES Most humble Servants, The States-General of the United Provinces of the Low Countreys. GASP. FAGEL. By Command of the abovesaid, H. FAGEL.