Letters written by Sir W. Temple, Bart., and other ministers of state, both at home and abroad containing an account of the most important transactions that pass'd in Christendom from 1665-1672 : in two volumes / review'd by Sir W. Temple sometime before his death ; and published by Jonathan Swift ...

To my Lord Arlington.

Antwerp, Febr. 27. S. N. 1668.

My LORD,

I Did not expect to give your Lordship another Trouble from this Town, but having been detain'd here some Days by the Marquess's Stay 'till this Morning, and intending at Night to follow him for Brus∣sels; I know not whether my Arrival there may be time enough to write by the Pac∣quet that parts from thence to Morrow at Evening, and therefore will not venture by any Omission to forfeit my Charter of writing every Post.

I had yesterday a joint Audience with the States Deputies, and will refer your Lordship for what pass'd there, to the in∣closed Memorial on our Part, and Answer given us by the Marquess, which we have

dispatcht this Morning to Sir John Trevor, and Mr. Bouningham at Paris, by a joint Express; in hopes by their Endeavours there to bring the business to a Suspension of Arms, upon the Marquess's having now ac∣cepted the Truce, to the shorter Term of∣fered by France, as well as the longer pro∣pos'd by his Majesty and the States.

For the Alternative, we can yet draw no Resolution from him upon it, defend∣ing himself by the Necessity of first con∣certing with us, how he shall be assisted, in case of France refusing both the Truce, and the Alternative. This is in the Mar∣quess an Aim of engaging us by advance in the Party, and thereby exasperating France, by being threatned more directly; and so imbarque the whole Affair into the necessity of a long ensuing War: For, That Spain would much rather engage in with our Assistance, than be forced to a Peace upon our late Project; and I think, pursues its own Interest right in this Point: That of Holland is certainly oppo∣site to theirs, and leads them to nothing so much as the Composure of the Quarrel, with some security of France growing no greater at least on this side.

The Marquess is large, in arguing to me, That our Interest lyes in a joint War, ra∣ther than a Peace between the two Crowns,

and that our end must have been hitherto, only to engage Holland with us in the Quarrel; and reasons from Story, and the present Genius of our People and Parlia∣ment. I endeavour to quiet him in this Point, by assuring him, That whatever other Kings have thought or done, and whatever the People wish or talk; the King, in whose sole Disposition all matters of Peace and War lye, will by no Arts nor Considerations be induced to break from Holland, in the Management of this Business; nor make one Pace further in the Spaniards Defence, than the Dutch are wil∣ling to join in. That his Interest as well as Honour lyes in this Resolution, agreed by so many solemn Treaties; and that we as well as the Dutch can very well content our selves with a Peace, and Pursuit of our Commerce; provided we are not a∣larmed too much, and too near, with the Growth of the French Greatness: And I wind up all with pressing him still to an Acceptation of the Alternative, and to embrace the Peace according to our Project. And thus we fence here at present; of all which your Lordship, I believe, will re∣ceive the Detail more at large by the Hol∣land-Pacquet, in the Dispatches past be∣tween me and Monsieur de Witt since my Arrival here; of which I desir'd him to

send Copies to their Ambassadors in En∣gland, to be by them communicated to your Lordship; because, more Uncertain∣ty in the Nieuport-Pacquet, and the pre∣sent Want of a settled Cypher, have hin∣dered larger Transmissions this way, and more directly to your Lordship's Hands.

Yesterday came in the Spanish Letters, and though I have not seen the Marquess since; yet by what I have from his Secreta∣ry, and the Count Monterey, I have reason to believe, That Don Juan is on his way hither, and now at Sea with conside∣rable Supplies of Men and Money; which are very necessary here, either for carrying on a War, or inducing a Peace: The Particulars I cannot assure, though the common Talk is, of eight Thousand Spaniards, and six hundred thousand Crowns in Specie, and eight hundred thousand in Remise. 'Tis very possible, your Lordship may hear more there of his coming, and see him sooner than we shall here, as well as judge better; What, or how much it will import to the Effect or Defeat, the Advance or Diversion of the present Councils. What occurs to your Lordship upon it, and will relate to my Conduct here, I hope to receive from you by the first;

not esteeming any thing well begun without a Thread at least from your Lordship to guide me, nor well per∣form'd, 'till I receive your Approbati∣on; upon which depends so much the Satisfaction, as well as good Fortune of, &c.