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.

Hague, Sept. 7. S. N. 1668.

My LORD,

SINCE my last I have not stirred out, but had the Favour of several Visits in my Chamber; among the rest, one from Monsieur Meerman on Wednesday, and one of three Hours from Monsieur de Witt yesterday. I fell into Talk with the first, upon the Matter of the Guinea Company; who said, my Lord Holles, and as I remem∣ber, Mr. Secretary Morris, had spoken of it to him before; but only given him a general Relation upon which he could not sufficiently inform the States: That they had likewise mentioned some other Parts of the Marine Treaty, by which the East-India Company thought themselves ag∣grieved, but remembred nothing particu∣lar besides the Form of Passports, in which we might receive what Satisfaction we pleased, and the better Definition of what was meant by a Town invested. I told him, the Business of Guinea was distinct from any Thing of the Marine Treaty (though he was unwilling to understand it so) that I was very little instructed in the first, be∣cause

his Majesty's Commands in that Point were only to procure the Reference of it to Commissioners for the proposing Rules by which both Companies should proceed, and thereby preventing the said Company's acting wholly by Rules and Officers of their own, which had been the first Occa∣sions of the unhappy Disputes between us, and might possibly prove so again. For the Marine Treaty, I told him I had yet no Instructions upon that Subject, but might have in a little Time; and thereupon took occasion of discoursing to him at large the whole Business of Commerce between us, and the necessity of giving us some Reason and Ease in those Matters; upon which, tho' he seemed a little stanch, as his Complexion is, and jealous of our great Growth in Trade, by a more parsimonious and industrious Genius among us of late, than had formerly been; yet I found, what I said had Impression on him: For he part∣ed with great Professions of contributing all he could towards the Success of all Ne∣gotiations between us; And went that Night to communicate all to Monsieur de Witt, as I found by our Conference next Day. It began with his having perused my Papers about the Guinea Company; upon which he desired to know if I had no other Information than those gave me: For by

those, the Matter seemed favourable to them, by the Letters of their Director be∣ing particular, and with Relation to Time, and to the Articles of the Breda Treaty, by which the new Settlements there were to be governed; whereas, what concerned our Pretensions was contained only in some loose Examinations concerning Possession or not Possession formerly by one or the other, without any Reference to the Con∣stitutions made by the Breda Treaty, and without mentioning in any direct Terms what it was we complained of, or what we desired.

The Truth is, all the Papers concerning that Matter remitted to me by Mr. Secre∣tary Morris, were only the Guinea Com∣pany's Petition, the Examination of Mr. Thomas Crisp, Captain Merbrooke, and Mr. Be'ois, with a Letter and Protest of the Director of the Dutch West-India Com∣pany. I excused my being so little in∣formed, upon the Reasons I had alledged to Monsieur Meerman, and press'd in the same manner the Reference of it to Com∣missioners. He allowed his Majesty's Consideration of preventing the two Com∣panies proceeding by Rules or Executions of their own, to be very prudent and ne∣cessary; and that he knew the States would second his Majesty's good Intention in it;

and that when he could find the Matter of Fact and Right but alledged in distinct Testimonies of known Persons, he doubted not but he should easily find a Composure for all these Disputes, and agree upon a constant Reglement hereafter. And to this purpose he would send immediately to en∣quire among the Officers of their Com∣pany for any Papers that may have been remitted to them from our Officers to theirs in Guinea; for he could not believe but that Letter and Protest of their Director had either been occasioned by some pre∣cedent Letters or Demands from some Officers of ours, or at least followed by some Answers, in which our Demands and Rights were asserted, as those of the Dutch were in those Papers of their Director. I answered all, by insisting upon Commissi∣oners according to my Instruction, and argued its being a Matter much more pro∣per for such to debate and determine, as understood the Coasts, Situations, manner of Trade in those Parts, former Possessions, and Matters of Fact past, than for him and me, how willing soever we should be to inform our selves, or to find Expedients; and went so far upon this Subject, that he seemed inclined it should be so; at least when the Pretensions were stated, so as it might appear what was to be referred to

such Commissioners. But upon this he fell into the Discourse of what Monsieur Meer∣man had told him, or I had formerly writ∣ten to him, concerning some Exceptions to the Marine Treaty; and how willing the States would be to alter the Form of Pass∣ports, when they knew how we desired it: And if the King wisht any more particular Definition of what should be esteemed a Town invested, he did not doubt we might agree upon that too; having found me al∣ways to propose only what I thought rea∣sonable, and to agree to what I found so; and he was made after the same manner, and so I should always find him. I easily perceived, that the Thing he would be at, was, upon occasion of this Guinea Matter, to know at once the Bottom of all we pre∣tended, in point of regulating Commerce between us, having I presume, heard, more than was need perhaps, of all the Noise made by the East-India Company upon the Subject of the Marine Treaty, or by their Patrons, either out of Zeal to the Good of our Commerce, or out of Envy at the Success of so great a Council and Conduct of his Majesty, in which they had no Hand, and upon which if we had lost a little in Trade by changing the Form of the Articles at Breda into a Marine Treaty, (wherein I do not conceive how we lost at

all) yet I am sure it was infinitely recom∣pensed by the Necessity, the unexpected Success, and the great Consequences of those other Alliances, to which that Cir∣cumstance of the Marine Treaty was made, I thought, but a Sacrifice of Smoak. And this I could not but say for his Majesty's Satisfaction, and your Lordship's Vindica∣tion, with those other Ministers, by whose Advice that Council was taken and pur∣sued, finding every Day more how highly it is applauded abroad, while it is maliced by some, and so little esteemed by others at home; tho' his Majesty has reaped al∣ready from it, both the whole Honour of giving Peace to Christendom, and perhaps the only Safety of his own Kingdoms, con∣sidering the Conjunctures in which that Council found us.

But to return to my Conference with Monsieur de Witt: Finding him lead me so industriously into a Field wherein I had no Intention to enter, I resolved however to take the Occasion, and once for all, to say all I had thought, or your Lordship had infused into me upon that Subject: And so I told him plainly, That I was not yet in∣structed in that Matter of our Exceptions to the Marine Treaty, but believed I might be in a little Time; That the Particulars he mentioned were complained of in the

Treaty it self, and other Things thought to be admitted, but that I could not enter into any Particulars till I had Instructions; but since he gave me the Occasion, I would enter once for all into the general. I di∣scoursed over to him the common Interest, and indeed Necessity, of preserving perpe∣tual the present Alliances between Us, espe∣cially on their Side, while the Dangers were so great from the Ambition and Power, as well as Neighbourhood of France; The great Overtures would now be made us from thence to the Prejudice of this Alliance, and at all other Times, whenever they could hope we were ready to receive them. That though I could give him no Jealousy of them now, but on the contrary assure him he might be at Ease on that Side, and that the King would only have the Honour by it of setting them an Example of his Sincereness and Constancy, which he would expect they should follow when the Game begun with Them, as it would after it ended with Him: Yet I ••ould tell him, That France was at all Times capable of making us such Offers, and of giving us our present Account so well, tho' in Ex∣change perhaps of Danger to come (in case of no new Revolutions) that whenever there should be in England a Prince less di∣rect or less foreseeing than his Majesty, or

either a weak or corruptible Ministry, I could not answer what Measures we should take: That, upon this Ground, I thought they could not do wiser than to root this Alliance in the very Hearts of the People, and current Genius of the Nation, and not rely wholly upon the present Inclinations or Judgment of his Majesty, or the Dispo∣sitions of the Ministers: For if there were any Thing that lay cross to it in the com∣mon Interest or Humour of the People, it would be upon all Occasions breaking out to disturb it, and whenever that should concur with the Dispositions of the Prince, they would be able to make a great Noise in the World. I told him, That many Persons in England, either to make way for the French Alliance by weakning or breaking this; or else perhaps to discredit the most applauded Councils of the present Ministry, had made a Noise about the Marine Treaty as if it had been a ruining the Na∣tion, and from thence took Occasion to in∣fuse into all People as far as they could, that we should never find any Fairness, or Di∣rectness, or Equality, in all we treated with the Dutch; but Subtilty, and Hard∣ship, and Injustice, and when Occasion was, Obstinacy and Injury, in all Matters of Commerce between us; while we gave them Reason to believe we thought their

Friendship necessary or very convenient to us. That, I had ever since I knew him, maintained the contrary to his Majesty, as∣sured him of the Sincerity I had found in their Proceedings, and been always made confidently believe by them, that his Ma∣jesty should find them ever reasonable and easy in what should be offered in reducing Matters of Commerce to an Equality, and to be reciprocal between us. That it was a small Matter, that all my Credit, and per∣haps Fortune lay at Stake upon their mak∣ing this good; But I was sure it was consi∣derable that the very Safety of our Alliance might at one Time or other come to lie at Stake upon it too: And therefore for my Part, I thought they could not do in the World a wiser Thing, than to give us all reasonable Satisfaction in these Points, by consenting to any Reglements of Commerce which might import Equality, and be re∣ciprocal between us: That any Equality it self would be the same Advantage to them, that a long Arm against a short would be between two Men with equal Swords; for considering their Parsimony, Industry, Ne∣cessity of turning all their Stock to Trade for want of Land, and multitude of Peo∣ple; and on the other side, our native Lu∣xury, want of Order or Application, and our Extent and Cheapness of Land, and

Ease of Taxes, which made People chuse to turn their Mony that way: They could never fail of Advantage enough in any Equality, and upon it would find the surest, the most commodious Ally, and the best able to protect them that they could have in the World, being without any Ambi∣tion or Designs among our Neighbours, further than to keep the Ballance of Chri∣stendom: And yet on the other Side, the only Power that was feared by France, and that were able in Conjunction of our Fleets with theirs, to awe them by what they might suffer from Sea, into some Conside∣ration of what was fit for them to act at Land.

During this Discourse, which I enlarged the most I could to the Purpose, resolving to bend all my Force upon the Effect of it; I found Monsieur de Witt very attentive, and willing to let me go on, with Marks in his Countenance of relishing, and as I thought, approving what I said; which made me resolve to go yet one Point further, and to the Root of all that could spring into any Jealousies between us. I told him, it was true, That there wanted not some among us that would be so wise to know, that it was impossible for us ever to fall into any firm Confidence with the States upon their pre∣sent Constitution, nor particularly with

him, upon the Prince of Orange's Occasion: That; for my part, I was not at all of that Mind: That tho' the King could not lose the Affection he had for his Nephew; yet he was of Opinion he could not express it better than by infusing into him the Belief, That he could make himself no way so happy as in the good Will of the States, and trusting wholly to Them in the Course of his Fortunes, and not to private Facti∣ons, or Foreign Intrigues and Applications. That his Majesty was of an Opinion him∣self, That Princes were not apt to do them∣selves more Hurt, and make themselves less, any way than by affecting too much Power, or such as was directly contrary to the Stomach and Genius of the Country which fell to their Share: And besides this, I knew his Majesty was so just and so rea∣sonable, that tho' he should take kindly of the States any Respects they should shew his Nephew; yet I did not believe he would offer That to any other King or State, which he should not take well that any other should offer to him; and I did not believe he would ever be put upon any such Designs by his Council or his People's Inclinations: For they who lookt upon the Prince in a possibility of one Day coming to be their King; and that loved a Prince who grounded his Power in the Affections

of his People, and loved to Rule by Laws; had rather perhaps see the Prince of Orange happy in the good Will of the States, and such moderate Power as they should think consistent with their Government; than of a Humour and Aims at any Thing that might tend to subvert their Civil Consti∣tutions: So that I saw nothing of Danger to them upon this Chapter, either from the Judgment and Disposition of his Majesty, or the Humour of the Nation: But was confident, in case we could agree upon Matters of Commerce, nothing could ever intervene to break an Alliance that was so useful to our Selves, and all Christendom besides: And so I left it with him.

Upon this Discourse, Monsieur de Witt with very great Signs of Satisfaction told me, That all I said was so reasonable, that he agreed with me perfectly in it: And upon that, said a great deal, of the Sympa∣thy he had ever observed between us, and how easy That would ever make any Thing we should fall in Treaty of. That he knew from Monsieur Meerman, I had been the oc∣casion of giving him any Credit in England of an honest sincere Man; and he would never lose mine upon that occasion by giving the King Cause to believe other of him. That he confest he had often told me, That the States would be ever contented with an

Equality with us in point of Trade; and, that provided they might know what it was we would be at, and that we proposed nothing but what was equal and reciprocal between us; he would give me his Hand (as he did) that he would use all his Endeavours to give us Satisfaction in it; and he thought he knew the Minds of the States so well, that he durst almost promise it me in their Names by Advance, and without knowing what it was. That for any Thing amiss in the Marine Treaty, he did not see how any Complaint could be made of what I had done in it; But that the Ambassadors at Breda ought to answer for That, if there were any Thing ill in it; ours being but Word for Word the same with theirs, and both Parties Consent being necessary to alter what was then provisional, as what is now more formally establisht. That, for the Form of the Passports, let me but bring one drawn up as we desire it, and in Terms current with the Forms of their State, and it shall be immediately agreed to. That, for defining, what Towns shall be said to be besieged, he is very willing that should be done too, since it imports the same for one as t'other: And even for any other Matters that were thought necessary to be added to the Marine Treaty, since nothing else was desired to be altered: If

his Majesty would instruct me fully in all Points, and that they proved as I said, equal and reciprocal, he would once more undertake we should agree upon them, and desired me to assure his Majesty so much; and he thought, the sooner I was instructed in it, the better: But desired that no use might be made of this, to encourage either the East-India Company or others, to make new Exceptions or Demands, but only I might be instructed in those which had been made already: And that, I said, I durst promise him, for they had been already digested before the Council. From this, he fell to discourse of our Alliance, and the Considerations we had to strengthen and continue it; and how much he was pleased with what I said of the King's Resolution upon that Point, of his shewing them an Example of Constancy, and that I could never doubt their following it. And a∣mong other Things, said, The States had suckt That in like Milk, which was already pass'd into the very Flesh and Substance of their Body: And we might be the more confident of it, since the Minister they em∣ploy'd in France, and through whose Hands all such Matters must pass, and be repre∣sented to the States by the Lights he should give them, was as firm and earnest upon it as any Man could be: That he knew,

France would try Them as well as Us, and would not say but they might possibly gain some one of the little Provinces; but for Holland in particular, and the Provinces in general, it was not a Thing to be thought on. From this he fell to speak of the Prince of Orange; and seemed very much pleased with what I had said on that Sub∣ject, both of the King's Dispositions, and the People's Humors and Thoughts, espe∣cially that of the King, of doing as he would be done by: He said, The States Intentions were, to make him Captain-General of their Forces, and Admiral too, though it was not mentioned; and to this purpose, they would already have brought him into the Council of State, in order to fit him for those Charges, had it not been for some of the Provinces that had hindred it upon pretence of more Kindness to him, and designing greater Matters for him. That it was indeed agreed, those Charges were inconsistent with that of Stadtholder, which gave as much Authority in the Civil, as the others in the Military Part of the Govern∣ment. That, considering the smalness of their State, and Greatness of their Milice, there was an End of their Republick when both was in one Hand. That, for his Part, if he had been born under a King, he could never have consented to what his Ancestors

did towards the King of Spain; but being born under a Common-wealth, and sworn to maintain it, he could consent to nothing that should destroy it; and he wondred how it had subsisted so long in that Dan∣ger; which was to be attributed to their constant Wars abroad, and to the great Moderation of those Princes, among whom none had Thoughts of it but the last, nor would he ever have fallen into them, with∣out having been put upon them by the French, who had his Breeding and his Conversation. That, if he had lived, he would have been the ablest of all the Race: And from thence fell into Commendations of this young Prince's Parts and Dispositions: And so this Matter ended.

For the Business of Spain, he was scan∣dalized as well as your Lordship, at that Queen's slight Answer, and pleased with his Majesty's Letter upon it. He said, the Talk of Don John's coming began to renew; and that in the mean time, the Marquis neither answered upon the Suedish Subsidies, nor press'd them upon the Guaranty, be∣cause they had refused to give it without the Compliance of Spain in the other Point. I pursued that no further, having not yet heard from the Marquis nor from the Spanish Ambassador here upon it. The Treaty between the Emperor and Sueden is not yet

ratified; upon a Disagreement in the pri∣vate Article about Mony to be furnish'd them by the Emperor, who stands upon giving but one hundred and eleven thou∣sand Dollars a Year, upon some Calcula∣tions made by some certain Quota's upon the several Parts of the Empire; and the Suede demanding one hundred and fifty thousand; which would make one ima∣gine the Spaniards had not one of their five Senses left, to hazard or delay for such a Sum, a Treaty wherein your Lordship will observe a particular Clause leaving Room for Spain to enter into it as they please.

While I am writing, I receive this in∣closed from the Suedish Envoy here, by which you will see how unhappily a poor Ambassador is Embarassè by the Ceremo∣nies that hinder him from seeing those that have so much Mind to it, and with whom he must have so much to do. What Expe∣dients I shall find hereafter, I know not yet; but shall let him know, that being Incognito till my Entry, Et ne faisant pas l'Ambassadeur, if he pleases to come and be content that as Incognito I neither receive him nor conduct him out of my Chamber, I shall in it give him all the Civilities he expects, as I have hitherto done upon the same Pretence of being yet Incognito, to all

Persons of Quality that have seen me here. Your Lordship will tell me if I do well or ill; and in Recompence I shall only tell you, That I shall not think I do well longer than you esteem me, what I am so much

Your, &c.