The copy of a letter from Min Heer T.V.L. to Min Heer H.V.C.: Faithfully translated from the original.

The Copy of a Letter from Min Heer T. V. L. to Min Heer H. V. C.

Faithfully Translated from the Original.

SIR,

THo' I have a great deference for your Judgment, yet can I not give way to those Fears, which you tell me you so mightily apprehend. On the contrary my Opinion is, tho' what you suggest should prove true, yet would the Prince, our States, and the Confederates, be considerable Gainers by the Expedition.

What I say may seem a Paradox to one who runs, as you do, upon so high a strain, in your apprehensions of seeing all our Designs ruined by King James's regaining the Possession of His Kingdoms; but yet I doubt not but in few words, to make the matter clear to a much meaner Capacity than yours.

You know Sir, as well as I, that the first Design of the Confederates, was not the Security of the Protestant Religion, in England, nor the hindering their Laws from being changed, nor the Birth of a supposed Prince of Wales; but principally to oppose the King of France's Power, and suppress his Growth. You know Sir also, that it was looked upon as impossible to make the late King of England a Partner in that Undertaking, or to have kept it secret, if it had been Proposed to him; and therefore it was thought necessary, either to constrain him to take part with the Confederates, or else to reduce him to such a state, that it should not lye in his Power to do them harm by lending his Assistance.

This made our States urge the Prince to hearken to the Proposals of the Male Contents in England; and the hopes they had of compassing those great Ends, to∣gether with some smaller concerns of their own, were powerful Motives to fur∣nish him with Men, Money, Ships, and other Necessaries answerable to the Greatness of the Attempt.

Now what I affirm, is that tho' the Prince of Orange should be at last forced to quit England, yet would neither he, nor any of the Confederates, nor our States of Holland be frustrated of their hopes, but would sufficiently obtain their Ends.

1. Not he; For you know that according to his Declaration he did not at first aim at the Crown of England; but when he saw it ready to drop upon his head, a far less Ambitious Man than he, would have scarce refused it. It was his Natu∣ral Antipathy to the King of France, and the desire of Glory, which pushed him on to make that Attempt, which we must needs say, Nature would have other∣wise abhorred. And the hopes his Souldiers had to have laden themselves with the Spoils of a Countrey which a long Peace, Prosperity and Trafick, had not only made Rich, but Luxurious and Effeminate, made them follow him with Joy in that Expedition. And you may assure your self, let what will come, they will accomplish their first Designs; and if he be Beaten off from his other Attempt, 'tis because he went farther than his Commission.

I say, he will gain his first ends, and instead of either losing his Honour, or wasting his Treasure (as you suggest) will no doubt, both enrich himself and his Companion, and gain a due esteem amongst all the Confederates, by providing so effectually against the common Enemy.

For should it happen (as you fear it will) that the late King James by the Aid of the Irish and Scotch, should enter into England and find that People, who are strangely changeable in their Humours, ready to embrace him again for their So∣veraign, and like a wanton Steed, cast their Rider before he be well seated in the Saddle, yet can you not in Prudence think, that he who has the actual Possession of all the Forts and Magazines, and by consequence the Strength and Riches of the Nation in his hands; and that he who Commands the Ports and Navy, and has put what Officers he pleases in every Station, will go away empty handed, or leave the Nation in a Capacity to do either him or his Confederates any mischief.

Assure your self Sir, he will not go till he has Fleec'd that Proud and Pamper'd Nation. The Forts shall be first, if not dismantl'd, at least render'd useless by withdrawing all the Cannon and Amunition from them; some pretences or other will be found out to drain the Exchequer, to melt down the Plate, to be Master of the Richest Jewels, to remove the most Stately Furniture, to borrow immense Sums, and by this means, if he cannot keep the Crown, he will at least enrich himself; and the free Plunder of the City of London, will be a sufficient recom∣pence for his Souldiers, if they find they must be gone. Neither can you doubt of his being able to carry all this off, when you consider that he is not so unpolitick a Prince, but that he will take such effectual care to secure the English Fleet from do∣ing him any harm, that on the contrary, he will certainly bring the Chiefest Ves∣sels into Holland with him.

2. This will fully Answer all the Expectations of our Confederates; for all that could have been hop'd for from England, would have been either to make them sit still, or lend the Assistance of their Fleet, with some few Regiments: And as for sitting still, they must necessarily do it when they are so impoverished, and the Augmentation of our Fleet by those Vessels, will make us formidable to the French by Sea; neither will he want as great an Army of English, who will be forced to fly with him as he could have sent, had he continued a Peaceable Possessor of the Crown.

3. Our States of Holland will be the most considerable Gainers in this Affair; For 'tis manifest, the Three Kingdoms will be so impoverished, that they will not be able to recover it 100 years of Peace; but you may assure your self, we shall not permit that neither; for having once got them under, we should be Fools if we did not labour to keep them so, and let them have neither Commerce abroad, nor Peace at home, but what we shall think good to allow them.

Thus Sir, you see I am so far from heing of your mind, that this Expedition of the late King JAMES will be the utter ruine of our Affairs if it succeed, that I can scarce hinder my self from wishing Him all the Success He hopes for, being perswaded that otherwise we cannot expect to impoverish that Nation, nor humble it to such a De∣gree, as I hope the Prince of Orange's Return will do. I am

Min Heer,

Your most humble Servant, T. V. L.

Amsterdam March the 15th. 1689.