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Show ' [ t6 J whh the Vigour they lhou'd, while People are amus'd with the fpecious Appearances of an approaching certain Pea:e· , For fo the French endeavour'd to make 1t ev~t;Y where thought when they meant n9thmg lefs. For thefe Reafons the States refusld to give Pa!res for any Minifters to come from Fra'!fct, till they knew more of their Intentions. But to !hew their readinefs to hearken to any reafonablc Propofal'~ they confen~ed Monfieur Petkum lhou'd go to Fran{t; whtch he did about tlle latter Eod of November, But before 1 give you an Account of that Journey, I m~ft acquaint yo~, that while their Negoti:!ttons were carrymg .0 11 by Letters with Fr~tnce, the Duke of .An;ou drd not only t ake a\\ the proper Meafures he co?'d to maintain himfelf in the Monarchy, whtch his Grandfather was in appearance treating to give uv, but pu~lilh'd a nota?le Manifefto the beginning of 'July, wherem he protefts againfr an that lhould be tr.anfackd at the Hague in his prejudice, as ,vmd and nul!, and declares his Refoluti'on to adhere to hts faithful Sp11niards, as long as there ~s a Man of them will ftand by him i and ts fo f~r from quitting Spain and; the Indies to hfs Competitor, that he won t confent he lhou d have thofe parts of the Monarcpy, which l!e was then po!lefs'd of; and in purfuance of this Manifefto, he nam~s the Duke R..,Aib •• and Count Bergheyck for his Plenipotentiayies, with orders to notify it to the Maritijlle Powers, which Count Bergh~ck did, in ~ Letter to the Duke ·of M~ dated from Mons, .Augr.ft the 21ft, with a Copy of t heir In-it ruCtions, [ 17 J ftruttioJJS; and they fen!! another at the fame time to th 'oeputys oftshe Staw, which J.lte accordingly tranfmitted to their Principals! but no Anfwcr was thousht fit either by Eng.l. land or Holland to be return'd to them : And to admit Flenipotentiuy~ from him now<, wou'd undo all that had been hitherto agreed on; and in!tead of feeking for an Expedient fur one 'Article of the ' Preliminarys, the whofe of them, wou'd have been de!troy'd, and the Treaty' muft have been begun entirely anew. This wou'd have been the Confequence of admitting Minifl:ers from the Duke of .An· jou 7 and 'twas this w.e !hall fee afterwards the French aim'd at. But I can't leave this Head, without obferving to you, that in Count, Bergheyck's Letter there were broad Intimations, bow grateful the Duke of Anjou wou'd be, if by meam; ofbis Grace's good Offices, his juft and reafonable Deli res might be comply'd with: There was n.othing he wou'd not do to conteht England in general, or that might be to his Grace's Satisfaction in particular. I )lave likewife heard from good Hands, that Monlieur Torey did very unnece!rarily, and with great Officioufnef~, write two or three very civil Letters to his Grace; till he found his Civilitys w~re lofr upon him. They were both ~iftakeri in their r.:tan, if th.ey thought any tlhng cou'd tempt h1m to go Into any fetret Meafures agaioft the Intereft of his Country, and the Good of the common Caufe. But . tliefe Minifters have both of them had too"mJcp· Exverience of the Power of Cor~ uptidn elfewhere, not to be excufable for try• tng it here, when it was fo much for the D Service |