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Show . [ 24 J fonable · <no 'Ptlnce having fuffer'd fo much ftoln' Fr;;.(e" as 'one of tfiem1 ot 'deli v'd fo i'!lloft:h Erllt;l=ror as the 'c\tne '! "As far1the ~"fth At~ide? , the E;<p~ient," o1f~'d ,/. ':' ~ 'three·Towns in Fl~tndm of his own enupng. llh Offer, which by what'' l_""h~}e already fa~, you will fee is worth not,hing, fincc ~.e wo~ ,d i'lever give any 1'owns. tHa~ the'_Alltes cou,d think a io~rabfe Secunty for fo Important a Point; be1)tlt thi l:, if the Towns ~ere a~rec:d on, many Difficnltle? wou'~ certawly r& In the Execution, and rn fettlm~ the Terms on which they lhou'd return to fum or not: f<:>r if' the Allies were to keep tb~m only till the Affairs of Spain were decided_; , what won'd they be the better for them, 1f In t~e llfuc of Things it lhou'd not end to then· Jliind? which he wou'd take _the b~!l: Care he cou'd it lhou'd not. I mentton tillS, bec~ufe 1 have feen the Condition of the Exp7d1eht fo wOrded, or tO that effeCJ: ; and tiS _not very eafy to take away all room f?r Equt~o( ation and any handle that can gtve, wh1ch the Prince we ·are treating with, k_nows how to ereCl: ,into a clear indifputab\e Right. 'But to complete the Pr_oj~Cl:, ~nd ~hat the n:~gn and End of the Prellmmanes mtght be entn ~ly fi b t d 'tis propos'd that the E:{ecutlon u ver e ' ' 'd ·11 b T t 9f 'an the Articles be def7r ~1 t ~ rea, Y b~ concluded and the _Rattfi.cattons exchang d. This is the ~oble ProjeCl: that was fent to the H a ue t he beginning of February, and was t'r-'! Rcl~lt of man_y Councils. that h~d been ~e14 iLl the pr~cedtng Mon~h, to ~atisfy the ,". ll1g, s go od SubJ·eas. of . h\S finbc ete DefMirets af~cr Pc~cc ; ar<d as 1f thts had een an 0~ [ 15 J of great Grace, the King, if this be not accepted, declares himfelf free from all Engagements ; but this being in elfeCl: the fame with the Paper Monf. Petkum brought, and nothing but the old Bait made up a-new, tpe Allies were too wife to bite at it : but as France had all along excepted to nothing but the 37th Article, they were refolv'd to adhere to the re!l:, and therefore wou'd admit of no Conferences till they explain'd themfelves fully as to that Point. When the French faw fo much ftiffi1efs on the Part of the Allies, they, who are. not fuch religious Obfervers of their Word, as to fulfer a little feeming Compliance ,to do them any harm, or to lofe their Point for want of it, thought fit to recede in appearance at leaft, and gave the States all the A lfurance the moll: exprefs Words cou'd do, that the King agreed to all the other Preliminaries, and that if they wou 'd confent his Minifters lhou'd come and confer with them upon the 37th Article, he did not doubt but what lhou'd be propos;! from him, wou'd be to their Satisfaaion. This was fo full a D~claration, as gave f<>me hopes, this Difficulty might be adju!l:ed, or at leal\: it wou'd have made the refufal of what they ask'd look invidious: the States therefore1 to remove all pretence of complaint, as lf they were too diffident, or had a mind to prolong the War, which they knew the French were always labouring to infinuate; a PraCl:ice, in which their Friends here copy after them perfeCl:ly well ; granted them Palfports for fuch Minifters as the King .lbou'd E think I • |
