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Show [ 10 J . had left it : Which was a plain ·Proof, th~t they had fome Detigns which they_ fea(d he would not come into · and that m 1115 and Pr. E11gme's Ablence, they hop'd the ~cates, by the great Inclination they exprefs d for l'eace, might be drawn in to confent to fome Points, which might either produce. a Treaty to their Minds, or divide t~e Alhes :11nong themfelves. This t~e~ hop~ to do rhefe two ways ; firfr, by gammg theu· Confent to a Partition, whicli they had never abfo!utely declar'd againfr ; and next, by offering to them, in Contiderarbn for that, a greater Barrie6 than they thought conti!len~ ~virh the Intereft and Honour of the Houfe of Auftria. The Firft of thefe they knew the Emperor would not agree to, and neither the Emperor nor England to the Latter. An.cl from this Occation and Ground for DIVlfion, they promis'd themfelv~s great Succefs.. But to their Surprize, the Firmne!s of the States was fo. great, that as they would. abfolutely reject nothing, fo neither would rhev agree to anv thing feparately from the re/1: of the Allies, nor enter into any Treaty, ·but jointly with th~;: ~een and the Emperor; who, to {hew their Readinefs to- hearken to any reafonable Terms of Peace, th:tt w~uld aafwer the End for which they went mto the War, immediately upon notice of the Prcpofals the French l1ad made, fent to the Hague the D. of i'vf. and Prince Ea~;ene ; the firft was attended by my Lord Toumjhen.J, and the other was foon follow'd by Count Zi11- o:.·"dorjf. And both thefe Mini!lers diftingui! h'd themfehes in thefe Negociations ve-ry ry much t" the Satisfaction of all the reft ; my Lord TownfiJcml particularly, has by his good Senfe, Integrity, Opennefs, and Affability, acquir'd the univcrfal Efteem of the State,, and all the rcil: of the Allies, heyond what could be hop'd from fo young a Miniiter, and to fuch a Degree as will always be )'emembred to his Honour in that Country, however it may be deny'd or forgot in this. Jf therefore you 'uon't meet with his and Count Zinz.endorff's Names in what follows, I muft detire you would fuppofe of them, what I fay of the Two Generals, fo far at !!:aft, as to think they did not in any thing of Moment ever differ from thoo1. But to proceed: Upon the Arrival of thefe Minifters at the Hague, Conferences were daily held with thofe of Frl7nce, to fettle Preliminary Articles. In the treating of which, their Intincerity foon difcover'd ir fclf, nnd great R eafon 'f2'5 given to fufJ?<'d, their chief Aim was to amufe and div1d<! T hofe they fefm'd fo much in hafte to a~ree with; That if rhey could not get ft;ch a Peace fo~ chcmfelvcs as they dctir'd, the Campaign at leaft might he loll to the Allies. For it was very obfervable, that they eatily agreed, and in a very little time after thefe Conferences were begun, to all the Demands of England nnd Holland for themf~ ives, tho feme Articles were contain' c1 in borh, which the :French never dreamt of heing ask'cl, when the fidl: Overtures of Peate werd11ade ; fuch :,~s the detnolifhing of Dmtkid~ and the giving up many To)Vns which were no part of the Spanijl' Netherla,.ds, ~t · ' '' ., C 2 the |