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Show . [ 41 J the ill Succefs of thefe Neg.oti,ations is' il!J tirely owing tq thofe, ·who •would caft the· blame of the Rupture upon thetn; if being exceeding pl~il), that the King of France hll!l put it out of the Power of the Allies to' make a · general Pooce, by refu!ing- to give them Spain and the Indies, without which · a gool:l Peace can never be made, or the End for which we went into the War tolerably anfwer'd: and the more this Affair is examio'd into, the more you will be tonvinc'd of the lnfincerity of the French, and •the NeceOity the Allies were under, to .aa: as they did. Firft, 'Tis indifputably true ·and confefs'd on all hands, that the Refl:itution of Spain and the Indies, whatever became of the reft of the Monarchy, was prol\lis'd • from · the very firft; they did not pretend• to defire fO much as one lingle Conference f6r Peace on any other terms. Now, if the King cou'd do what: he promis'd, what becomes of the pretended fm'poilibility? And if he cou'd not, what cou'd he mean by fuch a Promife but to amufe and deceive? But if he delign'd that, then it un- • deniably follows, all thefe Negotiations on his part have been one continued Cheat from t he Beginning to the End. And that this is the Truth of the Cafe, I have given yon many Proofs both in my !all: Letter, and in this. All the Erpedients he propos'd, were fo many Shams, and had no other meaning in them but to gain Time, quiet his People, and fow Jealou!iee among the Allies;' and de( eat if ponible by a Treaty tbofe he can't de- ' fea~ [ 43 J feat by his Arms. What eKe cou'd he mean by propofing,. a. Partition as an Expedient, and yet re.fufing to let it have the Effeo Qf one? To a~k t'be States to ,confent to a Partition, and I nqr,luHcr them to ask for what, is a Jitole -too barefac'd. Cou'd they think the Dutch wou'd confent to this Expedient for the fake. of a general Peace, without being fure, ''a general Peace wbu'd be purchas'd by it ? I fca,rce believe, they expetl:ed that of them; but neverthelefs hop'd, they !hou'd gain their Ends by it; and that the very hearkning to the Propofal of a Partition wou'd create Jealoufies and divide the Allies, in which they did not judg very ill: for the Conferences upon this foot very much alarm'd the Mini.fl:ers of the Emperor and King Charles, who were utterly averfe to a P~rtition of any kind ; and it was with great difficulty they were prevail'd with to confent to let the Conferences with the Minifl:ers of France be manag'd by the Deputies of the States, without their being themfelves prefent at them; which wou'd have rend red the Negotiations for a general Peace much more difficult than they were tho France had been in earne.fl: for it. And this was all France aim'd at by propo!ing a Partition· fome of the Allies, they knew, wou'd be ex~ tremely againft it, while the States tbcy h.op'd, wou'd, for fo defirable an End, be williOg ~nough to come into it; and this Difference they promis'd themfelves much from: . bu~ for fear this Difficulty lliou'd be over· come, and the Allies fhou'd take them a r their words, .and accept fo~qe of the E~pa! G 2 dien ~ |