England under Charles II. from the Restoration to the Treaty of Nimeguen, 1660-1678: English History from Contemporary Writers
Taylor, W. F.
1889
1670.-The King's sister, the Princess Henrietta of Orleans, is sent over by Louis XIV. to persuade Charles to a second war with the Dutch, and other matters of importance.
Secret Hist. of Whitehall, , vol i., p. 45, et seq. | |
The French Court having . .... gained the duke of Buckingham entirely to their interests, they began now to conceive some hopes to bring our king to join with them against the States, at least with his naval power, of which they had most need; and therefore to strike while the iron was hot they deliberated of sending over an ambassador of their own into England to negotiate the matter: but to colour the intrigue as if they had no design of their own thereby, and to give no matter of jealousy to their neighbours, especially the United Provinces, it was agreed it should be a female ambassadress, the king's fair sister Henrietta Maria, duchess of Orleans, and so give out at the same time she went over purely on a visit to her royal brothers; and that it was with some seeming reluctancy the French king | |
92 | upon her earnest application to him to that purpose gave his consent. But she was furnished with such proposals which they knew well that sent her none could with equal safety and privacy advance, nor none with equal power and influence recommend. And to secure the whole transaction from the very suspicion as well as penetration of any not of their cabal, and to make it appear a pure visit and the effect of natural affection and void of all intrigue, her return was limited to so short a time and in so peremptory and notorious a manner that it might induce the world to believe them too suspicious of the natural inclinations that the princess might still retain for her royal brothers, and for the wealth of her and their native country, so incompatible with the exorbitant grandeur of France, to entrust her with any of the mysterious arcana of their politics; and so might prevent all jealousy in England, at that critical juncture of that interview, by showing so great an apprehension of it themselves. She was charged with the same message partly, and with some of the same arguments, which they had endeavoured to insinuate by the duke of Buckingham: but having an incomparable advantage above him, or any other ambassador to back whatsoever she advanced with all the charms that a most accomplished and lovely princess, as an only and most beloved sister, could be armed with; she who had wit and dexterity enough to manage those privileges to the utmost advantage, not only pressed the said matter more home and with infinitely more freedom and efficacy, |
93 | but adventured to propose yet higher things, and of a much more extended consequence. For addressing her speech to the king (though not without intermixing some expressions equally affecting also to her brother the duke of York) she told his Majesty, that as she hoped neither of her royal brothers had any reason to call in question her natural affection to their persons, so she believed they had as little cause to doubt but she could see as far as another into the French monarch's heart, who loved her and admired her to that degree, though innocently, as gave no small umbrage to Monsieur his brother and her husband; and that she did sincerely represent both as his most Christian Majesty's sense and her own that the only way to secure to his Majesty and the present Royal Family of England a stability in the throne they were lately restored to, after so dismal an overthrow of the monarchy, in the reign and person of their unhappy father, and to reinstate the majesty of the British kings in its former splendour and security enjoyed so long and gloriously in Catholic times, was by all wise and politic means to labour to introduce into these kingdoms the Catholic religion and to reassume by degrees absolute power. For that the Church of England by woeful experience had been found too weak alone to defend the Crown, and that the dissenters were so stiffly principled for a commonwealth, that they would never leave till they had once more overturned the monarchy unless his Majesty would timely provide for his security by methods to be proposed to him by her and the most |
94 | Christian king who she knew had the utmost tenderness for his interest, as was clear enough by all expressions of his real inclinations, since they were emancipated from the restraints laid upon them under the tutelage of a cardinal who was a master in pure politics, and altogether unacquainted with those nobler and more heroic sentiments of honour and generosity which are no less natural and inextinguishable in a born prince than common reason is in the rest of mankind. The chief of which expedients were flattering of the Church of England, and first persecuting by Act of Parliament the Protestant dissenters and wheedling with them again by a prerogative lenative; and so by the not to be questioned acceptance of the suffering Protestants on the one hand and the no less assured non-opposition of those of the Established Church on the other, as by an irresistible charm to lay asleep that watchful dragon that had so long kept the golden apples of contention between the king and people from the ravishment of the most enterprising monarch and break that mischievous devil that had of late been so busy in asserting pretended liberties, and advance the sovereignty of old hateful laws above the more sacred majesty of the princes, the only rightful legislators, whilst the Crown as securely as unregardedly might seize and, seizing for all perpetuity, appropriate as to itself the important jewel of dispensing power, which would fix and fasten the whole chaplet of unbounded sovereignty by making use of that popular relaxation, to indulge the faction esteemed the most |
95 | dangerous to the monarchy and to decoy them into a favouring of those encroachments upon the laws and upon the people's fundamental rights, and therein the legislation, who seemed of all men the most deeply principled against them, and so in effect to make those very persons the tools for the erection of absolute and despotic sway who otherwise could hardly be reconciled to the most just, most legal, and most moderate Royalty. So far were the measures to be observed at home, and those which she and their brother of France advised to be used abroad, were- |
1. To endeavour by all possible means the subversion of the Republic of Holland, the perpetual source of rebellion in England. | |
2. In order with so much the more expedition, certainty, and safety to effect the reduction both of his own people and of that untoward neighbouring nest and receptacle of plotters and rebels, to resolve upon a firm and inviolable adherence to the interests of the most Christian king, who in that case would no way desert him, but vigorously and powerfully aid him, and carry him through all difficulties. But in case, added she, his Majesty could not satisfy his conscience well enough to attempt any such change in religion (as she just now had mentioned) or notwithstanding all remonstrances to the contrary should continue over-persuaded of the too great difficulty or impracticableness of such an enterprise; that however as a Protestant of the Church of England, which was firm to monarchy, if he desired to put himself | |
96 | into a condition to protect that, and that reciprocally to defend him and his successors in time to come, it would be absolutely necessary for him at least to concur with his most Christian Majesty in subduing the Republic of Holland. That besides the advantage of such a repartition of the conquered country, as he could reasonably expect, he should find upon the reduction of it that the Commonwealth section in England and her two sister kingdoms would dwindle away of itself, and so the king would not only become absolute master of his people, but as his Christian Majesty would concert the sharing of those provinces with his brother of England the naval power and trade of Great Britain would receive an incredible augmentation by the destruction of a state that was her only competitor by sea, and in commerce and riches promoted thereby. For that not only their shipping and seamen, together with their chief seaports and best provinces all entire, would be his Majesty's, but also that all the most wealthy and substantial merchants, and industrious and ingenious tradesmen and artificers, even of the provinces and parts that should fall to the share of the most Christian king, would in all appearance transplant themselves either into England or Ireland, as lying more convenient for trade than their own country, or at least into those parts of the Netherlands which should be reduced under the power of the king of Great Britain; to whose domination as approaching nearest the sweetness and freedom of that they now were under they would certainly more |
97 | willingly submit their persons and fortunes than to that of the more absolute one of the French monarch, against which they had entertained a thousand prejudices. In fine she most earnestly and affectionately besought him to take these matters into his most serious consideration and to return a speedy and if it might in any ways be a favourable answer, that she might have the happiness to return back the messenger of good news and such news as might prove a foundation of a lasting felicity to both the illustrious families from which both his Majesty and herself were descended. The king after a little silence told her by way of reply to the things she had represented to him, that it was impossible for him to doubt the ardency and reality of the affection of a sister so amiable, and who Had always expressed so much tenderness for his interest, that he as little questioned but that she had penetrated as far into the interiors of his brother of France as it was possible anyone could into the heart of a king; and therefore upon her representation of him chiefly which he assured her would induce him to give more credit to the favourable conjectures he had made of his temper during the little time he had the honour to converse with him whilst in exile, and to the general character he had, since his personal administration of public affairs, obtained in the world, being a prince of great honour and generosity; and thereupon passing by some former unhandsome and unkind treatments in his court, as pure effects and and influences of the over-ruling ascendant of the |
98 | then regnant Mazarin and not of the prince's own inclination, he should put much confidence in the sincerity of the most Christian king, and accordingly desired her to return his said Majesty his royal and most hearty thanks for these obliging expressions of amity and affection he had signified to him by her, and to assure him in his name he should ever have his friendship in high esteem, and would go as great lengths as in prudence and interest he could to serve him and to comply with his desires. But that the matters proposed being of the highest consequence, he must beg his excuse if he required more time to give him a positive and satisfactory answer thereto than the short space limited for her stay in England would permit; however, that he would with all convenient expedition give him a better account. In the meanwhile he should request his most Christian brother by her to do him the justice to believe he was as sincerely affectioned to his person as he could be to his, and should ever persist to be, as far as a king of England could, his constant and obsequious friend. The like answer, as far as it was agreeable to his circumstances, was returned by the duke. After which the princess renewing the charge in the business of religion, the king freely told her that as to that point, though he had entertained very kind and favourable thoughts of the Roman religion and its professors, for several reasons instanced, and did believe that if it were re-established in his dominions the monarchy would be safer and easier than it could be under the present state of |
99 | Protestancy, yet he was not so fully satisfied of it as to make it his own religion, and that on the other side he foresaw such insurmountable difficulties in attempting such a re-establishment that he did not think any policy, no, nor the whole power of France, could he command it all entire, without any diversion from other interested neighbours (too extraordinary a juncture to be probably expected), could be able to carry him well through them. To which the princess, who saw well enough, as well by his looks and actions as by his expressions, that she had made more sensible impressions on his spirits than he was willing to acknowledge, thinking she had done enough for her part and sufficiently broke the ice for those that should be designed to push the point further at more leisure, modestly replied that since that was his Majesty's sense in which he was fixed she would waive all farther importunities on that subject and leave it wholly depending between himself and God, whom she would continually pray to inspire his Majesty with light enough to know and courage enough to embrace the truth in his appointed time. But, however, she should be glad to know his Majesty's sentiments as to the design against Holland, adding that she was confident he could not but think it was at least for his interest, and feasible too. Yes, madam, answered the king, I am convinced that, if crowned with success, it would be enough for the interests of this monarchy and of my subjects too; but yet as practicable as it seemeth to you, it is likewise not without its difficulties, and those very great |
100 | ones too, for the ill-success of my last war with that nation, the dissatisfaction of my people thereupon, the triple league in which I am lately engaged with Holland, the inclination my subjects have for the Dutch, as being a Protestant nation, and the implacable aversion they have to the French, and their jealousies of their power and of their religion, are mighty obstacles in the way; however, if my brother of France can propose me any practicable expedients to remove them, which I make no doubt, I will, as I have said, do what I can to comply with him in that enterprise, and so the princess declaring herself well satisfied with what had been said on the subject of her errand, they passed from the businesses of State to the divertisements of the Court. |
