England under Charles II. from the Restoration to the Treaty of Nimeguen, 1660-1678: English History from Contemporary Writers
Taylor, W. F.
1889
1676.-The Second Secret Treaty with France.
Letter in the Secret Histoy of Whitehall, Lond., , v. i., pp. 152-154. Paris, Jan. 27, . | |
My Lord, - I have already upon two several occasions observed to your lordship, how the duke and duchess [of York] were drawn into private correspondence with the French court, which when they had once happily effected, and by them and some others, already in their interests . . . drawn in manymore both courtiers and others; they proceeded being thus so considerably reinforced to hedge in the king himself. And it was high time, for they had now a greater jealousy than ever of the match with the prince of Orange [i.e., the princess Mary, | |
140 | afterwards Queen, to William of Orange]. . . But in that the king told them there might be difficulties innumerable and so could promise them nothing but his endeavours . . . by reason the Parliament and people were much out of humour . . . because now for him to go about to cross them afresh in obstructing or so much as delaying such a match [with a Protestant prince] the proposal whereof was already so much known to his people, and found to be so much desired by them . . . would hinder them perhaps from granting such supplies as he might otherwise expect from them; unless his most Christian Majesty obliged himself to supply him with money enough to heed them not, or at least to buy votes, and to stop clamorous mouths. But as for that motion of theirs, about committing the children [of the duke of York, who were the heirs apparent] to the Duke's care and tutorage . . he absolutely denied them, saying they were his children or rather the nation's, and not the duke's, especially now he had marched so much against the nation's liking; and that could he have believed the people of England would have taken so much alarm at that marriage [of the duke of York with Mary of Modena] he should have taken care to have stopped it in time ; but that having let one fault pass, to admit another much worse, was a thing he doubted not but would cause such earthquakes, as he was resolved not to run the risk of therefore should not do it. So that article was wholly laid aside and the treaty concluded without it; by which the French king was to pay ours an |
141 | annuity of twelve hundred thousand crowns, whereof six hundred thousand in hand, besides a donative of like sum for extraordinaries: and if any occasion should happen by crossness of parliaments, rebellion or otherwise, that should reasonably require so much, then he was promised to have it augmented to twelve millions of livres,[1] whilst such troubles should last; though this latter part they never intended, but gave orders he should be treated only with a bit now and then .... only if a civil war should happen, they were to feed it on both sides, till it were fit to pour French forces among them, &c. In this treaty, which was concluded by a private agent, as were the others, there was a clause inserted which gave the king leave, if too much pressed upon, to pretend as if he would side with the confederates against France, and to get money of them, as also of his parliament on that account; yet he was by no means to declare, but to get an army and revenue settled for some time, such as was supposed to be the duration of the war, and then to use both the one and the other to settle his prerogative royal and to make himself absolute. |
Footnotes: [1] It should be recollected here and elsewhere that the French livre is thefranc, not the English pound sterling. |
