L.ETTRÏ: MCCCLXXXVII
Sir L, Jenkins au Prince d'Orange. NouVi
Whitehall, 4 feb. %.
Tho his Ma. is graciously pleas'd to comand that I remove to the province of the South, upon the entring of mylord Conway upon the province I was in, yet I shall take leave to continue my duty to your Highnesse in the same manner that I hâve presumed to do it ail this while, unlesse you v^^ill command me to forbear. The Citty of London hath chosen the same persons to serve them in the Parliament in Oxford, as had serv'd them hère. The Common hatt bëeing assembled, put up two pétitions to the sheriffs, the one that thanke might given to their burgesses , for their care and zeal against popery and for the excluding of the Duke; the other pétition was that the 16 petitioning Lords might hâve their thanks. Other news we hâve none but what is untrue, and most pernicious. His Highnesse.
LETTRE ]?ICCCLiXXXVIII.
Sir L. Jenkins au Prince d'Orange. Le Roi bien disposé envers le Parlement,
Whitehall, 11 febr. %.
May it please your Highnesse , I most humbly acknowledge the honour of your gracions letter to me, of the 11. current n. st. I shewd it his Ma., as soon as I received it; he , upon that occasion, did déclare he was througly resolv'd to hâve his Parliament meete and sitt at the time and place appointed, and that it shall not be his fault, if it do not prove a very happy session. For the proposition that he intends to open the Assembly with, he hath not (he saith) yet digested it to the full, nor communicated it to any other. When I know of any thing and shall be at libertie to impart it, your
479 [1681. Février.
m Highnesse shall hâve the first part of it. I am, with
HLperfect respect, may it please your Highnesse,
^^B your Highnesses most humble and most
^F obedient servant,
^^His Hiofhnesse. L. jenkins.
LETTRE laCCCLXXXIX.
Lord Hyde au Prince d'Orange. Dangers du bill d^ exclusion.
St. James-street, feb. the 19. 1681.
Upon what S'" Gabriell Sylvius hath said to me, as he tells me, by command from your Highnesse, I thinke it my duty to give your Highnesse this trouble, desiring you, in the first place, to believe that, when I write and when I doe not, both are designed with the greatst duty and submission to your Highnesse. I must ingenuously confesse to you, that, from the time of the différences between mylord Sunderland and me, and that by degrees we gave over communicating with one another in the Kings businesse, I thought it impertinent in me, while we could not agrée in the advices we were to give your Highnesse, that I should présume to give you any contrary to those I knew you would reçoive from him; for both his place and the creditt he had with the King, did justly deserve that your Highnesse should place greater confidence in him then in me. I must needs owne that I thought he mistooke the Kings interest, and even his mind too, tho I was ail along told by great men hère tthat I was mistaken myselfe. God knows which it is, but I onely know that I can not be upon any considération in the world of a mind that ill is to be done that igood may come of it; such I take the act of Exclusion to be, and can never give my poor ad vice to it; neither m I be of opinion that, either hère to fore, now or lere after, that bill bv itselfe ivill give unv manner of
1G81. Février.] — 480 —
satisfaction, and that, when ever any such bill can be gained frora the King, the Crowne is mortally wounded by it, and no man that hath right to the succession, but his title is weakned by ifc. ïhis is my poor opinion , and after this what is to be done, will be the next question, and which I confesse I cannot answer. I know the King is desirous to give ail manner of satisfaction and, if any thing coiild be found out, that would quiett mens minds and not change the government, by associations and ail the other things mentioned in the late addresses, that his Ma. would consent to it, and I am confident your Highnesse would not wish he should comply with them upon those termes. It is hard, I believe, for your Highnesse to thinke but that the conditions might be more easy, but you will find, I am affraid, that I am in the right; and, if things be soe , endeavours ought to be used on the other side to bring sober people to accept of the next best, since they cannot haye their owne point. No man can say but that, if some of this time that hath been quite lost, had been employed in makeing some more practicable laws for the conviction of popish récusants and for removing from amongst us the most considérable men of that religion , and takeing care to hâve their children bred up in the protestant religion, this could hâve done no harme, and there would be lesse appréhensions of a popish successor, if there were fewer of his party in England, and, if men would apply themselves to gett ail the good they can, at least it would looke as if they meant very well. I am affraid I trouble your Highnesse too much, but being commanded, as ï take myselfe to be, from your Higlinesse, to renew a correspondeiice with you, I thinke it best allwaies to speake very plainly, and I would most humbly beg of your Highnesse to consider what it is possible for the King to doe; if it be true, which I doe assure you I take to be soe, that nothing but takeing the power of ail the militia, seaport-towns and navy out of the Kings
— 481 — [1681. Février.
hands, can make tliem believe the bill of Exclusion can be maintained; and your Highnesse is so rauch the more oblidged to see what is to be done in this matter, because it is most certaine the King had not called this Parliament so soon but in regard to his neighbours and Allys abroad. I beg your pardon for this freedome and hope jou will thinke it proceeds from a heart full of duty both to your Highnesse and his Majesty.
LOTTRK WCCCXC.
Le Duc d! York au Prince â^ Orange. Un Mil, soit d' exclusion, soit de limitation des droits de la couronne, sera la perte de la Monarchie.
Febr. 22.
I see, by yours of the 21, that you are in the same feares that we are hère that this session of Parliament, which is to be at Oxford, will not be happyer then the last; for, by what I heare, this House of Gommons is not like to be better composed then the last, and if the inteligence I had this day from London be true, they hâve already resolved, at some of their cabals, to begin with the bill of Exclusion the first thinge they do, and then I am sure there can come no good that sessions ^ ; for I hope that neither his Ma. nor the House of Lords will ever passe that bill, nor a bill of limitation, either of which would be the distruction of the monarky. I say this the rather to you , because , by what I heare S'' Gab. Silvius and some others hâve sayd, as if, by a letter I had writen to you some tyme since, I should seeme not to be so very avers to the passing of a bill of exclution. I remçmber I sayd, in one of my letters, that I looked [on the bill of limitations as bad, nay may be worse then the exclution; but, if I did say that, I never ment* by it that I could be content the bill of exclution should passe;
' session. * ineaned.
1681. Février.] — 482 —
if there was any thinge in my letters that might beare
such an interprétation, I am sure I never intended it;
for I looke on either of them, should they passe, as the
ruine of the monarky and our family , as well as of my-
self; for the Parliaments meddling with the succession
with which they hâve nothing to do, would in ail apea-
rance prove as fatale to the Crowne and the lawfull heirs
of it, as his Ma. calling for the help of his Parliament
to destroy the late E * of Clarendon has proved to the
ministers; for you see they hâve still fallen on most of
them since, and clame it as a right so to do, and, could
they gett such a précèdent for them as once to passe a
bill of exclution or limitation, they w^ould then clame it,
as a right, to take cognisence of and déclare who aught
to succède and to make this monarky an élective one ,
that is an hereditary one, and it amazes me to heare that
any who wish well to the monarky or me, can thinke
the bill of exclusion a tolerable expédient, or fitt to be
passed, and tis the most mistaken argument to say it
would signify nothing, when certainly it would not only
destroy me, but the Crowne also; for even that would
not content them, without their getting other things done,
by which they would make any King no more then a
Duke of Venice. I thought it necessary to say ail this
to you, because of what I heare has been sayd, that
you might see the sence I hâve of it, and, as I hâve
done already ail I could to hinder the passing of any
such bill, I will continu my endeavors that nothing of
that kind be done; which is ail I hâve to say now, but
to assure you that I shall always be as kind to you as
you can désire.
1 Earl.
— 483 — [1681 Mars.
LETTRE WCCCXCI.
Le Duc cCYork au Prince d^ Orange. Recommandation.
Edenburgh, March 1.
I see, by the last letters from the Hage, that you in-
tended to go to Deren , to make use of the good weather ,
of which it seems you hâve had but little ail this winter,
and by a former letter of yours I reinember you sayd
you were to go this spring to meet the Dukes of Zell
and Hanover, with the first of which I heare there is an
old acquaintance of myne, the Marq. de Boisdavid, who
is realy a very worthey man, and a man of as much
honnor as any I know, which he lias shewd to the world;
when you know him, you will find I give a true carac-
ter of him, and I hope, for my sake as well as his, you
will be favorable to him and further his concerns when
lit coms in your way. As for newse, hère is none worth
[writing to you, but from London you will seldome want
some that is considérable; I shall now say no more but
[to assure you that I shall always be as kind to you as
rou can désire.
LETTRE MCCCXCII.
Le Duc d^York au Prince d'Orange, Décès de sa fille.
Edenburgh, Mar. 8.
I am sure you hâve so much kindnesse for me and so
luch concerne for our family as to hâve been troubled,
[when you hard of the losse I hâve made of my daughter
[sabella, which you will hâve knowne as sone I beleve
[as I; for I heard not of it till yesterday, and tlie lose is
[so much the more sensible to me , for the great affliction
the Dutchesse is in, for, as for myself I hâve been so
ised to such and so many other troubles and mortifica-
Itions , that 1 can , I thanke God ; beare them well enough
1681. Mars.] — 484 —
and submitt wîth pacience to his divine will in ail things. This is so unpleasing a subject that I shall say no more to you upon it, and assure you that, in what so ever condition I am in, I shall always be as kind to you as you can désire.
For ray Sonne the Prince of Orange.
liETTRE mCCCXCIII.
Lord Hyde au Prince d'Orange. Le Prince ne doit pas songer à un hill ^exclusion.
St. James, March the 11.
I most humbly thanke your Highnesse for the honour of your letter of the 10 of thés moneth from Dieren, by which you will make me believe the liberty I tooke of writing to your Highnesse was not disagreable to you, but you will give me leave to tell your Highnesse too that I find, by one part of your letter, where you say you hâve so many reasons to hinder you from speaking of the meanes that might help to accommodate our affaires hère, that your thoughts are still upon one expédient onely , which , believe me , will never accommodate any thing. God knowes whether the King will ever thinke fitt to try itt. I hope he will not, but, if he should, then your Highnesse will be satisfyed that I informe you right in this matter. I thought it best for me to acquaint his Ma. with your Highnesses letter, which I did, and his answer was, there never can be a good accommodation , without bringing both the partys to some tolerable abatement of their demandes, but this that is hinted at by that part of your letter and hath been so long insisted on hère, is entirely yeilding ^ on one side, and is therefore, not an accommodation, but a submission.
And therefore, for Gods sake, if there be any meanes for you to worke on the otherside to bring them to ac-
* yielding.
— 485 — [1681. Mars.
cept of any thing but the altération of the government, lett that be trjed and, if that cannot be eiFected, doe not lay ail the blâme upon one side , that hath , first in particular condescentions ofFered to the Parliament before the last, and since in generall leaving ail things to them but onely the point of exclusion , shewed sufficiently that they hâve been and are willing to comply with any thing that is reasonable. I know not what I can say more to your Highnesse; a little time will shew at Oxford what will be the event of this meeting, and I can easily conclude with your Highnesse that, if it end not well, the King and the monarky and ail his Allys will be in a very ill condition , but I thinke too , if the agreement must be got upon those terms onely that hath been hitherto demanded, it will be as bad for ail; for that cannot last and préserve the royall family, which I pray God for ever to blesse.
lettre: mcccxciv.
Lord Sunderland au Prince d^ Orange. Lenteur et inertie des Alliés.
When the King went to Newmarket, I asked his leave to be at my owne house during his stay there, which he was pleased to grant, but yesterday I receaved his Ma. command to attend him in that place, which I intend to obey to morrow. I acquaint your H. with thèse perticularitys, that you may know why I hâve been so long without writing; I should still hâve forborne, till I had been with the King, but that I receaved heere your letter of the 19 of March. I am very glad to find by it that your Highnesse is pleased with the choice the King made of G. Sylvius. I tooke the liberty to recommend him, hoping you would doe so , and beleeving him very fît to serve the King in such an imployment. I hope every thing will goe on heere for the Kings advantage and the pu-
1681. Mars.] — 486 —
blicke quiet. The Imperialists and the Spaniards are so slow it would almost make one dispaire of ever doing any good with them ; if they will not awake out of tlieire letliargy, its impossible any thing can be done of what is necessary for the securing the peace of the world. Vigilance mnst be to maintaine the peace, as well as to make warre, but they seeme not to be alive. When I waite upon the King, I shall give your Highnesse a better account of the condition of our affaires. I am with ail respect, Sir,
your Highnesses most faithfull etc.
SUNDEllLAND.
Altrope', March the 24.
LETTRE MCCCXCV.
Le Prince d Orange au Prince de Nassau^Dietz. Il désire lui donner un régiment.
A Dieren, ce 6 d'avril 1681.
Monsieur! En arrivant icy j'ay appris que le Col. Ter Brugge estoit mort, et que ceus de Drenthe vous avoient donné son régiment et sa compagnie; et puisque vous les souhaités, je serés fort aise de vous les donner, et si vous les voulez recevoir de ma main, j'en faires depesche, et aurez bien de la joye de vous pouvoir donner cette marque de mon amitié et l'envie que j'ay de vivre en bonne intelligence avec vous, mais je ne pourez souffrir que ceus de Drenthe disposent de ces charges qui sont à ma disposition. J'attenderez vostre réponse par cest exprès, et vous prie d'estre assuré que je suis. Monsieur,
vostre trës-affectionné cousin et serviteur,
G. PRINCE d'orange.
1 Altliorp.
LiEttre: mcccxcvi.
[1681. Mar8.
Le Duc d'York au Prince cC Orange. Il lui écrira par M. Villattes.
Edenburgh, March 26.
I hâve not now tyme to answer two of jours, which I hâve receved this weeke, the one by the post and the other by M. Villatte, having been abroad this day a hunting, for the first tyme since I came hère; he will sone go back to you , and I beleve straight by sea , and then I shall answer both yours. In the meane tyme be assured you shall always find me to be as kind to you as you can désire. For ray Sonne the Prince of Orange.
