had given peace to all Europe, there was no use in saying any thing more about universal monarchy.

"He replied that he was well assured that your Majesty always did that which was most advantageous to yourself, and that this was the rule of all your actions; that, in making peace, you had thought it well to disunite all the powers which were against you, that you might, in time gain one party; and that I had confessed to him that I was in the country for the execution of one part of this plan.

"I answered that my only object was to cross his design, which was, to engage, and unite all Europe to make war against your Majesty. He said he should look upon this as a pleasantry, but that if it were meant in good earnest, he could not believe that I should speak to him so unreservedly as I had promised; that he thought of nothing in the world but the continuation of peace, as the greatest good, not only for the States, but for all Europe; that it would give him the greatest pleasure if this would content your Majesty, but that he must candidly tell me, that such did not appear to be the whole of your Majesty's design, from the meetings which were held by the Chambers of Metz and Alsace.

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My reply was that it was plain he was more than a match for me, and that I perceived too late that I had entered too openly into these matters with him, considering that I had merely received permission to appear before him, as I was anxious to pay my respects to him; and that I should find it extremely awkward to excuse myself to your Majesty for the openness with which I had spoken, and that I entreated him to excuse my saying any more, in order to save me a yet greater embarrassment. He rejoined that he saw clearly enough that I said all this in order to avoid speaking to him of those meetings.

I replied that he pressed me too closely, and that I thought the best thing I could do was to be silent. This conclusion was more serious than all the rest of the conversation; and I saw clearly that he observed it. He said, smiling, that he must again beg me to tell him what I thought he could do to justify all he had said to me of his desire to be on good terms with your Majesty. I replied with the same air, that I imagined he had nothing to do but to act exactly contrary to what he had hitherto done; and that, since he commanded me, I would tell him, by way of terminating the conversation, that he was young, endowed with fine and noble qualities, in an excellent position, and in expectation of the crown of England, where perhaps he was sufficiently esteemed to meet with great obstacles to his plans, and that, if he would place some confidence in my words, I should not hesitate to inform him, that there was no person in the world who had so much need of the friendship of your Majesty as he had; that I again entreated his royal highness to rest assured that he could not gain this by mere words, but that he could at the least add in what way he would show it to your Majesty; and that I would give him as much time as he wished, to reflect upon what he had forced me to say.

"He thanked me, and replied, that he was persuaded of the truth of what I had said; that he would consider what he could do to please your Majesty; and begged that I, on my part, would think of some overtures which I conceived he could make.

"I replied, that the first which presented itself to my mind was to rest assured that the Spaniards are very happy in their present state: that your Majesty will content yourself with merely taking a few villages, which belong to you of right without entering into the question; that as it was the chief interest of Holland that the country of the Spaniards should serve them as a barrier, they ought to participate in

the happiness of the Spaniards at the moderation of your Majesty. I said this in such a manner as if I wished to put an end to the conversation.

"He said that at all events he must be well assured that your Majesty aimed at no more; that you might rest content with all that you had done for your glory and your interest; that, if such were the case, he was quite ready to engage with the States and the house of Brunswick to secure your Majesty in all that you possessed, supposing that any person whatever, without exception, should think of attacking you. This being the case, he added, you may be assured that we shall agree at the meeting of Humelingen on conditions which you will find reasonable. After which he again showed me some civilities,' &c.

"At the conclusion of the conversation, of which I gave an account to his Majesty, as I was about to take leave of the Prince of Orange, he asked me whether I was not going to the play, and said that he would take leave of me there. On his arrival he inquired for me, and sent me word to come to him; I accordingly went, and being behind some who wished to hear the play, he said that he would rather walk about and converse with me than listen to the actors. He again exhorted me to speak to him with all frankness. I began by reminding him of what I had once said of M. de Witt, that he would find it extremely difficult to agree with him; but that he must have patience, and be on the alert to take advantage of any opportunities which might present themselves, and that the report in the world was, that having found one he had made use of it.

"The Prince answered that he could assure me, in all truth, that he had not given any order to have him killed, but that on the occasion of the uproar of the populace, which had risen when M. de Witt went to the prison

where his brother was, several of his friends having come to him, he had sent them all to see what was passing, and that, on being informed of his death, without having contributed to it, he had felt not a little relieved.

"I afterwards told him that I had been much surprised at his having thought of making himself sovereign of Guelderland, by the treaty which he had made with the Spaniards, and that it seemed to me that this might have injured him with the Dutch, who might have reason to fear that he desired to extend his sovereignty. He replied that it was not long ere he saw this himself, but that it was not extraordinary that at his age he should have false views, especially as he had no person about him who could rectify his ideas.

"I told him that he had replied with such great urbanity to all I had said that I saw I had not displeased him, which encouraged me to tell him, that it struck me that he had run great risk in placing himself near Valenciennes, in a position to give battle to the king, whose army was stronger and much more inured to war than his; and that if I might venture to say so, I thought he had likewise run great risk at the battle of Monte-Cassel. He replied, very mildly, that all this might be very true, but that I ought to consider that he had had no experience, and that as there was no one from whom he could learn the art of war, he had thought, that, by venturing on some battles, at the risk of losing them, he might make himself capable of gaining others; and he added that he had often wished to give a portion of his property to be able to serve in some campaigns under Monsieur the Prince.

"I told him afterwards that a report had been very current at Paris that his highness had the peace in his pocket when he attacked the gate of Saint-Denis. He answered that he did not receive it till the following day, although, to say the truth, he knew that it was made, and that he

had thought that it might be a reason for M. de Luxembourg to be less on his guard; but that, at any rate, he was determined to take a lesson from it which might be of use to him another time; and that he had considered that even supposing he should lose some men, it would be of little consequence, since it would be necessary to disband them."

II. VIEWS AND POSITION OF THE DIFFERENT PRETENDERS TO THE CROWN OF SPAIN.

[Extract of the Memoirs of Torcy, Vol. I. p. 268.] "CHARLES II., King of Spain, was of a weak habit of body, inclined to melancholy; his temper hasty and passionate, though with a mixture of timidity. He could bear no application to business, so that the queen his mother, sister to the emperor Leopold, and regent of the kingdom, made use of the pretence of taking special care of so valuable a life, to protract her authority. By the authority of Don Juan of Austria, the queen was stripped of that power of which she had been so jealous; yet he pursued the same principle as that princess, by keeping the king his master in a state of entire dependance. The prime ministers that succeeded Don Juan followed his example: they took care to conceal from Charles the real state of his kingdom. But he could not be ignorant of the losses he sustained every year. The King of Spain, tired with the continual repetition of bad news, was glad to embrace the peace of Nimeguen (1678), how glorious soever to France: and, considering it as a pledge of the public tranquillity, he determined never to break it.

"His marriage with the princess Mary Louisa, daughter of the Duke of Orleans (1679), seemed to complete the treaties lately entered into. The new queen was not at all ambitious of governing. She was still living, when