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rial crown of Great Britain, to call at every door for help to put our laws in execution. And we ought to confider, that if in ages to come fuch a prince should happen to be in fucceffion to our throne, who fhould be entirely unable to govern; that very motive might incline our guarantees to fupport him, the more effectually to bring the rivals of their trade into confusion and disorder. But to return: The QUEEN is here put under the unreafonable obligation of being guarantee of the whole barrier-treaty of the Dutch having poffeffion of the faid barrier, and the revenues thereof before a peace; of the payment of four hundred thousand crowns by the King of Spain; that the States fhall poffefs their barrier, even before K. Charles is in poffeffion of the Spanish Netherlands; although by the fifth article of the grand alliance her Majefty is under no obligation to do any thing of this nature, except in a general treaty.

All kings, princes, and ftates are invited to enter into this treaty, and to be guarantees of its execution. This article, though very frequent in treaties, feems to look very oddly in that of the barrier. Popifh princes are here invited among others to become guarantees of our Proteftant fucceffion; every petty prince in Germany muft be intreated to preferve the QUEEN of Great Britain upon her throne. The King of Spain is invited particularly, and by name, to become guarantee of the execution of a treaty, by which his allies, who pretend to fight his battles and recover his dominions, ftrip himin effect of all his ten provinces; a clear reafon why they never sent any forces to Spain, and why the obligation, not to enter into a treaty of peace with France until that entire monarchy was yielded as a preliminary, was ftruck out of the counter-project by the Dutch. They fought only in Flanders, because there they only fought for themfelves. K. Charles must needs accept this invitation very kindly, and ftand by with great fatisfaction, while the Belgic lion divides the prey, and affigns it all to himself. I remember there was a parcel of foldiers, who robbed a fariner of his poultry, and then made him wait at table, while they devoured his victuals without giving him a morfel; and upon his expoftulating, had only for anfwer, Why, Sirrah, are we not come here to protect you? And thus

much

much for this generous invitation to all kings and princes to lend their affiftance and become guarantees out of pure good nature for fecuring Flanders to the Dutch.

In the treaty of Ryfwic no care was taken to oblige the French King to acknowledge the right of fucceffion in her prefent Majefty; for want of which point being then fettled, France refused to acknowledge her for QUEEN of Great Britain after the late King's death. This unac countable neglect (if it were a neglect) is here called an omiffion, and care is taken to fupply it in the next gene ral treaty of peace*. I mention this occafionally, be cause I have fome stubborn doubts within me, whether it were a wilful omiffion or no. Neither do I herein reflect in the least upon the memory of his late Majefty, whom I entirely acquit of any imputation upon this matter. But when I recollect the behaviour, the language, and the principles of fome certain perfons in thofe days, and compare them with that omiffion; I am tempted to draw fome conclufions, which a certain party would be more ready to call falfe and malicious, than to prove them fo

I must here take leave (because it will not otherwise fall in my way) to fay a few words in return to a gentleman, I know not of what character or calling, who hath done me the honour to write three difcourfes against thattreatife of The conduct of the allies, &c. and promifes, for my comfort, to conclude all in a fourth. I pity anfwerers with all my heart, for the many difadvantages they lie under. My book did a world of mischief (as he calls it) before his first part could poffibly come out; and fo went on through the kingdom, while his limped flowly after; and if it arrived at all, it was too late; for people's opinions were already fixed. His manner of anfwering me is thus: Of thofe facts which he pretends to examine, fome he refolutely denies, others he endeavours to extenuate, and the rest he diftorts with fuch unnatural turns, that I would engage by the fame method to disprove any history either ancient or modern. Then the whole is interlarded with a thousand injurious epithets and appellations, which heavy writers are forced to make use of, as a fupply for that want of fpirit and genius they are not

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born to yet after all he allows a very great point, for which I contend, confeffing in plain words, that the bur then of the war hath chiefly lain upon us; and thinks it fufficient for the Dutch, that next to England they have borne the greatest share. And is not this the great grievance of which the whole kingdom complains? I am inclined to think, that my intelligence was at least as good as his; and fome of it, I can affure him, came from perfons of his own party, although perhaps not altogether fo inflamed. Hitherto therefore the matter is pretty equal, and the world may believe him or me as they please. But I think the great point of controverfy between us is, Whether the effects and confequences of things follow better from his premiffes or mine? And there I will not be fatisfied, unless he will allow the whole advantage to be on my fide. Here is a flourishing kingdom brought to the brink of ruin by a most successful and glorious war of ten years, under an able, diligent, and loyal ministry, a most faithful, juft, and generous commander, and in conjunction with the moft hearty, reasonable, and fincere allies. This is the cafe, as that author reprefents it. I have heard a story, I think it was of the Duke of ***, who playingat hazard at the Groom-porter's in much company, held in a great many hands together, and drew a huge heap of gold; but in the heat of play never obferved a fharper who came once or twice under his arm, and fwept a great deal of it into his hat; the company thought it had been one of his fervants. When the Duke's hand was out, they were talking how much he had won. Yes, faid he, I held in very long; yet inethinks I have won but very little. They told him his fervant had got the rest in his hat; and then he found he was cheated.

It hath been my good fortune to fee the most important facts that I have advanced juftified by the public voice; which, let this author do what he can, will incline the world to believe, that I may be right in the reft. And I folemnly declare, that I have not wilfully committed the leaft mistake. I ftopt the fecond edition, and made all poffible inquiries among those who I thought could beft inform me, in order to correct any error I could hear of; I did the fame to the third and fourth editions, and then left the printer to his liberty. This I take for a more

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effectual anfwer to all cavils, than an hundred pages controverfy.

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But what difgufts me from having any thing to do with this race of answer-jobbers, is, that they have no fort of confcience in their dealings. To give one inftance in this gentleman's third part, which I have been lately looking into: When I talk of the most petty princes, he fays that I mean crowned heads;. when I fay the foldiers of those petty princes are ready to rob or starve at home, he fays I call kings and crowned heads robbers and highwaymen. This is what the Whigs call answering a book..

I cannot omit one particular concerning this author, who is fo pofitive in afferting his own facts and contra-diting mine; he affirms, that the business of Thoulons was discovered by the clerk of a certain great man, who was then secretary of state. It is neither wife nor for the credit of his party to put us in mind of that fecretary, or of that clerk; however, fo it happens, that nothing relating to the affair of Thoulon did ever pass. through that secretary's office: which I here affirm with great phlegm, leaving the epithets of falfe, fcandalous, villanous, and the reft, to the author and his fellows.

But to leave this author: Let us confider the confequence of our triumphs, upon which fome fet fo great as value as to think, that nothing less than the crown can be a fufficient reward for the merit of the general. We have not enlarged our dominions by one foot of land:: our trade, which made us confiderable in the world, is either given up by treaties, or clogged with duties, which interrupt and daily leffen it. We fee the whole nation groaning under excelfive taxes of all forts to raife three millions of money for payment of the intereft of those debts we have contracted. Let us look upon the reverfe of the medal; we fhall fee our neighbours, who in their utmost distress called for our affiftance, become by this treaty, even in time of peace, mafters of a more confi derable country than their own; in a condition to strike terror into us, with fifty thousand veterans ready to in-vade us from that: country, which we have conquered for them; and to commit infolent hoftilities upon us in all other parts, as they have lately done in the East Indies.

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THE

THE BARRIER-TREATY BETWEEN HER MAJESTY AND THE STATES-GENERAL.

HE

ER Majefly the QUEEN of Great Britain, and the Lords the States-General of the United Provinces, baving confidered how much it concerns the quiet and fecurity of their kingdoms and states, and the public tran quillity, to maintain and to fecure on one fide, the fucceffion to the crown of Great Britain in fuch manner as it is now established by the laws of the kingdom; and ou the other fide, that the States-General of the United Provinces fhould have a frong and fufficient barrier against France and others who would surprise or attack them: and her Majefly and the faid States-General apprehending with just reafon the troubles and the mischiefs which may happen in relation to this fucceffion, if at any time there fhould be any perfon, or any power, who should call it in question; and that the countries and fates of the faid Lords the States-General were not-furnished with fuch a barrier : For thefe faid reafons her faid Majefly the QUEEN of Great Britain, although in the vigour of her age, and enjoying perfect health (in which may God preserve her many years!, out of an effect of her ufual prudence and piety, has thought fit to enter with the Lords the StatesGeneral of the United Provinces into a particular alliance and confederacy; the principal end and only aim if which fhall be the public quiet and tranquillity; and to prevent, by measures taken in time, all the events, which might one day excite new war. It is with this view, that her British Majefly has given her full power to agree upon fome articles of a treaty, in addition to the treaties and alliances that he hath already with the Lords the States-General of the United Frovinces, to her ambaffudor extraordinary and plenipotentiary, Charles Viscount Town, end, Baron of Lyne-Regis, Privy Coun fellor to her British Majefty, Captain of her faid Majefty's Yeomen of the Guard, and her Lieutenant in the County of Norfolk; and the Lords the Sates-General of the United Irovinces, the Sieurs John de Welderen Lord of Valburgh, Great Bailiff of the Lower Betewe, of the

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