mands, I have acquainted Mr. Zuliften with my apprehenfions of fome of the lateft occurrences here, that he may humbly represent them to your Highness.

The birth of a Prince of Wales, and the defigns of a further profecution of the bifhops, and of new modelling the army and calling of a parliament, are matters that afford various reflections. But I cannot apprehend from them fuch ill confequences to our religion, or the juft interefts of your Highness, that a little time will not effectually remedy, nor can I imagine that the Papifts are able to make any further confiderable progrefs; and the reafons of this opinion, I have difcourfed with Mr. Zuliften, that I might not trouble your Highnefs with too long a letter; but if they should not be fatisfactory to your Highness, or fhould differ from the fentiments of others, I beseech you not to mifconftruct my opinion as proceeding from any want of zeal to the fervice of your Highness, upon whom depends not only the welfare of this nation, but the fate of Europe too; for I fhall always discharge my duty to you with the utmost fidelity, and have no greater ambition than to be your Highnefs's," &c.

London, July 27, 1688.

The following cant letter to the Prince, appears to me to be Ruffel's hand.

Admiral Ruffel to the Prince of Orange.

SIR,

"THE honour, your Highness was pleafed to do me by Monfieur Zuliften, I can never enough acknowledge. I muft beg your Highnefs to believe me a man fo fenfible of the favours you have been pleased to do me, that my life and fortune is abfolutely at your

difpofal.

my

difpofal. It fhall be my whole bufinefs and ftudy, to render you all the fervice I am capable of; and if fuccefs be not answerable to my intentions, be pleafed to believe it proceeds from ill fortune, and not want of inclination. I hope your Highness finds your new visitor [probably Admiral Herbert] anfwers the character you have had of him; the King is most extremely angry with him, and I have fome reafon to believe he difappointed the court, they having fome thoughts of mak ing offers for him to take employments. Since I came into England, Mr. Roberts is grown fo warm, that I can hardly prevail with him to ftay for his being turned out. He is now refolved not to talk of the Teft, and Penal laws, nor indeed any thing they would have him do; I believe, he is at this time fo ill at court, that his reign there will hardly last a month; he has defired me to affure your Highnefs of his utmoft fervice. When Monfieur Dickfield went away, he writ to you, but you were pleased never to take any notice of it; if you think convenient, a letter to him of your good opinion, relating to himself, would not be amifs; but I submit to your better judgment. You will hear by the bearer, all the news we have. When your Highnefs thinks the time proper for Mr. Roberts' mistress to know your thoughts, be pleased to let him tell it her, it will be better, in my humble opinion, than by letter. The number of your friends here daily increafe; but fome perfons on your fide the water, take fuch liberty in writing news, and naming people, that, I fear, it may give the court occafion to be angry with them, much to their prejudice,` and not much to your fervice. I will not trouble you longer on this fubject, only beg you will please to believe me your Highnefs's moft faithful, humble fervant." London, July 28, 1688.

Bishop of London to the Prince of Orange.-In anfwer to a letter from the Prince concerning the feven Bishops.

SIR,

"THE

July 28, 1688.

HE honour your Highnefs did me in laying the charge upon me, to communicate to my Lords the Bishops, how much you were concerned in their be half, had its juft effect upon them, for they are highly fenfible of the great advantage both they and the church have, by the firmnefs of fo powerful a friend; and as I dare undertake, they fhall never make an ill ufe of it, fo I am very fure they will entirely rely upon it on all juft occafions. I dare likewife take upon me to affure you, that both they that fuffered, and the reft who concurred with them, are so well fatisfied of the juftness of their caufe, that they will lay down their lives, before they will in the leaft depart from it.

I fhould fay fomething of myfelf, but I had fo lately an opportunity of making my mind known to you, that it can be to no purpose to say more now to you, than that I am under all the obligation in the world of approving myfelf, Sir, your Highnefs's moft devoted and faithfulfervant."

Lord Shrewsbury to the Prince of Orange.-Upon the des parture of Zulistein.-The Prince's friends increase.

London, July 28, 1688.

"Monfieur Zuliftein, Sir, will go away fo well inftructed in all particulars relating to our affairs, that it would be but impertinence to add any thing to what he has learned from better hands: I hope he will represent them in fuch a posture as will not displease your Highness. The papers you mention are preparing with

all expedition. If the violence of my wishes do not deceive me, I flatter myself you never had more friends in England than now: May they increafe till they are as numerous and as faithful as he wishes, that is, with all fincerity and refpect, Sir," &c.

st

SIR,

MR.

Lord Churchill to the Prince of Orange.-A fpirited letter. Auguft 4, 1688. R. Sidney will let you know how I intend to behave myself: I think it is what I owe to God and my country. My honour I take leave to put into your Royal Highness's hands, in which I think it fafe. If you think there is any thing elfe that I ought to do, you have but to command me, and I fhall pay an entire obedience to it, being refolved to die in that religion. that it has pleafed God to give you both the will and power to protect. I am, with all refpect, Sir," &c.

No V.

Intrigues of the Prince of Orange with the Pope, the Emperor, and the Elector of Brandenburg, previous to his expedition.

While these intrigues were carrying on in England, the Prince, who was not daunted either with the varia-tions in Lord Mordaunt's opinions, or the anxious, though friendly fears of Sidney, or the learned indolence of Halifax, or the fudden failure in the nerves of Lord Nottingham, kept on ftraight forward and steady

in his course.

The following letters will fhew the arts by which the Prince of Orange impofed upon the Pope to advance money for an attack, as he thought, upon France, but VOL. II.

Q

which

which was afterwards turned against England. Copies of the letters were given me by Mr. Lumefden, a gentleman formerly in the fervice of the Stuart family at Rome, the misfortunes of whofe youth have loft one of the most ingenious of his countrymen to Britain. He told me the originals were in the Depot des Affaires Etrangeres at Paris. I am afhamed to own I forgot to afk for them when I was there.

Tranflation.

Extract of two letters written by Cardinal d'Eftrées, ambaffador extraordinary from Louis the XIVth, to the court of Rome, concerning the league of Augsbourg.—Intrigues of the Emperour, Pope, and Prince of Orange, previous to the revolution.

To Mr. de Louvois.

December 18, 1687.

HE 12th of December, 1687, le Petit gave a note, at the gate of St. Peter, to Gut †, by which he advifed me, that the perfon who went every day difguifed to Count Caffoni in the manner I wrote your Majesty the 15th of November past, was a Dutchman, but he did not know his name. There is no being the Burgomafter Ouir. I informed You will inform his Majesty that as soon as le Gut was certain that Ouir was the perfon who conferred with Caffoni, he took the refolution, without communicating it to me, to place himself with his two valets at ten paces from Antonio Ferri's door, where

doubt of his

de Gut of it.

* Clerk to M. Caffoni, fecretary to Pope Innocent the eleventh.

He was a gentleman of the bed-chamber to Louis the XIVth, and afted as a spy at the court of Rome.

One of these ferants of le Gut was called le Gafcon, the other le

Breton.