vasion of Holland. But, in order to render that project successful, it seemed necessary to detach England from the triple alliance. This was no difficult matter. Since the exile of Clarendon, which had been preceded by the death of Southampton, and was soon followed by that of Albemarle, Charles II. having no man of principle to be a check upon his conduct, had given up his mind entirely to arbitrary counsels. These counsels were wholly directed by five persons, commonly denominated the Cabal, in allusion to the initial letters of their names; Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauderdale: all men of abilities, but destitute of either public or private virtue. They had flattered Charles in his desire of absolute power, and encouraged him to hope that he might accomplish it by a close connection with France4. Lewis, they said, if gratified in his ambition, would be found both able and willing to defend the common cause of kings against usurping subjects; that the conquest of the United Provinces, undertaken by two such potent monarchs, would prove an easy enterprise, and effectually contribute to the attainment of the great purpose desired; that, under pretence of the Dutch war, the king might levy a military force, without which he could never hope to maintain, or enlarge his prerogative; and that, by subduing the republic of Holland, a great step would be made toward a desirable change in the English government; as it was evident the fame and grandeur of that republic fortified his majesty's factious subjects in their 4. Charles's desire of absolute power seems to have proceeded more from a love of ease, and an indolence of temper, than from any inclination to oppress his subjects. He wished to be able to raise the necessary supplies without the trouble of managing the parliament. But as his profusion was boundless, and his necessities in consequence of it very great, it may be questioned whether, if he had accomplished his aim, he would not have loaded his people with taxes beyond what they could easily bear. At any rate, the attempt was atrocious; was treason against the constitution, and ought to be held in eternal detestation. attachment tachment to what they vainly termed their civil and religious liberties5. But although such were the views of the king, and such the sentiments of his ministers, so conscious was Charles of the criminality of the measures he meant to pursue, that only two of the unprincipled members of the Cabal were thought fit to be trusted with his whole scheme; Clifford and Arlington, both secretly Roman Catholics'. By the counsels of these men, in conjunction with the duke of York and some other Catholics, was concluded at Paris, by the lord Arundel of Wardour, a secret treaty with France; in which it was agreed, not only that Charles should co-operate in the conquest of the Low Countries, and in the destruction of Holland, but that he should propagate, to the utmost of his power, the Catholic faith in his dominions, and publicly declare himself a convert to that religion. In consideration of this last article, he was to receive from Lewis the sum of two hundred thousand pounds, and a body of troops, in case the change of his religion should occasion a rebellion in England; and, by another article, a large annual subsidy was to be paid him, in order to enable him to carry on the war, without the assistance of parliament. On purpose to concert measures conformable to this alliance, and to conceal from the world, and even from the majority of the Cabal, the secret treaty with France, a pompous farce was acted, and an important negociation managed by a woman of twenty-five. Lewis, under pretence of visiting his late conquests, but especially the great works he A. D. 1670. was erecting at Dunkirk, made a journey thither, accompanied with his whole court, and preceded or followed by thirty thousand men ; some destined to reinforce the gar5. Boling. Stud. Hist. Hume, vol. viii. 6. King James's Memoirs. 7. The time when this declaration should be made, was left to Charles; who at the prospect of being able to reunite his kingdoms to the Catholic church, is said to have wept for joy. King James's Mem. 8. King James, ubi sup. See also Dalrymple's Append. risons, risons, some to work on the fortifications, and others to level the roads. The princess Henrietta Maria of England, who had been married to the duke of Orleans, brother to Lewis XIV. and who was equally beautiful and accomplished, took this opportunity of visiting her native country, as if attracted by its vicinity. Her brother Charles met her at Dover; where was concluded, between France and England, a mock treaty, perfectly similar to the real one, except in the article of religion, which was totally omitted; and where, amid festivity and amusements, it was finally resolved to begin with the Dutch war, as a prelude to the establishment of popery and arbitrary sway in Great Britain1o. Soon after that negociation, which gave the highest satisfaction to the French, and was so disgraceful to the English monarch, died his sister, the duchess of Orleans, the brightest ornament of the court of Versailles, and the favourite of her family. Her death was sudden, and not without violent suspicions of poison; yet did it make no alteration in the conduct of Charles. Always prodigal, he hoped, in consequence of this new alliance, to have his necessities amply supplied by the generosity of France and the spoils of Holland. And Lewis XIV. well acquainted with the fluctuating councils of England, had taken care also to bind the king to his interests by a tie, yet stronger, if possible, than that of his wants-by the enslaving chain of his pleasures. When the duchess of Orleans came over to meet her brother at 9. Voltaire, Siecle, chap. ix. Beside his eagerness 10. King James's Mem. Conference at Dover. for the conquest of Holland, Lewis was afraid, if Charles should begin with a declaration of his religion, to which he seemed inclined, that it might create such troubles in England, as would prevent him from receiving any assistance from that kingdom; a circumstance which weighed more with the French monarch, notwithstanding his bigotry, than the propagation of the catholic faith (Dalyrmple's Appendix.) The duke of York, on the other hand, was for beginning with religion, foreseeing that Lewis, after serving his own purposes, would no longer trouble himself about England. King James's Mem. Dover Dover, she brought among her attendants, at the desire of the French monarch, a beautiful young lady of the name of Querouaille, who made the desired impression upon Charles. He sent her proposals: his offers were accepted; and although the fair favourite, in order to preserve appearances, went back to France with her mistress, she soon returned to England. The king, in the first transports of his passion, created her duchess of Portsmouth; and as he continued attached to her during the whole future part of his life, she may be supposed to have been highly instrumental in continuing his connexions with her native country. Lewis, now sure of the friendship of Charles, and having almost completed his preparations for the invasion of the United Provinces, the chief object of their alliance, took the first step toward the accomplishment of it. There were two ways of leading an army from France into the territories of the republic: one lay through the Spanish Netherlands, the other through the dominions of the German princes upon the Rhine. A voluntary passage through the former was not to be expected; to force it, appeared dangerous and difficult; it was therefore resolved to attempt one through the latter. The petty princes upon the Rhine, itwas presumed, might be corrupted with ease, or insulted with safety; but as it was necessary first to enter the territories of the duke of Lorrain, whose concurrence Lewis thought it impossible to gain, on account of the memory of former injuries, he resolved to seize the dominions of a prince whom he could not hope to reconcile to his views. He accordingly gave orders, in breach of the faith of treaties, and in the height of security and peace, to the mareschal de Crequi, to enter Lorrain with a powerful army. The duchy was subdued in a short time; and the duke, deprived of all his territories, took refuge in the city of Cologne. SEPT. 20. This enterprise, which seemed only a prelude to farther violences, gave great alarm to the continental powers, though ignorant ignorant of its final purpose; and Lewis in vain endeavoured to justify his conduct, by the allegation of dangerous intrigues at the court of Lorrain". Charles II. though under no apprehensions from the ambition of the French monarch, took advantage of the general terror, in order to demand a large supply from his parliament. He informed the two houses, by the mouth of the lord-keeper Bridgeman, that both France and Holland were arming by sea and land, and that prudence dictated similar preparations to England. He urged, beside, the necessity he was under, in consequence of the engagements into which he had entered by the triple alliance, of maintaining a respectable fleet and army, in order to enable him to preserve the tranquility of Europe. Deceived by these representations, the commons voted a supply of near three millions sterling'2; the largest that had ever been granted to a king of England, and surely for the most detestable purposes that ever an abused people voluntarily aided their prince. But ample as this supply was, neither it nor the remittances from France were equal to the accumulated necessities of the crown. Both were lost in the mysterious vortex of old demands and new profusions, before a fleet of fifty sail was ready to put to sea. The king durst not venture again to assemble the parliament; for although the treaty with France was yet a secret, though the nation was still ignorant of his treasonable designs against the religion and liberties of his subjects, the duke of York, the presumptive heir of the crown, had at last declared himself a catholic, A. D. 1671. and an universal alarm was spread of popery and arbitrary power. Some new expedient was, therefore, 11. Suite de Mezeray. Henault, vol. ii. Voltaire, ubi sup. 12. Journals, Oct. 24, 1670. This liberal grant is a sufficient proof, that if Charles had acted conformable to the wishes of his people, he would have had no reason to accuse the parliament of parsimony; and may be considered as a final refutation of all apologies for his conduct founded on such a sup. position. VOL. IV. L necessary |