THo' I have a great deference for your Judgment, yet can I not give way to thoſe Fears, which you tell me you ſo mightily apprehend. On the contrary my Opinion is, tho' what you ſuggeſt ſhould prove true, yet would the Prince, our States, and the Confederates, be conſiderable Gainers by the Expedition.
What I ſay may ſeem a Paradox to one who runs, as you do, upon ſo high a ſtrain, in your apprehenſions of ſeeing all our Deſigns ruined by King James's regaining the Poſſeſſion of His Kingdoms; but yet I doubt not but in few words, to make the matter clear to a much meaner Capacity than yours.
You know Sir, as well as I, that the firſt Deſign of the Confederates, was not the Security of the Proteſtant Religion, in England, nor the hindering their Laws from being changed, nor the Birth of a ſuppoſed Prince of Wales; but principally to oppoſe the King of France's Power, and ſuppreſs his Growth. You know Sir alſo, that it was looked upon as impoſſible to make the late King of England a Partner in that Undertaking, or to have kept it ſecret, if it had been Propoſed to him; and therefore it was thought neceſſary, either to conſtrain him to take part with the Confederates, or elſe to reduce him to ſuch a ſtate, that it ſhould not lye in his Power to do them harm by lending his Aſſiſtance.
This made our States urge the Prince to hearken to the Propoſals of the Male Contents in England; and the hopes they had of compaſſing thoſe great Ends, together with ſome ſmaller concerns of their own, were powerful Motives to furniſh him with Men, Money, Ships, and other Neceſſaries anſwerable to the Greatneſs of the Attempt.
Now what I affirm, is that tho' the Prince of Orange ſhould be at laſt forced to quit England, yet would neither he, nor any of the Confederates, nor our States of Holland be fruſtrated of their hopes, but would ſufficiently obtain their Ends.
1. Not he; For you know that according to his Declaration he did not at firſt aim at the Crown of England; but when he ſaw it ready to drop upon his head, a far leſs Ambitious Man than he, would have ſcarce refuſed it. It was his Natural Antipathy to the King of France, and the deſire of Glory, which puſhed him on to make that Attempt, which we muſt needs ſay, Nature would have otherwiſe abhorred. And the hopes his Souldiers had to have laden themſelves with the Spoils of a Countrey which a long Peace, Proſperity and Trafick, had not only made Rich, but Luxurious and Effeminate, made them follow him with Joy in that Expedition. And you may aſſure your ſelf, let what will come, they will accompliſh their firſt Deſigns; and if he be Beaten off from his other Attempt, 'tis becauſe he went farther than his Commiſſion.
I ſay, he will gain his firſt ends, and inſtead of either loſing his Honour, or waſting his Treaſure (as you ſuggeſt) will no doubt, both enrich himſelf and his Companion, and gain a due eſteem amongſt all the Confederates, by providing ſo effectually againſt the common Enemy.
For ſhould it happen (as you fear it will) that the late King James by the Aid of the Iriſh and Scotch, ſhould enter into England and find that People, who are ſtrangely changeable in their Humours, ready to embrace him again for their Soveraign, and like a wanton Steed, caſt their Rider before he be well ſeated in the Saddle, yet can you not in Prudence think, that he who has the actual Poſſeſſion of all the Forts and Magazines, and by conſequence the Strength and Riches of the Nation in his hands; and that he who Commands the Ports and Navy, and has put what Officers he pleaſes in every Station, will go away empty handed, or leave the Nation in a Capacity to do either him or his Confederates any miſchief.
Aſſure your ſelf Sir, he will not go till he has Fleec'd that Proud and Pamper'd Nation. The Forts ſhall be firſt, if not diſmantl'd, at leaſt render'd uſeleſs by withdrawing all the Cannon and Amunition from them; ſome pretences or other will be found out to drain the Exchequer, to melt down the Plate, to be Maſter of the Richeſt Jewels, to remove the moſt Stately Furniture, to borrow immenſe Sums, and by this means, if he cannot keep the Crown, he will at leaſt enrich himſelf; and the free Plunder of the City of London, will be a ſufficient recompence for his Souldiers, if they find they muſt be gone. Neither can you doubt of his being able to carry all this off, when you conſider that he is not ſo unpolitick a Prince, but that he will take ſuch effectual care to ſecure the Engliſh Fleet from doing him any harm, that on the contrary, he will certainly bring the Chiefeſt Veſſels into Holland with him.
2. This will fully Anſwer all the Expectations of our Confederates; for all that could have been hop'd for from England, would have been either to make them ſit ſtill, or lend the Aſſiſtance of their Fleet, with ſome few Regiments: And as for ſitting ſtill, they muſt neceſſarily do it when they are ſo impoveriſhed, and the Augmentation of our Fleet by thoſe Veſſels, will make us formidable to the French by Sea; neither will he want as great an Army of Engliſh, who will be forced to fly with him as he could have ſent, had he continued a Peaceable Poſſeſſor of the Crown.
3. Our States of Holland will be the moſt conſiderable Gainers in this Affair; For 'tis manifeſt, the Three Kingdoms will be ſo impoveriſhed, that they will not be able to recover it 100 years of Peace; but you may aſſure your ſelf, we ſhall not permit that neither; for having once got them under, we ſhould be Fools if we did not labour to keep them ſo, and let them have neither Commerce abroad, nor Peace at home, but what we ſhall think good to allow them.
Thus Sir, you ſee I am ſo far from heing of your mind, that this Expedition of the late King JAMES will be the utter ruine of our Affairs if it ſucceed, that I can ſcarce hinder my ſelf from wiſhing Him all the Succeſs He hopes for, being perſwaded that otherwiſe we cannot expect to impoveriſh that Nation, nor humble it to ſuch a Degree, as I hope the Prince of Orange's Return will do. I am
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A88869)
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I hear ſome perſons doubt of the Truth of this Letter; but I think no one that ſees the Tranſactions at preſent, can be of ſo Incredulous a Nature. 'Tis manifeſt that almoſt all the Arms and Amunition are ſent out of the Tower, and other Magazines to Holland; not to Ireland nor Scotland, as we are made believe. The Exchequer is already drain'd. French Hugonots are underhand Armed with an Encouragement of a free Plunder of the City, if things ſucceed not to their minds. The Souldiers and Sea-men whoſe Loyalty they miſtruſt, are, or muſt be Ship'd away for Holland, and from thence to the Indies, where they are like to Expiate their Treachery to King James with a ſevere Puniſhment, a perpetual Slavery. The Royal Plate is Melted down. Money is endeavoured to be borrowed, if the Citizens will take a Tax, which is not likely to be Raiſed, for their Security. What will become of the Jewels Borrowed for the Corronation, let them that lent them find by Experience. And as for ruining our Trade and Commerce, our Merchands find that Dutch Bottoms can now Import Merchandize into England without controul. So that nothing is now remaining to be effected, but the Demoliſhing our Forts, Burning or Sinking our Ships, Plundering the City, and Scampering.