And the Bishop of Munfter was making a formi- 1672.· dable impreffion on Groninghen, and at laft befieged it. All these misfortunes came fo thick one: after another, that no fpirit was left. And, tocompleat their ruin, a jealoufy was spread thro', all Holland, that they were betrayed by those who were in the government; and that De Wit intended, all fhould perifh, rather than the family of Orange should be fet up. Mombas, one of their Generals, who married De Groot's fifter, had bafely abandoned his poft, which was to defend the Rhine where the French paffed it: And when he was put in arreft for that, he made his efcape, and went to the French for fanctuary. Upon this the people complained loudly: And the States were fo puzzled, that their hearts quite failed them. When they were affembled, they looked on one another like men amazed; fometimes all in tears. Once the Spanish Embaffador came, and demanded audience. And when he was brought in, he told them, that out of the affection that he bore them, and the union of his Mafter's intereft withtheirs, he came to blame their conduct: They looked fad: They never appeared in the Vorhaut in their coaches: And upon all occafions they looked like men defpairing of their country: This quite difheartened their people: Therefore he advifed them to put on another countenance, to publish that they had good news, that their allies were in march; and to feed their people with probable ftories, and fo to keep up their fpirits. They thought the advice was feafonable, and followed it.

lind.

They fent two Embaffadors, Dycvelt and Ha- Embaffa lewyn, to join with Borel, who was ftill in Eng- dors fent land, to try if it was poffible to divide England to Engfrom France. And the morning in which they were dispatch'd away, they had fecret powers given them to treat, concerning the Prince of Orange's being their Stadtholder: For Lord Arlington had fo oft reproached Borel for their not doing it, that

1672, he in all his letters continued ftill to prefs that on them. When they came over, they were for form's fake put under a guard. Yet Borel was fuffered to come to them; and was tranfported with joy, when they told him what powers they had in that affair of the Prince. And immediately he went to Lord Arlington: But came foon back, like one amazed, when he found that no regard was had to that, which he had hoped would have entirely gained the Court. But he was a plain man, and had no great depth. The others were fent to Hampton Court; and were told, that the King would not treat feparately, but would fend over Embaffadors to treat at Utrecht. They met fecretly with many in England, and informed themselves by them of the ftate of the Nation. They gave money liberally, and gained fome in the chief offices to give them intelligence. The Court understanding that they were not idle, and that the Nation was much inflamed, fince all the offers that they made were rejected, commanded them to go back. The Duke of Buckingham and Lord Arlington were ordered to go to Utrecht. And, to give the Nation fome fatisfaction, Lord Hallifax was fent over afterwards. But he was not in the fecret. The Dutch, hearing that their Embaffadors were coming over without making peace with England, ran together in great numbers to Maefland fluice, and refolved to cut them in pieces at their landing; for they heard they were at the Brill. But, as they were croffing the Maes, a little boat met them, and told them of their danger, and advised them to land at another place, where coaches were ftaying to carry them to the Hague. So they miffed the ftorm, that broke out fatally at the Hague the next day, where mens minds were in great agitation.

The tra

De Wit was once at night going home from the gical end States, when four perfons fet on him to murder of De him. He fhewed on that occafion both an intre

Wit.

pid courage, and a great prefence of mind. He 1672. was wounded in feveral places., Yet he got out of One of them was taken, and con

their hands.

demned for it. All De Wit's friends preffed him to fave his life. But he thought, that fuch an attempt, on a man in his poft, was a crime not to be pardoned; tho', as to his own part in the matter, he very freely forgave it. The young man con'feffed his crime, and repented of it: And protested he was led to it by no other confideration, but that of zeal for his country and religion, which he thought were betrayed. And he died as in a rapture of devotion, which made great impreffion on the spectators. At the fame time a Barber accused De Wit's elder brother of a practice on him, in order to his murdering the Prince. There were fo many improbabilities in his ftory, which was fupported by no circumstances, that it seemed no way credible. Yet Cornelius de Wit was put to the torture on it, but stood firm to his innocence, The fentence was accommodated rather to the state of affairs, than to the ftrict rules of justice. In the mean time, while his brother had refigned his charge of Penfionary, and was made one of the Judges of the High Court, Cornelius De Wit was banished; which was intended rather as a fending him out of the way, than as a sentence against him. I love not to defcribe scenes of horror, as was that black and infamous one committed on the two brothers. I can add little to what has been fo often printed. De Wit's going in his own coach to carry his brother out of town was a great error: And looked like a triumph over a fentence, which was unbecoming the character of a Judge. Some furious agitators, who pretended zeal for the Prince, gathered the rabble together. And by that vile action that followed they did him more hurt, than they were ever able to repair. His enemies have taken advantages from thence to caft the infamy of this on him, and on his party, to Gg 4 make

1672. make them all odious; tho' the Prince spoke of it always to me with the greatest horror poffible. The Minifters in Holland did upon this occafion fhew a very particular violence. In their fermons, and in fome printed treatifes, they charged the Judges with corruption, who had carried the fentence no farther than to banishment: And compared the fate of the De Wits to Haman's.

The

Prince of Orange made

der.

I need not relate the great change of the Magiftracy in all the Provinces; the repealing the Perpetual Edict; and the advancing the Prince of Stadthol- Orange to be Stadtholder, after they had voided the obligation of the oath he had taken, about which he took fome time to deliberate, Both Lawyers and Divines agreed, that thofe to whom he had made that oath releafing the obligation of it, he was no longer bound by it. The States gave him, for that time, the full power of peace and war. All this was carried farther by the town of Amfterdam; for they fent a deputation to him, offering him the fovereignty of their town. When he was pleased to tell me this paffage, he faid, he knew the reafon for which they made it was, because they thought all was loft; And they chofe to have the infamy of their lofs fall on him, rather than on themselves. He added, that he was fure the country could not bear a fovereign; and that they would contribute more to the war, when it was in order to the preferving their own liberty, than for any Prince whatsoever, So he told them, that, without taking any time to confult on the answer to be made to fo great an offer, he did immediately refuse it. He was fully fatisfied with the power already lodged with him, and would never endeavour to carry it any farther.

The Prince's advancement gave a new life to the whole country. He, tho' then very young, and little acquainted with the affairs of State or War, did apply himself fo to both, that, notwithstanding the defperate state in which he found matters,

he

The 1672.

he neither loft heart, nor committed errors. Duke of Buckingham and the Lord Arlington tried n to bring the King of France to offer them better terms; but in vain. That Prince was fo lifted up, The Engthat he seemed to confider the King very little. lifh EmWhile he was fo high on the one hand, and the baffadors Prince of Orange fo fteady on the other, the Engwholly in lish Embaffadors foon faw, that all the offices they the intercould do were ineffectual. One day the Prince eft of (who told me this himself) was arguing with them France. upon the King's conduct, as the most unaccountable thing poffible, who was contributing so much to the exaltation of France, which must prove in conclufion fatal to himfelf; and was urging this in feveral particulars. The Duke of Buckinghambroke out in an oath, which was his usual style, and faid, he was in the right; and fo offered to sign a peace immediately with the Prince. Lord Arlington feemed amazed at his rafhness. Yet he perfifted in it, and faid pofitively he would do it. The Prince upon that, not knowing what fecret powers he might have, ordered the articles to be engroffed. And he believed, if he could poffibly have got them ready while he was with him, that he would have figned them. They were ready by next morning: But by that time he had changed his mind. That Duke at parting preffed him much, to put himself wholly in the King's hands; and affured him he would take care of his affairs, as of his own. The Prince cut him fhort: He faid, his country had trufted him, and he would never deceive, nor betray them for any base ends of his own. The Duke answered, he was not to think any more of his country, for it was loft: If it should weather out the fummer, by reafon of the waters that had drowned a great part of it, the winter's froft would lay them open: And he repeated the words often, do not you fee it is loft? The Prince's anfwer deferves to be remembred: He faid, he faw it was indeed in great danger: But there was a fure way never to fee it loft, and that was to die in the last ditch.

The