A letter from a gentleman at St. Germains, to his friend in London Gentleman at St. Germains. 1697 Approx. 14 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 7 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A47990 Wing L1381 ESTC R9508 13111158 ocm 13111158 97644 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. 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Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Great Britain -- History -- William and Mary, 1689-1702. 2007-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2007-02 Apex CoVantage Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2007-03 Jonathan Blaney Sampled and proofread 2007-03 Jonathan Blaney Text and markup reviewed and edited 2008-02 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion A LETTER From a Gentleman at St. GERMAINS , To his Friend in LONDON . Printed in the Year 1697. A LETTER From a Gentleman at St. GERMAINS , To his Friend in LONDON . SIR , IN the midst of our Dismal Apprehensions of a War , which had almost Unpeopl'd this Country , laid waste its Tillage and Vineyards , put an end to its Manufactures , ( in a great measure ) by transferring them to other Countries ; in a word , a War which threatned the Ruine of the French Trade both at home and abroad , and which if the Confederates could have maintain'd but two years longer , in all probability would have reduc'd this Monarchy to almost as low a Condition as that of Spain ; I say , in the midst of such a frightful Prospect , you will easily believe it is a most agreeable surprise to them , to find themselves now ( by the ill Conduct of their Neighbours ) already deliver'd from all these impendent Mischiefs : For by the imprudent haste the Allies have made in the Discharge of their Troops , the French King hath the opportunity of furnishing himself with the best Foot that were ever yet known in the World , and is now at liberty to Employ his own Subjects in Tillage , Vineyards , and Manufactures , by which means , in a small time , he may reasonably expect to Restore his Trade to its former flourishing State : And if they are thus pleas'd with the happy Change os their Condition , you will give our Court leave to be no less Transported with the Accounts they have by the last Posts of the present posture of Affairs in London . I must confess , I have long promis'd my self , whenever a Peace should be declar'd between France and England , our Court at St. Germains might by a prudent , and carefull Conduct , profit themselves very much of the inveterate Animosities between the two contesting Parties for the Ministry there ; And ( thô they neither of them intend such a Consequence of their Quarrel ) that it might at some time happen , whilst they are Playing for this Stake of Government , we may have a fair Game to Beast 'em Both. But I must own , I did think this would have been a Work of more time ; I did not imagine any thing like this could happen , before the French Troops were Disbanded , the Towns deliver'd up , or any other part of the Peace perform'd : But that part of it which hath already enabl'd the King of France to maintain another years War , if he should so think fit , I mean , the opening of the Trade with him . This is so Amazing a Management , That Thinking Men can scarce believe it other than a Dream : However , most of us are so easie to entertain every appearance of Hope , that this News hath occasion'd a great Change in the Countenances of our Court : The King himself takes other Ayres upon him than he hath been seen to do of late ; Is much in Whispers , with Mac — Fitz — and O — , which we here call a Cabinet ; And the poor Queen , who upon the first Knowledge of the intended Peace , every Night , like King David , Water'd her Couch with her Tears , hath now reassum'd the pointed Glories of her Eyes ; appears all Gay , is always present at Balls , Plays , &c. Orders are given out for us to Liquor our Jack-Boots , Masses are said day and night for our Success ; and we talk with Assurance , that we shall shortly have as quiet and uncontested a Restauration as that in 1660 : I own I cannot be Sanguine at this rate , for thô it gives great Encouragement to see a People impos'd upon so far by an Artificial Argument , as to believe Black is White , and in a Point upon which their All depends ; yet I look-upon it only as a surprise , which will not be able to maintain the Ground it hath got , against a mature and deliberate Consideration , the Antient Observers have left to us as a Proverb , That nothing Violent is Lasting : I know my Countrymen are apt to be surpriz'd into Mistakes , but they grow more reasonable upon thinking , as we found to our Costs about Ten years since ; and this would be so general a Ruin , that I fear there are too many concern'd to suffer it easily . And I should fancy , it is impossible for them , ( when they come soberly to Reflect upon their Danger from Le Hogue , Calais , the several Debarkments in Ireland , and the P. of O.'s Descent , in every of which Cases , the English were Masters of the Sea ) to believe themselves safe without a Land-Force , nor with any other Land-Force than Disciplin'd Troops against Disciplin'd Troops , certainly they cannot . The State of the Case , I take to be . That the old Designing K — — s have found this way to make themselves Courted by the Government , and have Trump'd up these Specious Fears and Jealousies of Liberty , to draw in a sort of Men , who wish better to their Interest , then they Judge of it , to strengthen their Party ; and I am apt to think , the real Contest is , a Struggle between the Two Contending Parties , which of them shall appear the most able and successful in the Management of the present Argument on foot , For and against an Army ; and consequently which of them shall be esteem'd most useful by their Masters ; for that any who are for the present Government ( which I fear most of the People of England are ) can be for no Army in their present Circumstances , is Ridiculous to believe . However it is our part to improve this Occasion to our Service as far as we can , and in order to this , the K. and Q. direct first , That you make all the Compliments imaginable from them to the Author of the Argument Against a Standing Army , &c. And ( because nothing can please him so much as to be thought Important ) you are to tell him , They own all the Hopes they have of their Restauration to His Conduct , and to the most Eloquent Perswasion of his Book , That they shall always Treat him as their Redeemer , and that he shall not only be the Alb — l , but the Cl — n too of their Government : Their Supreme Minister both in Military and Civil Affairs , ( as being equally Capable of both . ) Perhaps you will think this Ridiculous , and truly it would be so to any other ; but as to this Gentleman , believe me you cannot be too Extravagant , neither in your Praises of him , nor Promises to him : For as nothing is so Impossible , but that he will hope to make you believe it ; so on the other hand , nothing is so Impossible neither , but you may make him believe , when it humours his Vanity . However his malicious Wit , and indefatigable Industry to revenge himself of his late Friends , may be of use to us , if prudently managed . But to that End let him write and act for us in a Mask , for I fancy his Credit is so low on every side , that he will never be able to do our Enemies any considerable Mischief barefac'd ; Flatter and Promise all his Friends too , without measure , from the S — ch Conjurer down to the little dirty School Boy ; make 'em all Secretaries of State , or what else they have most fancy for . It is a cheap way of Listing Auxiliaries ; and Fools are more pleased with immense Hopes , than moderate Certainties . Let our Friends industriously sollicit in the Court of Requests , Coffee , Chocolate Houses , &c. and by being all Things to all Men , they will gain some . Those Whigs who are State Phanaticks , and prefer the Popular Project of being against an Army , to the Real Safety of the People whom they pretend to Protect , you are to praise for their Steadiness to their former Principles ; clap them on the Back , and call them Brave Englishmen , true Englishmen . The City you are to fright with that dismal Havock that Laced Coats and Red Stockings will make amongst their Wives and Daughters , for Women are provoked by the sight of the Red to Love , as Turky Cocks are to Anges ; and you are to tell 'em , It will be too hard for these Ragamuffins in Red to run away with their Women , whilst the D — cb on the other hand run away with their Trade . Make the Country Squires sensible of the most deplorable Havock these Robbers of Hen-roosts will make amongst the Poultry ; how dear they will make Eggs : Tell 'em , how exactly these Disciplined Troops have learned of the French to shoot flying ; and that not a Partridge , Pheasant , Woodcock , &c. will live in quiet for 'em , which perhaps may weigh more with some of them than a French Invasion . Enrage the Clergy with Reminding them of the Decrease of their Dominion ; tell 'em , That now the Sword of Justice walks into Conventicles , not to Correct 'em , but to Compliment ' em . How can they bear to see all those pleasing and profitable Laws against Dissenters laid asleep ! Remember them of their old Maxim , " That it is better to have Papists govern , than Presbyterians . " And that they may not apprehend too much , that their Part in the late Revolution will be remembred , tell 'em , That K. James hath often been heard to say , That thô indeed the Church of E — , like St. Peter , denied their Master upon the Pr — of O — 's coming over ; yet , like that holy Saint too , they soon repented of it , and immediately went out and wept bitterly for it ; and that some of them had sufficiently Expiated for that Offence by Service since . Thô it proved not to have the Success they in tended ; and withall let 'em know , it is a Standing Rule in all wise Courts , That as one Disservice shall destroy the Merit of a Thousand past Services , so no past Injuries shall be remembred if you can serve a present Turn . Irritate all those who came over with the Pr — of O — , and are unrewarded ; Remind the Whigs of their being disbanded when there was no further use of them ; It may prove a seasonable precedent for them to disband the Army ; And as Timon of Athens says , " May they confound the Army , and then — . " Endeavour to make the People impatient of their Taxes , the Spartan Politicians jealous of their Liberties , and the Ladies sensible of the neglect of their Beauty , and what Gallantries they may expect from us who have been Bred so long in France . And now I name Ladies , Pray let Mrs. L — y lay hold upon the young M — rs , with her Troop of Catholick kind Beauties : We are told much of the Progress of her Arms , and that she hath by a Detachement of her Troops , made two of their Grandees Prisoners : Thank her for her young Lord's Conversion , who Labours in our Interests more than ye all , and I hear his Labour of Love is not in vain amongst the young Sparks of his acquaintance ; but she must take Care to manage him warily , for it is said , That he hath all the K — ve of his Grandfather without any of his Understanding . Let some Apostles be sent to Coffee Houses to Preach up , and Argue for the Roman and Lacedemonian Schemes of Government ; for in our Case , The furthest way about will be the nearest way home , ( according to the Proverb , ) And it was upon this Point , that the Restauration was brought about in 1660 ; for if you can make my Countrymen out of their Wits one way , you may the more easily make 'em so any other way . Let our Friends Amuse our Enemies , by not appearing violent against any Laws which forbid Corresponding with K. J. and the return of Jacobites from France , nay not even against an Act of Abjuration ; for if we can by these Shadows of Security , prevail with them to Disband the Army , we shall soon be in a Condition to Disband those Laws ; and if by any of these Methods above mention'd , you find that ye gain Ground , we will then consider what is next to be done ; in the mean time I wish you good luck , and am , Yours , &c. POSTSCRIPT . I Had forgot to tell you , that since this News from England , Orders are given out here to hasten the delivery of all the Towns , to the Confederares , and likewise immediately to Disband a great part of the Army , hoping thereby to take away all Jealousies from the English , and to Confirm 'em in their Security ; For the French wisely consider , That if by this means they can Advance the present Project on Foot amongst the English , of a Militia ; and that they can surprize them , while they are in this mad Fit , the Towns ( were they twice as many ) will quickly be their own again . I had forgot likewise to tell you , That you are to Advise our Friends , that they appear not too warm in publick Discourse against Armies , it will allarm our Enemies , and awaken them out of their Lethargy , if they are not infatuated , to see declared Jacobites so concern'd for English Liberty , and perhaps put them upon thinking that they have some other Motive which makes them so unkind to their old Mistress , A Standing Army . FINIS .