A Copy of a LETTER Sent by the Burga-Masters and Council OF AMSTERDAM, To the rest of the CITY's that have their Session IN THE ASSEMBLY of the STATES OF Holland and West-Frezland.  
GENTLEMEN,  
WE have Understood by the Report of Our DEPUTIES that Assisted in Our States-Provincial, the 10th Ditto, with great amazement, How that the same Day, by Order only of the Pentionaries of Holland, without the usual putting it to the Question, that the doors of the said Assembly were commanded to be shut, as also the antichamber belonging to the States-Provincial, with an Injunction that no Man might be suffered to go out; and that at the desire of the Prince of Orange, Two of our Deputies, the Heer Gerrard Hoof one of the Council of this City, and the Higher Hop our Pentionary, left their Seats and went into the said ante-Chamber, for that it was pretended that this Affair did concern them in particular as well as others: After which, the Prince of Orange laid before the States-Provincial, That the Marquis D' Grana having intercepted several Letters from the French Ambassador at the Hague to the King his Master, bearing date the 9th of January last, which he had sent to him, containing (as 'tis said) a circumstantial relation of some private correspondency betwixt the said Ambassador and us; of which the said Prince of Orange thought himself obliged to give them the said States an account thereof, and that accordingly the said Letters were read in the Assembly of the States by the said Pentionaries of Holland; and that the said Prince of Orange did suppose that the Two beforenamed, our Deputies, were much concerned in this Correspondency, and did not know whether they had Orders so to do, or not. This matter being under debate, our Two Deputies, which before had quitted their places, came in and took possession thereof again, and endeavours were used to cause them to departed into the ante-Chamber again; but our aforesaid Deputies did not look upon themselves as obliged to do what they required, especially for that they had done nothing but by Virtue of Order; However the States-Provincial thought good that Copies of the said Letters should be sent to the Knights, Gentlemen, Burghermasters and Common-Councels of the respective Cities, to have their Advice what was most convenient to be done concerning this Affair, which fills us with no small amazement that a beginning should be made of a Criminal Process against so just and upright Members of the States, notwithstanding their earnest opposition, and they proffered to purge themselves against all that could be laid to their charge, drawn from the aforesaid Letters by erroneous constructions. Notwithstanding all which, our Papers, and those of our Pentionaries, were Sealed up by Two of the Members of the States, as also by the Secretary Beaumont, and laid aside till after a Communication of the aforesaid Letters to their Principles, it should be concluded whether the said Paper should be Examined or no. When We begin to reflect on the one side, That the Charge of an Unlawful Correspondency betwixt the French-Ambassador and us, comes simply, and only to appear out of the aforesaid intercepted Letters to the King his Master, and so falling into the hands of a Foreign Minister, and only as it agrees with his apprehensions and constructions, the Letters being in Ciphers, which we know not whether they be truly uncyphered and have their true sense or no: and reflecting on the other side, that this is the Foundation of all these severe Proceed; as first, In the locking of the Doors of the Assembly of the States Provincial in an unusual manner, and that by the Order only of the Pentionary of Holland, and then in their severe handling of our aforesaid two Deputies, who are not so much as mentioned in the Letters intercepted by the Marquis D' Grana; and who not only immediately proffered to move, as the truth is, not so much as to have spoken with the said French Ambassador, but by our Order; but also to disprove what was most abusively laid to their Charge by the Pentionaries of Holland, as that they the same day that the said Letters were sent away for France by the French Ambassador, had not been at his house, making it plainly appear, the one that he was indisposed, and the other, that, that day he had not been out of his Lodgings at the Hague.  
We do exceedingly wonder, that notwithstanding all this, it should be thought good to seal up our Papers, and to proceed with such Extravagancies; precipitating such Reports both within and without this Country, as tends to the diminishing and dishonouring of this City, against the illiterated Solicitations of our Deputies: That the said Letters might be read again in their hearing, they being in the Antichamber while they were read before the States Provintial, promising to make a Categoric Answer to the same, which then without question, they would have forborn sealing up our Papers, and their innocency appearing, they would have desisted from those so strange proceed; or at least would have showed so much Wisdom and Discretion, as not to have sent away a Charge to all the Counsels and Cities, until they had heard what could be said in our Defence.  
We desire also your Honours to consider how much we are concerned for the security of our Deputies in Respect to their Persons; as also of their Papers, according to the Justice of this Country, and the Resolutions relating to that Affair; for which Reasons we cannot forbear but be highly concerned, and be hearty sorry, and the more when we consider that those Proceed against such Upright and Faithful Members of the State, are not only against all Forms of Justice and Prudence, but also against the Honour, Freedom, and Security, that belongs to the Members Composing that Assembly. And then considering what ill Consequences may be the Effects, that the aforesaid Charge is only drawn out of Intercepted Letters from the Ambassador of France to the King his Master. And we cannot Apprehend but with great sorrow and trouble of mind, the great Mischiefs and Difficulties that might fall upon this State, by those Commotions that may be raised within us by such Scandals as these are, and at a time wherein all the Members ought to be equally Zealous by the Extending and Uniting of their Understandings with all the care imaginable, to conclude what may be good for Christendom in general, and for this State in particular, and for the preventing of a dangerous War; concerning which, we can Call God for our Witness, that all our Conducts and Advices have tended to the same purpose. There is nothing troubles us less, as the making our Innocency appear to the aforesaid Charge, and we shall make the same plainly appear to your Honours, when the said Letters of the said French Ambassador shall come to our hands; And in the mean time we desire your Honours for your own advantage to consider those mischievous Consequences that may attend the Assembly of your Honours and every Member thereof, if any Resolution should be taken not founded upon good Reason, Order, and Polity. And therefore that you would be pleased for to stay for our Information after we have received the Letters from the said Ambassador, before that you would come to any Resolution to our prejudice, or to the prejudice of the Rights of this Country, and of every Member thereof in particular; we assuring you that we will not be wanting on our parts in any thing relating to this Affair.— But, b f re we conclude this Matter, we cannot pass by without great admiration, that it appears to us by the Advices from several Members of the States, that the Sealing of the Papers of the Heer Hopour Pentionary in particular ought not to have been done, for that the said Pentionary from time to time, received Letters from the Heer Pan Buningham, present Burgermaster of this City, for it cannot be imagined, neither is there any reason of Suspicion of any Crime or Misdemeanour, that a present Burgermaster should Write to a Minister in the Hague, And that in all Justice a Man ought to be looked upon a very Criminal, before that at a Corrospondency with him should be the Cause of sieizing of Papers in the Possession of any Man; especially in the Hands of Deputies at their places Assigned. This Letter being ended, there is come to our Hands a Copy of the aforesaid Intercepted Letters from the French Ambassador, which we cannot pass over without some sudden Remarks.  
As first, That it seems to be but an Extract of a Letter and not the whole, in regard there is not only Words left out, but Words put in, which could not be well omitted to make up the Sense; As also in the said Extract, there was left a great many Varancies, which plainly shows, That the Marquis d'Grana hath not sent the full Contents of the said Letter. And therefore, before a true Judgement be Conformed of this Affair, or that we should give a thorough satisfaction in the Thing demanded; it must be known, That the Principal Contents of the said Letters were, That we have done our Endeavours to make known to the States, and to bring before them as a Matter of Deliberation, what the said Ambassador of France made known to us in particular, and what we made as the first overture in December, which was Communicated to our Deputies, and immediately also to the Pentionary of Holland, and several other of the Members. And in regard it tended to no other End, then to move the Spaniards to a speedy Accommodation of their Differences with France, for the security of the Spanish netherlands, and for the squenching that Fire of War which was already broken into a Flame, which never appeared to us to be otherwise then serviceable and acceptable into the Members of the States, that it had given them Occasion to Deliberate on that Affair. Other Matters contained in the Letter, are Affairs without our Knowledge.  
As for ourselves, we have been so far from holding any particular Correspondency in making any Engagements or Promises to the said Ambassador of France, that our Care and Circumspection will appear to be such, that it were hearty to be wished, that the like were observed by all those that bore a part in our Government.   

Printed at Rotterdam, Feb. 19 1684. New Style, by P●ter Martin, and Reprinted in London by J. Millet.