AN EXPLANATION OF The Lord Treasurer's LETTER TO Mr. Montagu, THE KING'S Late Ambassador in FRANCE, March 25 th'. 1678.  
Together with the said Letter: AND The TWO LETTERS of Mr. MONTAGV, Which were read in the House of Commons.  
Printed in the Year, 1679.   

AN EXPLANATION OF The Lord Treasurer's LETTER to Mr. Montagu.  
I Find so many misconstructions made of the Earl of Danby's Letter to Mr. Montague, the King's late Ambassador in France, dated the 25 th'. of March, 1678, that I could not but in common Justice, give the World those true Explanations of it, which must needs satisfy the Minds of any, (who have no other than public designs;) that there could be no ill-meaning to the Nation by that Letter, had it not been written by the King's Command upon the Subject of Peace and War, wherein his Majesty alone is at all times Sole Judge, and aught to be obeyed not only by any of his Ministers of State, but by all his Subjects.  
In the first place the Letter shows, That what was sent by the Earl, was but a Copy of those Proposals which were consented to on the part of the Confederates, and sent at the same time by Mr. Secretary Coventry; so that it appears, the subject matter of the Proposals was not only known to the Secretaries, but approved by the rest of the Council; and the Letter also shows the reason why full direction was not then given by the Secretary to conclude upon them; because, although his Majesty at that time, knew by Mr. Godolphin, that those were the Propositions upon which the Confederates would make the Peace if they could; yet the formal Powers were not then come from them, which should enable the Ambassador in France to perfect the Treaty, if the French King should accept it.  
At the same time when this intimation was given to His Majesty of the Confederates desiring the Peace upon those Conditions, (and as the only means left to Save Holland, and the Interest of the Prince of Orange there,) it was also desired of his Majesty, That whilst such formal Powers were preparing to conclude such a Peace, his Majesty would please in their behalf to find by some private means the Humour of the French King, Whether it were likely he would accept those Propositions when they should be offered to Him, as believing it might be some disadvantage to the Confederates to propose them, if they should be refused.  
And this was the Motive (at their Request, and at a time, when both Ghent and Ipres were newly taken, and Holland under the utmost consternation) that His Majesty, to comply with them in a Matter which so highly concerned their Safety, did think fit for the Secrecy of it according to their desires, to have the King of France his Mind known privately, and with all the speed possible, that He might let the Confederates know the French King's Intentions, before they exposed themselves to a Public Offer of what might be refused.  
This is the true meaning of what is said about feeling the King of France's Pulse, and making one Answer to be showed to the Secretary, and another to the King himself, who endeavoured to send an account into Holland of the French King's Answer, as privately, and speedily as was possible; and unless the Peace had been fully completed, (the advantageous terms whereof would have answered for themselves,) his Majesty thought it might be ill resented by the Parliament, who could not presently know, either the earnest Request of the Confederates for the Peace, their Necessity of obtaining it, their Countries being in a readiness for a Revolt, nor the goodness of those Conditions which were demanded, and which made them unlikely to be granted: as is afterwards expressed in the said Letter.  
As to that part of the Letter which says, (In case the Conditions of Peace shall be accepted, the King expects to have Six Millions of Livres Yearly, for three Years, from the time that this Agreement shall be signed between His Majesty and the King of France; because it will be two, or three Years before be can hope to find his Parliament in humour to give him Supplies, after the having made any Peace with France;) it is so presently followed with this Clause, (If you find the Peace will not be accepted, you are not to mention the Money at all;) And so soon after that with this farther Clause; (That you believe, this will be the last time that you shall receive any Propositions of a Peace, if these be rejected, as you believe they will,) that it cannot be thought to have any dangerous meaning in it, nor any great hopes of getting the Money: but that it may be the more fully understood, you will find by Mr. Montagu's Letter of the 18th of Jan. 1677/1678, which was read in the House of Commons, (and for which cause I have added the said Letter.) viz. (If the King is for a War, you know what to do; if he hearkens to their Money, be pleased to let me know what they offer, and I dare answer to get our Master as much again; for Barrillon 's Orders are to make the Market as low as he can.  
Now, as Offers of Money had often been made both by Mr. Montagu, and Monsieur Barrillon, for a Peace upon French Conditions, and Six Millions of Livres had been offered by Monsieur Barrillon for one Year; so, Mr. Montagu having informed the King, that whatever Monsieur Barrillon should offer, he could get as much again, his Majesty was resolved to try Mr. Montagu's power, in case the French would consent to the Confederates Conditions; and in addition to Mr. Montagu's own Interest in moving the French King to give the Six Millions for more Years than one, his Majesty thought it might be a good Motive, without prejudice to the Parliament or Nation, (which would have saved their own Money thereby;) to say it would be two or three Years before he could hope to find his Parliament in humour to give him Supplies, after having made any Peace with France.  
The reason why nothing was to be said to the Secretary concerning the Money, was because Mr. Montagu in a former Letter to the King himself, had desired that he would acquaint no body but the Earl of Danby with the business of the Money: so that he found that employment for the Earl, of which he thought fit after to accuse him.  
As I hope I have sufficiently explained those parts of the Letter, which are liable to misconstruction, viz. The Reasons for the Privacy of the Negotiation, for the sake of the Confederates: The Grounds upon which the Money was expected: The Reason why the Earl of Danby was employed in that business of the Money, and why no mention was to be made of it to the Secretary, and the Reasons why his Majesty would not have his Parliament to know it until the Conditions had been perfected, (of which his Majesty would have then been able to have given a very good account) or being broken quite off, never needed to have been known at all.  
I say, having spoke to all those Particulars, I must likewise crave liberty to observe to you those Parts of the same Letter, which do sufficiently show that his Majesty was not in the least to be drawn from the Interest of the Confederates, for any private gain of Money to himself.  
For you see the Ambassador had agreed to the Sum, but not for so long a time, and no man can imagine why Six Millions of Livres should have been refused, if either his Majesty had had any ill design at home, or would have deserted the Confederates; but on the contrary, you see his Majesty would make no Proposals, but what they desired; nor even those, without being pressed by them to it: nor would he have any motion of Money to the French King, unless he accepted those very Conditions, so desired by the Confederates; and if the Confederates could have obtained such a Peace as they desired, and his Majesty a good Sum of Money towards defraying those Charges he had been at, without taxing of his People; I conceive it ought to have been esteemed good Policy, as it hath been in the former times of H. 7th, & H. 8th; rather than made a pretence of Treason: but how the not doing any of those things excepted against in that Letter, (and that plainly by reason of the King's great Integrity to the Confederate Interest, which He so evidently preferred before His own Personal Advantage) should become Treason, is beyond my comprehension.  
I hear, it is made a great aggravation of this Letter, that it is dated five days after an Act past to raise Money for an Actual War with France: But surely every man knows, That an Act to raise Money for a War, is no Declaration of the War.  
That his Majesty hath always the Sole Power of Peace and War in his own hands.  
That His Ministers were never recalled from Treating the Peace at Nimiguen; and besides, our then ill prepared Condition for a War, that of the Confederates was then so low, that it was not above a Week after, that the French Propositions were made at Nimiguen, upon which the Peace was concluded, and after which Propositions (although far worse ones, than what had been Offered by his Majesty but ten days before) the Dutch would never think of supporting the War any longer; and so far was his Majesty from agreeing to that Peace which was then made, that his majesty's Ministers at Nimiguen did not only refuse to sign it; but his Majesty used all possible means to engage the Dutch with Him in the Offensive Treaty against France; and though He could not procure them to do so, He sent an Army so soon as it was in readiness, to March to their assistance, and thereby, had it been possible, he endeavoured to have encouraged them to continue the War.  
Though a great deal more is to be said upon this Subject, I think this enough to convince any man, that as this Letter did no harm, nor hindered one step of the Preparations for War against France; so that it intended nothing of ill either to the Kingdom, or the Cause of the Confederates, and therefore the writer of it can deserve no blame from this Letter, if it had not been written by the King's Command and Direction.  
As I have wondered much at those strained constructions I have found upon this Letter, so I confess I have not been able to give myself a reason how this Letter should only find the hard fate of being loaded with such Crimes, and yet nothing said to those Letters of Mr. Montagu's, the Originals of which were also read in the House of Commons, which do so manifestly give his Majesty the invitations to expect great Sums from France, if he would endeavour it; and which does acknowledge this Earl to be so great an Enemy to France above all other men; That it was grown a Maxim to the Statesmen there, by one who very well understood the state of this Kingdom, That they must destroy his Credit with our King, before they could hope to do any good in England. And I pray God it be not found too true.  

The Lord Treasurer's Letter to Mr. Montagu, the King's late Ambassador in France, March 25 th' 1678..  
My Lord,  
SInce my Writing to you by Mr. Brisbon, the Resolves have been altered as to the sending you Instructions (as yet) for the proposing any thing to the French King; for the Particulars which will be consented to on the part of the Confederates, (and of which this is a Copy) will be communicated to you by Mr. Secretary Coventry, but you will have no other direction from him about them, but only thereby to be enabled to find the Pulse of the King, or his Ministers, at least against the time that you shall receive Orders to make the Proposals to him. That you may know from whence the nicety of that affair proceeds, it is necessary to inform you, that for fear of its being ill resented by the Parliament here, the King will not make any proposal at all of Peace, unless he shall be pressed to it by the Confederates: And although by Mr. Godolphin he is sufficiently informed that they desire a Peace upon the Articles sent you by the Secretary, yet not having received that desire formally, the Council will not Advise his Majesty to let his Ambassador propose that which he is not formally empowered to make good; and so by staying for that formal Power which by Letter his Majesty is sufficiently enabled to propose, the time will be lost for effecting the Peace, if at all it can be had. To supply this defect then, and to prevent the King's sending again into Holland before he know the mind of France, I am commanded by His Majesty, to let you know, That you are to make the Propositions enclosed to the King of France, and to tell him, The King will undertake for the seeing them made good on the part of Spain, and Holland, in case they shall be accepted by him. And in your answers you must write the same things to the Secretaries by way only of having felt the King of France's Pulse, which you must do to the King as a full answer from the King of France, and such an one as his Majesty may depend upon whatever that shall be. For the more dextrous management of this Affair, the King is advised to show these Propositions to Monsieur Barrillon, but not to give him a Copy; so that by the strength of his Memory it is expected he shall write to his Master, and by that means only are we to hope for an answer to a matter of this vast Importance. And consequently you may imagine what a satisfaction we are like to reap from it when it comes. I doubt not but by your Conduct it will be brought to a speedy Issue; which is of as great Importance as the thing itself, there being no condition worse for his Majesty, than this standing unresolved betwixt Peace and War. I find by Monsieur Barrillon, that it is like some Places which are dependences upon greater Towns, may be demanded by the King of France; but if he intent a Peace, (which you will do very well to know his mind fully in) you may justly say, That you hope he will neither stand upon one single Place, though a fortified one, nor upon any Place unfortified, which is a dependant upon those which are to be restored to Spain. And if any thing shall be moved about Sicily to remain in the French hands till the Peace of Sweden be concluded, you are only to say, That you are not empowered to say any thing upon it: and you are confident the King hath done all he could to get the utmost Conditions that would be consented to: Only you are to say, The King hath again sent about Conde, not being well satisfied that they have not left in his Power to give or refuse as he should have found it convenient, and hopeth still for some good answer. In case the Conditions of Peace shall be accepted, the King expects to have Six Millions of Livres yearly for three years, from the time that this agreement shall be signed between his Majesty and the King of France: because it will be two or three years before he can hope to find his Parliament in humour to give him Supplies, after the having made any Peace with France. The Ambassador here hath agreed to the Sum, but not for so long a time; but if you find the Peace will not be accepted, you are not to mention the Money at all, and all care must be taken to have this whole Negotiation as private as possible, for fear of giving offence at home, where for the most part we hear in ten days after any thing that is communicated to the French Ministers. I must again repeat to you, That whatsoever you writ on this Subject to the Secretary, to whom you must not mention one syllable of the Money, you must say only as a thing you believe they will consent to, if you had power formally to make these demands. Pray inform yourself of the bottom of what is to be expected from France, and assure them, That you believe this will be the last time that you shall receive any Propositions of a Peace if these be slighted, as indeed I believe they will: so that you may take your own measures as well as the King's upon it. I am  
Your excellency's most Faithful and obedient Servant, Danby.   

Mr. MONTAGU'S Letter to the LORD TREASURER, Dated Paris, Jan. 11th. 1677/8.  
My Lord,  
I Have not had the honour of any from your Lordship, in answer to all those, wherein I gave you the best account I could of matters here, by the Express I sent. Nor indeed could I expect his Majesty could take any sudden resolution in matters of so great moment.  
The occasion of my giving you this trouble, is, to give you the best light I can into the reason of Mr. de Rouvigny's Son's Journey into England, who will be there perhaps as soon as this Letter. If his Father's Age would have permitted it, I believe they would have sent him; so they have chosen the Son, who is to make use of Lights his Father will give him, and by the near Relation he hath to my Lady Vaughan, who is his Cousin-German, and the particular Friendship which Father and Son have with Mr. William Russell, he is to be introduced into a great commerce with the Malcontented Members of Parliament, and insinuate what they shall think fit to cross your Measures at Court, if they shall prove disagreeable here; whilst Monsieur Barrillon goes on in his smooth civil way.  
I thought it my duty to his Majesty to give your Lordship this account, though I have not explained this matter so much in my Letter to the Secretary; wherefore I hope you will let this be seen by none but his Majesty. What I know farther of this, or any thing else, you shall always be acquainted with. They are here in great pain, till it will be known what will become of the Parliament, and do not stick to say, If that be put off for a Month, they doubt not of a Peace. I am with all respect,  
My Lord, Your Lordship's Most obedient and humble Servant, R. Mountagu.   

Another of Mr. MONTAGU'S Letters to the Lord Treasurer. Dated Paris, Jan. 18th. 1677/8.  
My Lord,  
SInce I sealed up my Letter, by my Lord Dumblane, I have had one with me who is very exactly, as can be, informed of most things here, and hath told me the reason of Rouvigny's Journey.  
His chief Errand is, to let the King know, That the King of France did hope he was so firm to him, as not to be led away by the Grand Treasurer; who was an Ambitious Man, and, to keep himself well with the People, would gratify their inclinations, by leading his Master unto an unreasonable War against France. That as for Money, if he wanted it, he should have what he would from hence.  
His Instructions are, if this does not take, by the means of Will. Russell, and other discontented people, to give a great deal of Money, and cross all your Measures at Court.  
When he gives you his Father's Letter of Recommendation, you cannot choose but be very kind to him, since the chief part of his Journey is to do you so good Offices. My Lord, if I might be worthy to give my advice, who see things upon the place, There could be nothing better done, than after he hath been two days in England, for the King to give the Order to tell Monsieur Barrillon, That he knows Rouvigny hath a Relation, and Commerce with people illaffected to the Government; and would be therefore glad to have him retire. You cannot imagine how it would damp them here, when they shall see their little tricks do not pass upon us.  
And Old Rouvigny that values himself upon knowing England, and having saved so much Money as he had (by what I told you formerly) order to give, hath given it them for a Maxim, That they must diminish your Credit, before they can do any good in England. But since their chief Quarrel to you, is the being so true to your Master's Interest, I am sure he is too just to let them do you any hurt.  
If the King is for a War, you know what to do; if he hearkens to their Money, be pleased to let me know what they offer, and I dare answer, to get our Master as much again: for Barrillon's Orders are to make the Market as low as he can. I am, etc.  
R. Mountagu.   
FINIS.