A DIALOGUE Between the Late King JAMES AND THE Prince of CONTY.   

A DIALOGUE Between the Late King James AND THE Prince of CONTY.  
Then, spite of Fate, we'll thus combined stand,  
And, like true Brothers, walk still hand in hand.  Rehearsal. 
LONDON: Printed for Richard Baldwin, near the Oxford-Arms in Warwick-Lane, 1697.   

A DIALOGUE Between the Late King JAMES, etc.  K. James. 
GOOD Morrow to your Majesty; Pray what News from Poland?  P. of Conty. 
Before I Answer your Majesty's Question, I beg you would give me leave to refuse the Title of Majesty, which you so generously give me, till I am in Possession of my Right.  K. J. 
Oh, Sir! I must beg your Majesty's Pardon for That; for if only Possession could justify that Title, than it might be refused even to Me; Has not our Great Protector, the King of France, called you his Brother, and pronounced you King? Can he be mistaken? Has not Madam Maintenon received you as such? Can she be deceived? No, no, Sir, we are certainly both Kings before God, though we are kept out of our Kingdoms by Rebellious Subjects; therefore without any more ado, I beg your Majesty would lay aside your Modesty, and Answer my Question.  P. C. 
Well, Sir, it shall be as your Majesty pleases then, without any further Ceremony; and in Answer to your Majesty's Question, I must tell you, My last Letters from my Kingdom say, That the Rebellion grows to a very strong Head; the whole Nation, except the Primate and some few Needy Noblemen being engaged in it; and they are like to do me no more Service by their Arms, than the Primate by his Prayers. But that which vexes me most, is, that I can no more get thither, than I can to the Kingdom of Heaven; for besides my own Subjects, almost all the Princes in Europe are in Arms against me, and refuse passage for me or my Troops through their Countries; so that I must stand still, and tamely see another take away my Right.  K. J. 
I am so sensible of the wrong done to your Majesty, that I here freely offer your Majesty an Army of 30 000 Men, and Fifty Sail of Ships, which I will get ready as soon as ever I am settled in my Kingdoms.  P. C. 
I hearty thank your Majesty for your kind Offer; but yet methinks I could wish something were done in the mean time.  K. J. 
Nay, I beg your Majesty would take warning by my Misfortunes, and never refuse so considerable a Force when it is offered you; for I can assure you, if I had accepted the Army which our good Brother the King of France would have sent me when I was Invaded, I should still have peaceably enjoyed my Crowns; but I was dissuaded from it by some, who then were engaged in the designed Rebellion, and have ever since continued to be my irreconcilable Enemies; therefore pray Sir, accept of them, and don't fear being too Powerful.  P. C. 
Indeed Sir, I think I need not fear that; But pray where are your Majesty's Fleet and Army?  K. J. 
Why, as for my Army, I beg your Majesty would not laugh when I say it lies concealed in England, for the Officers all have their Commissions, the Soldiers are all Listed, and at a certain Signal are to dig up their Arms out of the Ground, and Form themselves into Bodies; some of my Field-Officers indeed were taken off, upon discovery of the late Design to Restore me, and others of them have joined with my Enemies; but those Vacancies are filled up by Subalterns, for the encouragement of the Service: And when my Army is thus set on foot, How easy is it to March to the Seaports, and Seize the Fleet when it is laid up?  P. C. 
I fear your Majesty's Army will not prove so effective as I could wish it; but if it should, that seems to be a work of time, and my Necessities require present Supplies; for my Adversary, the Elector of Saxony, gains ground every day, and for aught I know, while we are speaking, is Entering my Metropolis in Triumph: Oh that I had but the same Army in Poland, which your Majesty had first at Salisbury, and afterwards in Ireland; then would I show the World how fit I am to Command, and what I dare do for Empire; then my Enemies should Bleed, not I; my Enemies should Fly out of the Kingdom, not I: And give me leave to tell your Majesty, you are the first that ever left a good Army for a Bloody Nose, when, perhaps, a cold Key put into your Majesty's Neck, had saved all; I have often ventured my Life to save another Prince's Kingdom, and now cannot do it to save my own. But I must beg your Majesty's Pardon, I fear my Passion has transported me to say some Reproachful things which my heart never meant you.  K. J. 
Give me leave to tell your Majesty, You are Young and Hasty; God Almighty in his appointed time will settle all things to our Minds; the ways of his Providence are past finding out. Who would ever have thought, that when my Brother and I Traveled these Parts several Years ago, we should both have enjoyed our Three Kingdoms one after another? Many are the troubles of the righteous, but God will deliver them out of all; says the Psalmist, who was himself a King. It must be confessed, That your Majesty's Polish Subjects, and my English ones, are strangely possessed with the Spirit of Mutiny and Rebellion, and value us Kings no more than— no more than we do our Subjects.  P. C. 
I assure your Majesty I rely very much upon God's Providence, and expect my Deliverance in his appointed time; but yet Human Means are not to be neglected; I would be glad, methinks, to hasten his Providence a little with a good Army; nor can your Majesty think it strange, if I wish he would appoint his time quickly, since some people will pretend to say, your Majesty did a little anticipate his Providence when you Succeeded your Brother; but that's only by the by: The chief reason why I am so hasty is, That a General Peace seems to be near at hand, and then we shall both be for ever Excluded.  K. J. 
Oh Sir! For that matter your Majesty needs only do as I have done, to secure yourself: I think I may modestly say, I have taken effectual Care about that matter; nothing that is done at the Treaty of Peace can any ways affect me.  P. C. 
Why, pray Sir, what method has your Majesty taken?  K. J. 
Taken! why, Sir, I have by the Advice of my Lord Melford, and the rest of my Privy-Council, published a Solemn Declaration, wherein I tell the World flat and plain, That the time and pains the Ambassadors spend at Riswick to Treat about a Peace, is all lost, and to no purpose; that they reckon without their Host; that though they all know who I am, yet they seem to take no notice of me; and therefore I conclude with protesting against all their Proceed, and declare, That whatever is agreed on there, is Null, Void, and of no Effect; that it cannot be good in Law, nor shall it bind me or my Successors to the performance of any one Article: This Declaration I have put under my Great Seal, and have caused it to be printed by my own Printer at Paris, lest they should plead Ignorance. Thus I have given the World fair warning, and left the Ambassadors without excuse, so that if they proceed any further, 'tis at their own peril.  P. C. 
Truly, Sir, I think your Majesty has done all that was left for you to do; but perhaps they have nor read your Declaration; or if they have, 'tis odds against your Majesty, they will not mind it.  K. J. 
Lord, Sir, how do you mean, not read it? Why, Sir, 'twas printed and dispersed all over Europe; and as for their not minding it, Sir, can your Majesty possibly think that so many able Ministers as are there met together, and so vigilant to serve their Master's Interests, will neglect a Declaration of that vast Importance, whereon the Peace of all the Kingdoms and States in Europe depends?  P. C. 
Sir, I am not versed in these matters, and therefore I hope your Majesty will not think me impertinent if I trouble you with some Questions about them; Pray, Sir, what would be the Consequence if they should not mind your Declaration?  K. J. 
The Consequence! Lord, Sir, I told your Majesty but just now, that if they did not, all they should do at Riswick would signify nothing, nothing at all Sir, no more than the Acts of Parliament made in England during my Absence for these nine Years last passed, which are all void for want of my Royal Sanction; why, Sir, they are drawing of Sham-Conveyances of Lands one to another, without the Consent of the Proprietor.  P. C. 
Faith, Sir, As to the Acts of Parliament in England, I think those that have been made in your Absence, have signified more to France and You, than all the Acts that were ever made there by any of your Family; but let that pass. For my part I'll deal plainly with your Majesty, I could wish they would have that regard to your Declaration, which in Justice it deserves; but I fear the worst, for you know all the Princes in Europe are joined in a strict Alliance with the Prince of Orange, and disown your Power. Then as to your Subjects in England, I am told they done't stick to say, That truly there was a King James who reigned there about four Years, and then died, and was buried in Westminster-Abby with his Ancestors; that they hear indeed he walks here in France, but that he never yet appeared to any one in England.  K. J. 
Dead! Lord, Sir, your Majesty's own Reason must convince you of the contrary; if I were Dead, how could I be here and speak to your Majesty?  P. C. 
That is, they mean you are a dead King, since they have got another, with whose Person and Government they are mightily pleased, as your Majesty may judge by the vast Expense they have been at to maintain and preserve him against all his Enemies.  K. J. 
Dead! I know very well they every one of them wish me Dead, and rather than fail, I suppose, would Murder me, as they did my Father; but I fancy I shall be too cunning for them, and keep out of their reach.  P. C. 
But, Sir, if your Majesty always keeps out of their reach, how do you intent to mount the Throne again?  K. J. 
Why, Sir, I will not go over till I have an Army of at least 100000 Men, which our kind Brother the King of France has promised me speedily.  P. C. 
But suppose, Sir, he should make Peace with the Allies.  K. J. 
Suppose, Sir! why you may as well suppose I will keep the Promises I make to my Protestant Subjects when I am restored, as to imagine he will long keep the Peace, if he should make one.  P. C. 
Well, but we wander from the Point, Sir, all this time; What's to be done for me in Poland?  K. J. 
Done; why the same as for me in England, Sir.  P. C. 
I do not know what that is, Sir; your Majesty seems indeed to have several Projects in your Head, but I don't find that any one of them is feisible; for my part, since it will be impossible for me to march an Army by Land into Poland, as long as the Allies are Masters of all the Countries through which it must necessarily pass; and for You to Transport an Army to England, while they are Masters at Sea: I confess I am of Opinion, That we should first in a joint Memorial represent Our Case to the Congress at Riswick; and than if they refuse to do Us Justice, they will be answerable to God for all the Blood that shall hereafter be spilt upon Our Accounts.  K. J. 
Why truly I think your Majesty is in the right, since it is a Christian's part to try all fair ways of Accommodation before he has recourse to Arms: And therefore if your Majesty pleases, My Lord Melford shall draw up our Memorial, because he is a great Master of Rhetoric, and gives such fine Turns to his Arguments, that he almost persuades People against their Reason; especially since he came from Rome, where he improved himself mightily in that Study for want of other Business; I cannot range it in such Order as he, but I think this should be the Substance of it. That forasmuch as here are Two Kings in France more than there should be, who are shoved out of their Kingdoms, no body knows how, nor wherefore; and that they conceive it to be a great Absurdity, that there should be more Kings than Kingdoms in the World; they desire to know of this Wise Assembly, Where they must Reign, and who they are to govern, that they may take their Measures accordingly: That if it were left to their Choice, they would go to their own Posts, provided this Assembly will engage in their respective Master's Name, That no Violence shall be offered to their Persons by their Subjects; for that it is a very uneasy thing to Reign in fear of one's Life. But in case that should not be thought expedient, they are so willing to agree to any Terms of Accommodation, that they are content to accept of Equivalents, provided the Countries assigned to them be stocked with Subjects; since Kings cannot reign happily by themselves, without People to make War, and pay Taxes. That after they have given these many evincing Proofs of their Peaceable Inclinations (especially I, K. J. through the whole course of my Life) in case these Proposals should not be harkened to, they do declare, That though they are unwilling to wade to their Thrones through Seas of Blood, as well as of Water; yet to their unspeakable Griefs, they fear, that must be the fatal Consequence; since they cannot answer to God, their Posterity, or their own Consciences, their suffering their Subjects to live quietly under Kings of their own, that they like; who though they may fancy themselves happy, yet they deceive themselves; 'tis a false irregular Quiet, and no true one can be found but under the Right King. These things therefore the Two Kings offer to their Consideration, and desire they would speedily weigh their Arguments, as they value the Peace and Welfare of Mankind.  
These, if you think fit, Sir, shall be the Heads of Our Memorial; and I'll be bold to say, if this will not do, nothing will.  P. C. 
That I believe, Sir; Will your Majesty get this drawn up to morrow, because no time is to be lost?  K. J. 
I can't to morrow, Sir, because there is to be a fine Fox Chace; but next day I will not fail of it.  P. C. 
Well Sir, I wish we may have Success in this Matter; but for my part, I am very doubtful of it.  K. J. 
Why, to tell your Majesty the truth, I can't say I depend much upon it myself, however one would leave no stone unturned; That which gives me the most solid Joy here in my Retreat, is to think that all my Enemies will be Damned.  P. C. 
Ah Sir! that's very uncertain; but I must now take my leave of your Majesty, to wait on the Dauphine, who expects me.  K. J. 
Well Sir, let us part with this pleasant Thought, That though our Enemies should keep possession of our Thrones, and we Die in Exile; 
Yet with this Comfort to our Graves we'll go  
We'll Reign Above, while they but Reign Below.  And so, Sir, I am your Majesty's most humble Servant.  P. C. 
Sir I am yours. (aside.) This King is a mighty silly Creature, I would the P. of O. had no more Sense than he.   
FINIS.