21 Jan.

1650.

Feb. 25,

1650.

who executed it. So thatconfidering the valour

and

parliament to the prefent affembly of the United Provinces. And it being refolved by the parliament that a public minifter be sent thither, it was referred to the council of flate to confider of fuch perfons as they fhould think fit to be fent from the parliament, and (1) Journal, to prepare inftructions, commiffions, and letters of credence for them ().' In pursuance of this order, the council of ftate prefented the Lord Chief-Juftice St. John, and Walter Strickland, Efq; to be fent as ambaffad ors extraordinary to the United-Provinces, who being approved of by the parliament, had their commiffion, instructions and letters of credence delivered to them by (m) Journal, Mr. Speaker, in the house, by the command of the parliament (m). And to prevent fuch another attempt as had been made upon our former agent, forty gentlemen were appointed to attend him [St. John] for his fecurity and honour, ten thousand pounds being delivered to the lord ambaffadors fteward, for the expence of the embaffy. Yet this great equipage was not fufficient to prevent a public affront which was (*) Ludlow, offered him by Prince Edward, one of the Palatine family, as he was paffing the streets (n). The ambaffadors arrived at Rotterdam, March 14, 1651. N. S. On the 20th, they were admitted to an audience in the aflembly of the State:-General at the Hague, where St. John, in a very handsome speech, after having mentioned the antient alliances between the two nations, and the mutual benefit refulting from thence, declared That the parliament did defire that this pious and strict confederacy and league of amity, derived from their ancestors unto them, may from themfelves be transmitted unto pofterity, if God fo please: and fuch, faid he, is the fincere love and good will which the commonwealth of England beareth unto their neighbours of the United-Provinces, begotten and conferved upon the grounds before expreffed, that they are willing to enter into a more intimate alliance and

vol. i. p.

344.

nearer

and wisdom exerted, and the success which at

ed

'nearer union with them than formerly hath been,
whereby a more real and intrinsical intereft of each in
other, may be contracted for their mutual good.-
My Lords, you see the commonwealth of England
(notwithstanding the many difcouragements they have
found, and juft caufe given them of laying afide the
thought of any further motion of this kind) have be-
gun to you, and in matters of highest concernment
unto both; led thereunto, (fuch is the mercy of God)
< not out of neceffity but choice. This their good-will
' deferves all acceptation on your part, with whom it
now refts, and will, they doubt not, produce refolu-
'tions answerable and timely; and whatsoever iffue it
'fhall please God in his wifdom to give, they fhall al-
ways have the fatisfaction of having done what befit-
'ted them, and what the welfare of the true reformed

(0) Parlia

vol. xix. p.

P. 182.

religion, and the other great and common interests mentary of both States obliged them to do (o).'—The Eng- Hiftory, lifh ambaffadors on the 10th of May following propofed 469, 470. to the States-General that the two commonwealths might be confederated friends, joined and allied together for the defence and prefervation of the liberties and freedom of the people of each, against all whomfoever that fhall attempt the difturbance of either state by fea or land; or be declared enemies to the freedom and liber(p) Thur ties of the people living under either of the faid go- loe, vol. ie vernments (p). In fhort, they proposed an intire union and coalition. One article in their proposals is too remarkable to be omitted. We propound, fay they, 'that no rebel or declared enemy of the commonwealth of England, fhall be received into or be fuffered to abide in any of the caftles, towns, ports, creeks, or other places priviledged or not priviledged, which the Prince of Orange, Princefs Mary, the relict of • William late Prince of Orange, or any other person of what degree foever, have or hereafter fhall have or poffels by any title whatfoever within the dominions

S 2

• and

(9) Thurloe, vol. i. p. 183.

And Journal, 29th Ap. 1651.

tended the commonwealth in this war, as well

as

and jurifdictions of the United-Provinces, nor fuffered by the faid Prince, Princefs, or any other per fon, to be received into or abide therein; neither shall the Lords States of the United-Provinces, permit or fuffer in any of the places aforefaid, any affiftance, • counsel or favour, in fhips, men, money, victuals, or in any other manner to be given, by the faid Prince or Princess, or any other perfon, to any fuch rebel or declared enemy, but fhall openly and exprefly prohibit and hinder the fame. And if the Prince of Orange and Princefs Mary, or any other perfon or perfons living or remaining in the jurifdiction of the United-Provinces, or under their power, do to the contrary hereof, then as well the faid prince and princefs, and all and every fuch other person and perfons fo doing as aforefaid, fhall for their refpective lives, forfeit and lofe all fuch castles, towns, villages, lands, and other places, which they or any of them fhall at fuch time have or pretend to have by any title whatfoever; and likewife that no rebels or declared enemy of the States of the United-Provinces fhall be received into, or be fuffered in any of the caftles, towns, ports, or other places, priviledged or not priviledged, which any perfon or perfons, of what degree or quality foever he be, have or fhall hold or poffefs within the commonwealth of England or dominion thereof, by any title whatfoever, nor fuffered by any fuch perfon or perfons, or any other, to be received thereinto, 6 or abide therein, under like penalties (q).' The States General did not feem at all defirous of this coalition, though they refused not to treat thereon: but while the negotiation was on foot, St. John receiving the affront above-mentioned, complained thereof to the States more than once, and affured them that the parliament expected reparation. The ambaffadors alfo protested in the name of the commonwealth of England, against the States ftyling the late King; Charles I. Which implies,

as in the reduction of Scilly, Jerfey, Guern

fey,

faid they, that there is a fecond Charles King of Eng• land.'

6

In this fpirited manner, agreeably to their inftructions, did thefe gentlemen behave, and fo little were they difpofed to have the fovereignty of their masters attacked, even in the most diftant manner. But though the ambaffadors were extremely diligent, nothing to the purpose was to be done with the Dutch, as appears by the following extract of a letter from Mr. Thurloe to Mr. Walter Froft, fecretary to the council of ftate; dated Hague, June 6-16, 1651. If we had not by a good providence of God got ane opportunity to put this people to a tryal by our being continued here, they might by their laft paper, wherein they offerred the treaty of 1495, and their large profeffions, paft with the credulous people of England for fome kind of ' honeft men, and good neighbours; but upon this occafion, I am confident they appear to be perfectly of the Scots mould, by converfe with whom and the French, they have learnt the art of making huge profeffions, and in fuch a manner, that men are almost neceffitated to believe them; and at the fame time, intend to perform no more of them than apparently ftands with their own advantage; which yet I am ' confident they will not arrive at upon this occafion; and I hope God will give wifdom to my lords fo to manage their farewell in that manner, that the commonwealth of England fhall not lofe either in honour or () Thurlge, interest upon this occafion ().The day fixed the vol. i. p. fecond time (for the first had been expired, and a farther day given at the requeit of the States) being near at hand, the ambaffadors gave notice of their intended departure to the States, expreffing their forrow for the unsuccessfulness of their negotiation, and their hopes that hereafter a treaty might be concluded. Whereupon the States-General in a declaration juftified their proceedings; entreated the flay of the ambaffadors; and

S3

pro

186.

fey, Man, Virginia and Barbadoes; confi

(3) Thurloe,

vol. i. p.

195.

dering,

profeffed their readiness to contribute their beft endea-
vours to perfect the treaty. This of courfe produced a
recapitulation, in which, after fhewing how unfatif-
factory the answers to their propofitions had been, the
ambassadors concluded in the following manner: ' As
to their diffatisfaction concerning our coming away,
we conceived, that we had faid enough therein to
their commiffioners, whom they had fent twice to
us about the fame; as that the parliament had now
• thrice sent their agents and minifters unto them; and
that as they were no way bound to send them unto
them at all, fo was it in their own choice and power
to limit the time of their abode. Neither were
they therein furprized, we having always from the
first day of the treaty told them, that our time was
limited and but fhort; and that therefore a flow pro-
⚫ceeding on their part would render the treaty fruitless ;
and that they had cause rather to take it as a great ex-
preffion of love and friendship in the parliament, that
they alone had so often and for fo long time intended
and profecuted thefe matters of joint and equal con-
6 cernment unto both States; and that when the com-
'monwealth of England is out of poffeffion of what
they ought to enjoy by the treaty of 1495, and the
Netherlands in the full poffeffion of what is of greatest
advantage unto them by that treaty; that yet the
⚫ commonwealth of England fhould be content in this
friendly and amicable way of a treaty, to feek and
expect from them a performance of what is done on
their parts (s).'— When the States commiffioners
came to take leave of the ambaffadors at their depar-
ture, it is faid St. John spoke to them in these terms:
• My Lords, you have an eye upon the event of the
affairs of the kingdom of Scotland, and therefore do
refuse the friendship we have offerred. Now I can
affure you, that many in the parliament were of opi-
nion that we should not have come hither, or any