1663. in the Tower of London; and from that was fent to Scotland, as fhall be told afterwards. The de war with the States. The defign of a war with Holland was now fign of a working. I have been very pofitively affured by States-men of both fides, that the French fet it on in a very artificial manner: For while they encouraged us to infift on fome extravagant demands, they at the fame time preffed the Dutch not to yield to them: And as they put them in hopes, that, if a rupture fhould follow, they would affift them according to their alliance, fo they affured us that they would do us no hurt. Downing was then employed in Holland, a crafty fawning man, who was ready to turn to every fide that was uppermoft, and to betray those who by their former friendship and fervices thought they might depend on him; as he did fome of the Regicides, whom he got in his hands under trust, and then delivered them up. He had been Cromwell's Ambaffadour in Holland, where he had offered perfonal affronts both to the King and the Duke: Yet he had by some base practices got himself to be fo effectually recommended by the Duke of Albermarle, that all his former offences were forgiven, and he was fent into Holland as the King's Ambaffadour, whose behaviour towards the King himfelf the States had obferved. So they had reason to conclude he was fent over with no good intent, and that he was capable of managing a bad defign, and very ready to undertake it. There was no visible caufe of war. A complaint of a fhip taken was ready to have been fatisfied. But Downing hindred it. So it was plain, the King hated them; and fancied they were fo feeble, and the English were fo much fuperior to them, that a war would humble them to an entire fubmiffion and dependence on him in all things. The States had treated, and prefented the King with great magnificence, and at a vaft charge, during the time that he had ftaid among them, after England had had declared for him. And, as far as appear- 1663. ances could go, the King feem'd fenfible of it: Infomuch that the party for the Prince of Orange were not pleased, because their applications to him could not prevail to make him interpofe, either in the behalf of himself, or of his friends, to get the refolutions taken against him to be repealed, or his party again put in places of truft and com-. mand. The King put that off as not proper to be preffed by him at that time. But neither then nor afterwards did he beftir himself in that matter. Tho', if either gratitude or intereft had been of force, and if these had not been over-ruled by some more prevalent confiderations, he must have been inclined to make fome returns for the fervices the late Prince did him: And he must have feen, what a figure he muft make by having the Prince of Orange tied to him in intereft, as much as he was by blood. France and Popery were the true fprings of all thefe counfels. It was the intereft of the King of France, that the Armies of the States might fall under fuch a feebleness, that they should be in no condition to make a vigorous refiftance, when he fhould be ready either to invade them, or to fall into Flanders; which he was refolved to do, whenfoever the King of Spain fhould die. The French did thus fet on the war between the English and the Dutch, hoping that our Fleets should mutually weaken one another fo much, that the naval force of France, which was increasing very confiderably, fhould be near an equality to them, when they fhould be fhattered by a war. The States were likewife the greatest ftrength of the Proteftant intereft, and were therefore to be humbled. So, in order to make the King more confiderable both at home and abroad, the Court refolved to prepare for a war, and to feek for fuch colours as might ferve to justify it, The Earl of Clarendon was not let into the fecret of this defign, and was always against it. But I 4 his 1663. his intereft was now funk low: And he began to feel the power of an imperious miftrefs over an amorous King, who was fo difgufted at the Queen, that he abandoned himself wholly to amour and luxury. The af fairs of Scotland. ed by dale. This was, as far as I could penetrate into it, the ftate of the Court for the first four years after the Restoration. I was in the Court a great part of the years 1662, 1663, and 1664; and was as inquifitive as I could poffibly be, and had more than ordinary occafions to hear and fee a great deal. But now I return to the affairs of Scotland: The Earl of Midletoun after a delay of fome months came up to London, and was very coldly received by the King. The Earl of Lauderdale moved that a Scotch Council might be called. The Lord Clarendon got this to be delayed a fortMidletoun night. When it met, the Lord Lauderdale acwas accuf- cufed the Earl of Midletoun of many malverfaLauder- tions in the great truft he had been in, which he aggravated feverely. The Lord Midletoun defired he might have what was objected to him in writing. And when he had it, he fent it to Scotland; fo that it was fix weeks before he had his anfwer ready; all on defign to gain time. He excufed fome errors in point of form, by faying, that, having ferved in a military way, he underftood not fo exactly what belonged to law and form: But infifted on this, that he defigned nothing, but that the King's fervice might go on, and that his friends might be taken care of, and his enemies be humbled, and that fo loyal a Parliament might be encouraged, who were full of zeal and affection to his fervice; that, in complying with them, he had kept every thing fo entirely in his Majefty's power, that the King was under no difficulties by any thing they had done. In the mean while Sheldon was very earnest with the King to forgive the Lord Midletoun's crime, other otherwife he concluded the change fo newly made 1663. in the Church would be fo ill fupported, that it muft fall to the ground. The Duke of Albermarle, who knew Scotland, and had more credit on that head than on any other, pretended that the Lord Midletoun's party was that on which the King could only rely: He magnified both their power and their zeal; and reprefented the Earl of Lauderdale's friends, as cold and hollow in the King's fervice: And, to fupport all this, the letters that came from Scotland were full of the infolencies of the Prefbyterians, and of the dejection the Bishops and their friends were under. Sharp was prevailed on to go up. He promised to all the Earl of Midletoun's friends, that he would stick firm to him; and that he would lay before the King, that his ftanding or falling must be the standing or falling of the Church. Of this the Earl of Lauderdale had advice fent him. Yet when he came to London, and faw that the King was alienated from the Lord Midletoun, he refolved to make great fubmiffions to the Lord Lauderdale. When he reproached him for his engagements with the Earl of Midletoun, he denied all; and faid, he had never gone farther than what was decent, confidering his poft. He alfo denied, he had writ to the King in his favour. But the King had given the original letter to the Lord Lauderdale, who upon that fhewed it to Sharp; with which he was fo ftruck, that he fell a crying in a most abject manner. He begged pardon for it; and faid, what could a company of poor men refufe to the Earl of Midletoun, who had done fo much for them, and had them fo entirely in his power. The Lord Lauderdale upon this comforted him; and faid, he would forgive them all that was paft, and would ferve them and the Church, at another rate than Lord Midletoun was capable of doing. So Sharp became wholly his. Of all this Lord Lauderdale 1663, gave me a full relation the next day; and fhewed me the papers that pafs'd between Lord Midletoun and him. Sharp thought he had escaped well. The Earl of Midletoun treated the Bishops too much as his creatures, and affumed a great deal to himself, and expreffed a fort of authority over them; which Sharp was uneafy under, tho' he durft not complain of it, or refift it: Whereas he reckoned, that Lord Lauderdale, knowing the fufpicions that lay on him, as favouring the Prefbyterians, would have lefs credit and courage in oppofing any thing, that fhould be neceffary for their fupport. It proved that in this he judged right: For the Lord Lauderdale, that he might maintain himself at Court, and with the Church of England, was really more compliant and eafy to every propofition that the Bishops made, than he would otherwise have been, if he had been always of the Epifcopal party. But all he did that way was against his heart, except when his paffions were vehemently stirred, which a very flight occafion would readily do. When the Earls of Lauderdale and Midletoun had been writing papers and answers for above three months, an accident happened which haftened Lord Midletoun's difgrace. The Earl of Lauderdale laid before the King the unjuft proceedings in the laying on of the fines. And, to make all that party fure to himself, he procured a letter from the King to the Council in Scotland, ordering them to iffue out a proclamation, for fuperfeding the execution of the Act of fining till farther order. The Privy Council being then for the greater part composed of Lord Midletoun's friends, it was pretended by fome of them, that, as long as he was the King's Commiffioner, they could receive and execute no orders from the King, but thro' his hands. So they writ to him, defiring him to reprefent to the King, that this would be an affront put on the proceedings of Par |