journey to Paris: together with fome fecret transactions between the French king and an English gentleman (o)' (0) The author of this piece acquaints his friend, • That ⚫ about two months before the French king, refolving once more to give peace to Europe, offered the court of England, to fend a minifter as far as Boulogne, who fhould be there met by fome perfons from England, to treat the overtures of a peace. That upon notice, that this was agreed to, the king dispatched a perfon, who went by the name ' of monfieur de la Baftide, to Boulogne, where he took lodgings at one Mr. des Marais, a 6 • filk-merchant, married to an English woman, who formerly waited on the ladies of the earls of Portland and Jersey, when ambaffadors there in the time of king William. That, on the 14th of July, N. S. a perfon, who was afterwards 'known to be Mr. Prior, coming directly to the door, and inquiring for monfieur de la Baflide (the name and place having been before concerted) was immediately fhewn to monfieur, where they were fhut up for three hou:s with < out any refreshment, though Mr. Prior had rid poft from Calais that day, in a great deal of rain. That, the ne t morning, the author of this account, being recommended to Mr. Prior by monfieur des Marais, was admitted to wait on him in the capacity both of a fecretary and valet de chambre; after which, he learned further particulars of Mr. This Prior's journey to Boulogne. That it was reported, that, fome time before the peace of Ryfwick, king William did dispatch this very gentleman to Paris upon the fame ac" count, for which he now came. That having received • his inftructions from the Englifh court, under pretence of taking a short journey of pleafure, and visiting Sir Thomas Hanmer in the county of Suffolk, he left his houfe on Sunday night, the 11th of July, N. S. taking none of his fervants with him. That Mr. M- -e, who had already prepared a bark on the coaft of Dover, took Mr. Prior difguifed in his chariot: That they lay on Monday night, the 12th of July, at the earl Jerfey's houfe in Kent; arrived early, the next day at Dover; drove directly to the 'fhore; and Mr. Prior, having got aboard the veffel, arrived · at Calais about eleven at night; was entertained that night by the governor with great refpect, and fet out pretty late next morning for Boulogne, where, for four days, he had two long conferences every day ⚫ with monfieur de la Baftide, 'from ten to one at noon, and from fix till nine in the even This account, under the fictitious name of Mr. Du Baudrier, was fuppofed by fome to be written by Daniel de Foe, a journey to England; but, upon the fourth evening, all this was changed. That, on the 18th, Mr. Prior fet out with Mr. de la Bastide, in the latter's chaife, for Paris, where they arrived, Tuesday the 20th, and Mr. de la Baftide conducted Mr. Prior to a private loding, in the Rue St. Louis, prepared for his reception, where the author had orders to say, that the gentleman, to whom he belonged, was • called monfieur Matthews; but afterwards, at Verfailles, he overheard, that his real <name was Mr. Prior. That Mr. de la Bastide would have had Mr. Matthews to have 6 any good fuccefs in our ne"gotiation. Is it not enough, "that our king will abandon "his grandfon, but he must "lend his own arm to pull him "out of the throne? Why did 66 66 you not open yourself to me "at Boulogne? Why are you more inexorable here at Ver"failles? You have rifen in "your demands, by feeing ma"dam Maintenon's defire for a 66 peace. As able as you are to "continue the war, confider "which is to be moit preferred, "the good of your country, or "the particular advantage of 66 your general; for he will be "the only gainer among your fubjects.' That Mr. Prior fpoke fo foftly, he could not be well understood; but, upon parting, the writer heard • him fay, If you infit ftill on "thofe difficulties, my next au"dience will be that of leave.' 66 That, three hours after, Mr. de la Baftide returned with a Cc 3 · Countenance 1711. 1711. and by others afcribed to Jonathan Swift, who had for fome years before attached himself to the whig-party, but, being difappointed in his hopes of preferment, and particularly of being chaplain to the earl of Wharton, when he was made lord-lieutenant of Ireland, went over to the tories upon the my good friend, poor Def- which confirmed the relator in being returned, Mr. Prior appeared fomewhat diffatisfied; and, when he came into his chamber, he threw off his hat in fome paffion, folded his arms, and walked up and down the room for above an hour, extreme penfive. That, on Friday the 23d, Mr. de la Baflide ftaid the afternoon with Mr. Prior, and, about eight o'clock, they went to the rendezvous; and, in an hour. and half's time, Mr. Prior, with Mr. de la Baftide, another gentleman, and a lady, 6 came into the walk. That, To which monfieur Matthews ⚫ answered briskly in going out, "Sire, tout ou rien; Sir, all or none, aş I have had the honour to tell your majefty be"fore.' That, on Saturday the 24th, Mr. de la Bastide came to Mr. Prior with a fmiling ' countenance, embraced him with much joy, and told him, Courage, monfieur, no travelling to-day; madam Main"tenon will have me once more "conduct you to her.' That, about ten o'clock at night, they went forth, and returned about one in the morning; and Mr. Prior, having taken his leave of Mr. de la Baftide, fet out in a chaife for Calais, where he arrived on Wednesday the 28th in the evening; and, the next morning, the writer of this account took his leave of Mr. Prior, who thanked him in the civileft manner, and very nobly made him a prefent of fifty piftoles. And that the fame day, July the 29th, N. S. Mr. Prior having put to fea with a fair wind, it was fuppofed, in a few hours, he landed in England.' change 1711. n change of the miniftry in 1710, and with Mr. Prior, Dr. Friend, Mr. Oldifworth, and fome others, was employed in writing a weekly paper, called the Examiner, in defence of the new miniftry. Mr. Prior was inftructed to communicate to the court of France fome private propofitions dated July the ft, importing in substance, That Great-Britain would make no peace, but what should be to the fatisfaction of all her allies, according to their agreements and treaties that the trade of Holland fhould be reftord, and the Dutch have a barrier, as well as the emperor, and duke of Savoy, for their fecurity. That care fhould be taken to keep the balance in Italy; and that the crowns of France and Spain should never be united. In relation < to Great-Britain, that our commerce fhould be fettled to the fatisfaction of the British fubjects: the government to be acknowledged in France, as now fettled in Great-Britain: Dunkirk to be demolished: the affiento to be enjoyed by Great-Britain, after the peace, as the French had it at prefent: Newfoundland to be entirely given up to the English; but the trade of Hudfon's-Bay to be continued in the hands of the French and English; and all things in America to remain in the ftate they fhould be found in < at the conclufion of the peace. That all advantages of trade, granted to the French by the Spaniards fhould be equally granted to the British fubjects, and, in the laft place, that the fecret should be inviolably kept, till allowed to be divulged by the mutual confent of both parties ' concerned.' With thefe propofitions Mr. Prior went to France in the beginning of July; had a power figned by the queen; was ordered to return immediately, if the French ftarted any difficulties, and was particularly directed to see, if they had full powers from Spain. The French, not finding him fufficiently impowered to treat, were cautious of Aug. 3. N.S. disclosing their thoughts to him; for, upon his arrival in France, Torcy, in a letter to Mr. St. John, told him, That he faw with great pleafure Mr. Prior return after an • interval of fo many years: that he could have wifhed, he had had greater liberty to employ thofe talents, which he was perfuaded he would have made a good use of; but that he hoped monfieur Mefnager would supply what he 'could not do.' According, Mefnager, deputy of the Mefnager council of commerce in France, accompanied by another England. gentleman (faid to be the Abbé du Bois) attended Mr. Prior into England, and (being vefted with full powers to treat, dated Aug.3. conclude, and fign with fuch minifters, as fhould be au- N. S. Cc 4 thorized fent into Sept. 20. queen, 6 1711. thorized in due form, not by Britain only, but by any of the princes and eftates then in war with France) he had frequent conferences with the queen's minifters, particularly the lord treasurer, Mr. St. John, the duke of Shrewsbury, and the lord Dartmouth. At one of their meetings, which was held at Mr. Prior's houfe, by order of the lords of the committee of council, and unknown to the queen, then at Windsor, Mefnager delivered to these four British minifters the French king's answer to the demands last sent over by England; which, according to Mr. St. John's letter to the of the 20th of September, complied with every article, except the eighth, relating to North America.' He added, They found, however, that they should be • able to compound this point in the manner, which her majefty, fome time before, refolved to pafs it in, provided France gave her fatisfaction upon the feventh article, as fhe had now entirely done. That the propofitions to be fent to Holland, as the foundation of a general treaty, they had likewife received from him; and that, which was thought moft liable to exception, had been very much mended. That, my lord treasurer having, however, pro( pofed fome further alterations, in order to make the whole more palatable abroad, and monfieur Mesnager seemingly inclined to agree to them, the lords of the council were to confider of them the next morning. That, this being the prefent fituation of the treaty, all her fervants were unanimoufly of opinion, that a warrant and full powers should that night be tranfmitted to her majefty, in order to pafs the great-feal the next morning and that Mr. Prior 'fhould be added to thofe impowered to fign; because he, having perfonally treated with monfieur de Torcy, was the beft witnefs they could produce of the fenfe, in which the general preliminary engagements were entered into. Befides which, as he was the beft verfed in matters of trade of all her majesty's minifters trufted in this fecret, if fhe thought fit to employ him in the future treaty of S commerce, it would be of confequence, that he had been 6 a party concerned in that convention, which must be the rule of that treaty.' He concluded, That the rest of the plenipotentiaries were all thofe, who had the honour to fit in her majefty's cabinet-council;' namely, the earl of Oxford, the duke of Buckingham, the bishop of Bristol, the duke of Shrewsbury, earl Pawlet, the earl of Dartmouth, and Mr. fecretary St. John. But, though the warrant, antedated three days, was figned by the queen, direct Sept. 17. 6 |