[PRIOR] to ROBERT HARLEY, EARL OF OXFORD, 29 August/9 September 1712, Fontainebleau
Table of contents
1712.0909.Fc
Addressed:
Ld Treas:r
11ffountainebleau Aug. 29./Sep: 9. 1712My Lord.
I haue the honour of 2 letters from yo:r Lordsp
of the 20/31 Aug. and 23 Aug:/3 Sep: vpon the arrival of a
second Messenger I haue dispatched Him I had here
(Dagley) to Turin with a pacquet from the office
and One from yo:r Lordsp to E: Peterbrough,
I made the complement of asking mons:r Torcy
if He had any thing to send to that Court by
that oppertunity, wch He took well; and this
morning he told Me laughing that his letters
last Night [?]said2
Ld Peterbrough was gon to or
expected at Vienne: Monsr Torcy knows my Lds
way of Voyaging as well as We do; it seems.
Mons:r Torcy is extremely satisfied that C: Maffei
is to go to Utrecht, He desires Me to tell yor
Lordsp that He thinks it high time he should
be there: and says that if He knew what dif
ficulty the Court of France had to obtain
and that of Madrid to giue vp Sicily, wch
neither would haue done but at the instance
of the Queen, His master has all the reason
in the world to be satisfied, and to enter into
Her Maj:ties measures as his Interets and his
Acknowledgement require: He gaue Me an
other good reason for his so doing, wch is that
the Germans hold secret correspondence in
Sicily, and make great preparations in order
to gain that kingdom from Philip as well
as Savoy, w:ch will best be prevented by
those people's being assured who is to be
their Master, and for whom they are to
defend themselves.
Vpon this head I will explain to your Lordsp
what I hinted only in a letter wch I 3
2
ventured by way of Utrecht: Monteleon the sec:d
Spanish Ambass:d here, and who does the busineſs,
after the high visit of Ceremony desired
by a Common friend to see Me without his
trappings: and in our discourse, (as he seems
a hearty Man) could not forbear expressing
the hardships w:ch Spain suffers from what
France imposes. he say'd that Sicily the
K: gaue vp, mais à chaudes larmes,4 and that
it is the greatest affliction the Monarchy
of Spain ever suffered to haue it's hand cutt
off; that if yo:r Lordsp would or could satisfy
Savoy otherwise, there was nothing that the
Queen should ask for G: Britain but that
Spain would giue: I said I did not question
but that the Queen would so far secure the
Interets and Grandeur of that Monarchy wth
whom We were always friends as to convince
the K: of Sp:~ of her goodneſs, and to oblige
his friendship: I gaue Him what arguments I
could that Spain contracted into it self was
more powerfull than with Sicily, wch had
always been a dead-weigh to it, and begged
of him as he spoke to Me in confidence as
a Man of honour, He would let no body here
know his sentiments in this behalf, since
his doing so might prejudice his Master's
interets:
Mons:r Torcy is pleased that the Queens Ministers
at Utrecht haue notified the Cessation, he
says he relyes vpon your Lordsp's conduct of
matters there that the Allyes should grow wise
and the Cessation become a Peace.
According to what your Lordsp wrote concerning
the Catalans, this court being perfectly of
the same opinion the K: dispatched a
3
Courrier last Night to Madrid to giue absolute
pardon, assurance of possessions and confirma
tion of all rights and privileges5 to the
whole Country, and every Man in it, that
shall come in before a certain day, monsr
Torcy named the last of Oct:r but I suppose
That must be left in blank for Those at
Madrid to fill vp, orders are likewise given
to those persons in Catalonia with whom
this Court corresponds to vse their best endea
vours and to make the fairest advances to
wards these people: Torcy bewayled mons~
Uandome's 6 death, who was the Man of
the world to bring such a thing to effect.
I am glad this order will be published so
as that D: of Argile may find the good of
it at his arrival in those parts, as I am
likewise to obserue that there was not the
least delay in this Court dispatching the
Courrier as soon as I had mentioned the
thing to mr Torcy, and the Council had
deliberated vpon it.
As to whatever relates to commerce, and
an Explanation of the term for prizes
beyond the line I refer your Lordsp to what
I haue writ to the E: of Dartmouth
I dayly expect passeports such as Ld Keeper
and the Cheif Iustices think fit, desiring
only to haue it observed, with all due respect
to the Law, that if we cramp our own
trade, other people will haue less reason to
enlarge it.
The Young Man parted from Livri a
house near Paris on Wensday, He is gon
to Chalon (sur la Marne) where he will
be more private than at Reims and
4
at less expence; He went with absolute resignation.
Azzurini, (amongst others of his rogueries)
has shown a letter as writ from the Young
Man to the B: of Bristol or Ld Strafford
by the hand or dictate of ...... Stafford at
St Germains: the Young Man has solemnly
protested that He never gaue order or knew
any thing concerning such a letter, nor
did — Stafford write or cause it to be
writ: mons:r Torcy says he thinks he
can giue Me the letter before I make vp
my pacquet,
Mons:r Torcy is very desirous that the Dutch
should be managed, as those over whom We
haue a more real power, and who are more
likely to desire a speedy peace than the
Imperialists: He is assured that Amsterdam
Rotterdam, and in general the province of
Holland is Pacifique: they haue represented
their Debts to be such as that they can not
possibly carry on the War.
I find Torcy expects that the whole peace
between Us and France and Spain and
Savoy, is agreed on and to be complyed wth
agreeable to the Plan sent to Gaultier
in April last
I wish for my own quiet, as well as by
reason it would haue a good Air here, that
M:r Tallard had a perfect Nunc demittis—
I hear of it very often in discourse parti
cularly from mons:r de Villeroy: who is
very well again at Court, the Monarch
being incapable of forgetting as he
exprest it une Amitié de Naissance
and I am privately told, (wch I know
5
comes from madam Maintenon) that the K
would take Tallard's liberty as a favour.
It will be impossible I find to gett m~
Savage fairly off from the Court of Rome
it never has been obtained that a Preist
should wholy quit his orders; Henry
the Cardinal thô K: of Portugal could not
gain this liberty, as to the D: of Modena
there is a mistake in the Instance, He
was but a Deacon7 Savage there
fore must cut the Knot wch his holyneſs
will not vntie, turn protestant, renounce
the Pope, and all his works; and
sett himself seriously to the labour
of Propagation
à la veüe du project de Paix, the whole is a re
flection vpon the Queen's speech: 'tis supposed
to be writ by Du Mont at the Hague and to
haue been dictated by Zinzindorf. mons.r
Torcy has promised Me an other Copy of
it, vpon w:ch only consideration I told him
I would send You This: I take it be Argu
mentum irrefragabile in their own Stile
against the Imperialists being any way
reasonable: and We shall know to answer
such stuff at leasure: in the mean time
it is impossible for Me to express to
Yo:r Lordsp the real respect and venera
tion w:ch this Kingdom pay her Majty
I had some Guinees and Shillings of
her Maj:ties Coyn wch I haue given away
and they keep them as Medals, I haue
6
sent for 3 Dossen prints of Her picture, and if
I had 3 thous:d I could find Customers for
them: they call Her plainly their Protectrice &
their Ange tutelaire: this Epigram is much
cryed vp
Quæ Bellona fuit sic Dea Pacis erit.8
You see by the length of my letter how vn
willing I am to part with you, yet I must
make it much longer if I touch vpon the
great obligations I haue to you, and the
sence I must ever retain of them:
I am
(as I ought to be) Your Servant./
Mons:r de Torcy constantly drinks your health,
and Madame de Torcy who has a great deal
of good humour and witt, drinks to Robín
et to Hárry, mais Ie croy, dit Elle, que
Robin est trop serieux pour Nous.
Inclosed I send you Azzurini's deposition
and for the rest I once more refer your
Lordsp to Ld Dartmouth. expecting every
hour a Courrier from Eng:~ with such papers
and Powers as may enable Me to go on
in her Maj:ties service: wch will be the more
necessary, for that mons:r de Marais told Me
this Morning that they are examining our
project of Commerce, and that in 2 or 3
days He should be able to talk with Me
on those heads;
Once more, my Lord, I am
ever and entirely yours.
Service to my dear Brothers and Sisters.
7
PS: 12 at Night
I do not dispatch the Courrier till to Morrow
Morning: I send Your Ldsp the Copy of
Azzurinis deposition wch I receive just now
from mons:r Torcy's office, with other pa
pers wch I transfer to the Secretaries
of State:
As to the letter wch Your Lordsp mentions,
I haue explained that whole matter
in such a Manner to mons:r Torcy that
He says yo:r Lordsp has all the reason
in the World; and I realy beleiue he thinks
so—/
2.
Endorsed:
Mr Prior Augu:29/Sept 9. 1712
℞ Sept: 3.