sieur Van Beuninghen, concerning a defensive league with Spain; so that I find you had not then received my letter I writ you upon that subject, the contents whereof I shall therefore now repeat to you more at large. The King thinks his entering into a new treaty with the States (though it were but barely renewing the last defensive treaty) of absolute necessity; if there were no other reason for it, but that the former treaty being made before the States had made their peace with France, the Parliament, as well as the world abroad, will look upon any alliance made since, and in this conjuncture especially, as much more considerable, and consequently it will be of great reputation to his Majesty's affairs both at home and abroad. This I suppose will, in some manner, answer the objection made by the Pensioner, that we need not have a new treaty with them, there being so strict an alliance already subsisting between us. The reason of their backwardness rather seems to me to proceed from their apprehensions of France, and the consideration of the unsettledness of our affairs here; the former. Monsieur Van Lewen, some time since, in a discourse upon this subject, did as good as own, by saying he believed the States would hardly be brought to
