Diary of the times of Charles II/Volume 1/Diary continued, February 16 to February 21
February 16th.I went to the Prince; he shewed me Sir W. Temple's letter; he spoke of Sir Lionel Jenkins; he hath no great opinion of him.
18th.Monsieur Siegle was with me; he told me he did not believe his Master would make an alliance with France. Mr, Kennedy was with me in the afternoon, and told me that there were three pretenders to the Government of Flanders—the Prince of Newburg, the Prince of Parma, and le Marquis de los Balbaces. The first was likely to have it. The Duke de Montalto is to be Gouverneur des Armes, which is an office that hath not lately been; he commanded all the military affairs. The Secretary hath great power given him, which makes people think that they intend to have a stronger army. Their money comes very slowly. The King hath spent ten millions on the Queen's entry. The troops begin now to be well paid in Flanders; that province pays two millions; Brabant, 1,200,000 livres. The Lunenburg Resident is waiting for orders to go into England. His name is Babiere; a man of good parts. He told me how Madame de Soissons[1] was used in the street and in the church—Monsieur Lessac with her, and that she is going into England. Monsieur de Villa Hermosa hated by eyerybody.
I was afterwards with Monsieur Van Beuninghen; I found him vext at the Duke's coming. He told me that the Nobles did not put off their hats when they spoke, but that the towns did. He was speaking of the great offers that had been made the Prince, the sovereignty of the Duchy of Limburg, and mountains of gold, besides assisting him in any thing he desires in this country or in England. The Prince asked him what he would do if he did accept of any of these offers. He said he would sell what he had here, and go to Constantinople.
19th.I was with Monsieur Rounswinkle. He told me how poor the French have left this country. Monsieur Campricht is of opinion that the French will attack some State of Europe this year; but where it will fall is the question. He told me they apprehend the attack at Newport and Ostend to cut off the communication with us. I spoke with the Prince; he told me the ill condition he should be in, if the Pensioner should die. He thinks the Pensioner at Harlem the fittest man to succeed him.
20th.Monsieur Sas was with me, and told me that he thought my business as well as done; that he had told the Prince so, and he was very glad of it. He hath a mind to be sent to Regensburgh. He has a project for the Emperor to keep 15,000 men; the English, the States, and the Spaniards, as many; he hath a mind to be sent to the Diet. I writ to Spencer for a steward. At night I gave letters to the Prince from Lord Sunderland and Godolphin.
21st.Monsieur d'Alvin and I walked together; afterwards Monsieur Sas came to me, and told me the conversation that he had with the Lady. At night I had a long conversation with the Prince; he shewed me my Lord Sunderland and Mr. Hide's letters, which showed that the Duke was not satisfied with the Prince. He told me that he was mighty angry with the Province of Friesland; that they had given their resolution for the Alliance, with an expedient that the French Ambassador hath spoke of, that is, that they should engage not to assist France, though it should be attacked by England. Van Haren is no friend of the Prince's. Mynheer d'Alvin told the Prince he would be against it, and then laboured all he could for it.
- ↑ Olympia Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin, and mother of Prince Eugene. She was compromised by the declarations of the famous poisoner La Voisin. Exiled from France, she went to Brussels, and afterwards to Spain, where, according to St. Simon (whose bad word, however, is no scandal,) she poisoned the Queen of Spain.
"Rien n'est pire," says Mademoiselle de Sevigné, "en verité, que d'étre en prison, si ce n'est d'être comme cette diablesse de Voisin, qui est, à l'heure que je vous parle, brulée à petit feu à la Grève. On assure qa'on à fetmé le portes de Namur et d'Anvers, et de plusieurs Villes de Flanders à Mademoiselle la Comtesse, disant: 'Nous ne voulons point de ces Empoisonneurs.' It does not appear that she ever went to England."—Sevigné, Lett, v. 328.