IF what I hear be true, in England you are in the dark about present Affairs in these Parts, which I wonder at very much, seeing the In­terest you ought to take in it, is sufficient to stir your curiosity, and, I believe, to make you concerned in it. If what Solomon saith be true, As cold waters to a thirsty Soul, so is good newes from a far Country; it ought to be very acceptable to you if they be good, but most uncomfortable when it happens to the contrary; for in this respect you must deale with others, as you would be dealt by, if you were in the same condition, especially being, as you are obliged to it by the two most Sacred tyes that are, namely of Religion and of Consanguinity, whereupon in this case doth depend interest, which is the present God of the World.

'Tis a very obvious, yet a true observation, that Ergland was never in a more flourishing condition, then when it hath owned and protected abroad the Protestant Interest. I will not dispute whether it be really her Interest so to do, to unite all the members of so potent a Body, and declare her self the Head of it, or a particular reward from God for so good an act; but tis most certainly so, as the happy Raign of Queen Elizabeth can testifie, she protected Holland, and assisted Henry the fourth of France, and She was loved at home, and feared and respected abroad, which Queen Mary (who took a contrary course) could never obtain. When I mention the Protestant Interest. I mean not only, when meerly upon the account of Religion, Wars are raised against Princes, to force them to abjure that which they professe, and embrace anothers (for now by the grace of God that Party is so numerous, that the enemies of it dare not openly to own that to be the cause of their falling out) but I also extend it to the assistance of those Princes who professe the same Religion, in the desence of their just Rights and pretentions.

The most Noble and Illustrious Family of the Counts Palatines of the Rhine is one of these, who hath produced some Princes eminent for their Piety and Charity, as up­on severall occasions they expressed it, assisting abroad those that were unjustly per­secuted in their Spiritual, and wronged in their temporal liberties; and within their Dominions giving Sanctuary to those who for Religions sake were driven out of their [Page 2]own countries; so that upon this and other accounts it was by the enemies of the Truth, taken notice of to be (as indeed it was) the most eminent of the Re­formed in Germany, and therefore all are acquainted how cruelly she was afflicted in the late German Wars; and that the losse of the battel of Prague by that fa­mily, was a satal blow given to the Protestant interest in those parts, I hope no ra­tionall man will deny: the consequences of it were the losse which the Protestants made of the casting Vote in the Electoral Colledge, the dividing into two, one of the three they had in it as well as the Electoral Dignity, and that instead of seven Votes the Protestants had four, now of eight they have but three. Hence also followed the miseries which those Persons of the Royal English blood have undergone, and and the desolation of that good Land, which in her properity was the Sanctuary of the persecuted Protestants, and a Land of Prayers in her affliction.

His Highness, the present Elector is a person who hath been much exposed to the rage and malice of the enemies of Religion, and his family, having been heretofore, not only driven from his own House and Lands, but also without right and Reason yea against the Laws and constitutions of the Germ in Empire, wrongfully and forci­bly kept out till by the mediation of Princes and States, grown jealous of his enemies, they were forced to grant him some Conditions, which out of a politick necessity he hath been willing to accept, chusing rather to get one part (though with the losse of the other) then to be still deprived of all.

But since the time he hath been restored to part of his States as of his dignity, they have threatned, pickt out Quarrels, and began groundless, and uunecessary Wars against him, as was done of late by the Arch Bishops, of Mews, Colen, the Bishop of Spire, and others their consederates, out of the antient hatred against his Religion and family, and out of a desire to usurpe his State, undoe his Subjects, and at last to strip him of all; so out of an envy to his person, because they see him so eminently transcendent above them: indeed I might wonder to see that to be hated which deserves praises and admiration, were it not that Scripture tells me how the righte­ous is an abomination unto the wicked.

And, My Lord, That you may the better know the Ground of what I say, I shall undertake to give you an impersect character of that Prince who through many crosses and difficulties hath attained to such a height of persection, in every Princely quality: and herel need not, to follow the advice of agreat Politician who saith, When thou speakest of a Prince, commend him highly, and say he is a Person of many great Parts, though he hath them not; for, though thou sayest what he i [...] not, yet thoushewest what he [...]ght to be. But when I affirm here that his Electoral Highness is an extraoridnary per­son, I say nothing but what his Neighbours, soe as well as friend, do acknowledge him to be, to wit, the bravest Prince of all these parts; and therefore that which some of them cannot love, they doe esteem and admire, for he knows and practiseth that sen­tence of Socrates, One must be indeed, what be wauld be occounted to be. God and Na­ture who appointed him to suffer and to doe much, have fitted his body for any hard­ship, which being of a middle Stature needs no great diet, nor long sleep, in both which he is very temperate and far from the excesses wherein Germany doth abound; he eats not much and though he keeps a very noble and plentifull table, he doth not delight, as to his own diet, in the variety wherein it doth abound, neither is he choice in the several kinds of meats but all are almost alike to him, Wine mixed with Water is his usual drink, and yet he drinks but seldom: he useth no Feather-beds, and foure or five hours at the most is the time he allows himself to be in Bed; neither doth he sleep all this while, for very often he hath one or other to read Books to him by his bed side, and sometimes he calls for Paper and Ink to write himself. All [Page 3]his affairs from the Highest to the lowest he takes notice and is the director of; so that for certain he ever carryes, all his Council along with him, yet he is very willing and patient to hear what others can say upon any matter, but all resolutions come immediately from him: every Writing which comes from his Secretaries Office he peruses, and Before he Signes it takes notice of the Orthography and of the very com­ma's that are wanting; and in all this he is undesatigable, for he enjoys himself amidst the croud of his business as much as if he had nothing to doe, so that when he receives Company, one would think he hath nothing else to do but study how to be civil and oblidging: Yet his affairs are so casie to him, that presently he dives into and findes the bottom of them, for he hath a quick and pregnant wit, and he is so judicious as to unsold that which is really true from that which is but seemingly so, whereby he suffers not his judgment to be seduced by specious and plau­sible words or pretences. As for his soul, I do not believe there is one more noble in all the world, high, constant and fixed in his resolutions, which are good and just, he is generous without ostentation, liberal with choice and without profusness and upon this account merit and vertue do avail with him more then savour: so that 'tis pitty the extent of his Dominions is not suitable to the greatness of his abilities to Govern, but he is above the malice of his enemies, who though they have usurped part of his S;ates, yet could never derogate any thing from his worth, and since it is Gods pleasure he is well contented with his condition, knowing it to be more honour for a Prince to deserve larger Dominions, and not have them, then to enjoy them and not be qualified for them. In a word, he is temperate at Table, sweet and civil in Company, rational and solid in his discourse, wise in Councill, valiant in the Field, Noble and great every where.

And such as he is himself, such he desires others should be; therefore his Court is very well modeled, consisting of select Persons, who afford variety, but breed no consesion, for in it things are carried on in a hand some and orderly manner.

I must not omit to mention that extraordinary application his Highness hath upon Occasion to Warlike affairs, those rare and regular sortifications of Manheim are most, or rather all aster his direction; and since this present War broke forth, one would admire to see how carefull and active he hath been himself, to see Provision, Ammu­nition, and Artillery, conveyed to his Camp, to view it, and the fortifications of his places and ex tempore to give his directions, so fit, so judicious, and so necessary. The very devices of his Guidons, and Colours, with their Motto's, which are so witty, and so ingenious, are all of his own contrivance, so are the sentences of his me­dalls. But to be short, he is in his States that which the Soul is to the body, whole in the whole, and whole in every part of it, he doth move all and animate it. Words wouldfail me if I went about to exaggerate those vertues. I know to be in him, but I beleive it is better to hold his peace then not to speak enough of it. Your Lord­ship will believe this the more that, you know I have not any dependency upon that Prince, but I think my self obliged to bear record to those qualities I have truly observed in him, and I matter not who knows of it.

But one thing more I must say of this Prince, that he remembers himself to be of the Royal English Blood, and therefore every thing which concerns that Nation, is so near to him, that I doubt whether the best English man be more tender of the good and honour of England, then this prince is, he loves the Language, which he speaks very well, and the Nation too, so that tis enough for one to be an English man, there­by to get a free accesse to his Person, and find a civil reception a [...] his Court, as many have had, and have a present experience of.

Of all this Princes neighbours, te Duke of Lorrain hath, been and is still, one of the [Page 4]most trouble some: he hath made himself so well known to the World, that he saves me the trouble of giving you any character of his Person. He is of a family which hath heretofore afforded so many bloody and cruel persecutors of the Protestants; so that upon this account (if he had any Religion at all) he might be thought to be the Electors enemy; but he walks upon other principles, and considering himself to be an undone man, despair makes him not to care what mischief he doth to others; and as the Palatinate is a neighbouring Country to his, so he hath taken every occasion to over run it with his Souldiers, who are the Tartars of these parts: thus not long using he joyned with the Elector of Mentz to Sack and Plunder that poor Country, he using Fire and Sword to leave lamentable marks of his cruelty: and as he is a man who neither stands to engagements, nor doth performe any promises, there is no trust to be put to any Treaties of peace with him, but one is forced to sland upon his Guard, and to be at great charges to prevent his attempts and Hostilities.

Now as the Palatinate, is the Country the most exposed to his invasions, his High­ness is very much concerned to watch his designs, as to defend his own, so to pro­tect those subjects who live under him. A Prince, like a compassionate father, being to pity the miseries of his people, so as to make them cease when they rise from with in, and to prevent them by possible and lawfull means if feared from abroad. As Princes may justly exact and require the hands and purses of their subjects upon ac­count of the publick good, so Subjects may justly expect Protection from their Sove­raign, when they are oppressed by strangers; and as a wise Prince is not satisfied to remove the will and inclination which his neighbours have to do him wrong, but also, if possible, and by lawfull meanes, he will hinder them from having the power to hurt him, or take it away from them if they have it; as it is natural to fortifie his Ground against the feared overflowings of Sea, an d Rivers, so his Electoral High­ness of late is wisely gone about to prevent for the future those desolations which the Lorrainers have heretofore too often caused in his Country, leaving the suc­cess in the hand of God.

When I speak of those meanes which to right themselves Princes use, the questi­on is not whether they ought to be lawfull; all (though they had but common sense and reason) do affirm it, and every one thinks or at least pretends it, that the meanes he uses are just, but to judge of it aright, one must come to particulars, and examine circumstances; that is good at one time which is bad at another, and fit for one per­son to doe, which is amiss for another, that is lawfull for a Magistrate to do, which may not be allowed to a particular man; every one must act within the Sphere of his station, so a Judge may condemn a man to die, which another not invested of that authority may not doe: and sometimes meerly upon necessity of State some mans life is to be sacrificed to the publick good and sasety, for so a member is sometimes cut off to save the whole body. Of two Princes who are wronged, often, one will use justifiable wayes to get satisfaction, and the other shall take those which are un­warrantable; nay, the very same Prince will sometimes upon divers occasions ob­serve a contrariety of meanes, and even in the same business apply both lawfull and unlawfull remedies. And of two Warring Princes, one, as the other, will pretend to be in the right way, yet it is not so. I confess there are some generall rules by which to examine the lawfullness or unlaw [...]ullness of those meanes, as are the Laws of God and [...]ature, and the particular constitutions of Nations and Countries: In a word on [...] ought to consult justice and reason: I know an aggressor will never want pre­tences to palliate his ambition, injustice, hatred, desire of revenge, and the like, which judicious and rational persons, will find out and condemn. But I believe that on the other side, none may deny, that a Prince, to right himself of wrongs al­ready [Page 5]ready suffered, and to prevent that for the future the same be not done to himself or his people after he hath tryed all peaceable ways to obtain it, and they have been ineffectuall, in such a case, by the laws of God and Men he is impowered and by his place and duty obliged to draw his Sword and (if he sees that to be a probable way to get satisfaction) use it in the desence of himself and of his people: and this is now the case of the Prince Palatine.

And that the meanes which he hath used are lawfull and warrantable it will ap­pear from the grounds of his late proceeding. The Duke of Lorrain, who engaged himself so far in the German Wars, seized upon some places of the Empire, namely Homburg, and Landstull, which are doors to let him into the Palatinate; these places the Duke, by an order of the Empire, was to restore, and receive a sum of moneyes, in con­sideration of his charges; the moneyes were offered him, which he refused to take, whereupon, seeing he made is clearly appear thereby that he was resolved to keep a footing in Germany, hereafter, and upon occasion to trouble the peace thereof, the Imperial Chamber at Spire impowered his Electoral Highness Palatine of the Rhine, in the most concerned Prince, to use all fit and possible meanes of taking those places from the Lorrainers hands; after the atchievment of which the Marquess of Baden President of the Diet, and he of Durlack, came a purpose to Frankenstall to congratulate with the Prince for his successes. And one of the Earls of Nassaw, the owner of those places, made over his rights and pretentions to his Highness; so that there are two strong grounds for him to act as he hath acted.

But that which put him the more earnestly upon't is the further design of the Lor­raigner against his States, which clearly appear by the purchase he made since, of a strong Castle named Holneck from a Vassal of his Electorall Highness, which he might not sell without the consent and approbation of his Soveraign. This the Prince complained of, and desired satisfaction for, as for things before mentioned; and for performance of things formerly promised by vertue of Treaties; but he could never receive any favourable answer to his just desires: contrariwise new designes were daily and underhand carried on to disturbe the Peace of his Dominions, as I could instance in some particulars, were it not I am already gone beyond the extent of a Letter.

And those just grounds of a falling out, were so well and so perfectly known abroad, that his most Christian Majesty sent Mr. D'Aubevil to take assurance from his High­ness as he had taken it from the Duke of Lorrain, not to act any Hosstilities one against another, which was easily obtained from the Duke, either by the means of that de­pendency he hath upon France, or by a principle he had to secure that which he was in possession of; His Highness also gave his word for it in relation to the Dukedome of Lorrain in its ancient bounds, but those places which were controverted, must needs be supposed to have been extepted eitherexpressedly or implicitly.

Wherefore his Highness prudently taking his time, besieged the two Castles of Landstull and Holneck. and within a fortnight time took them both by composition with the losse only of two men, and of seven or eight wounded; wherein the providence of God hath visibly savored his Armies, every one of these Castles being in a posture to have held out much longer time then they did, and till relief had come unto them: nay, in the Town of Landstull 300 Lorrainers were sur­prised the very morning they intended to have put a Convoy into the Castle, and one D'Aspermont a kinsman of the Dutchesses, their commander taken in his bed and carried away prisoner.

After this, His Highness having left Garrisons in both places, but with orders to demolish the fortifications of Landstull, drew his Army toward Frankenstall, and [Page 6]hearing of the march of the Lorrain forces he went towards Bingen a Town upon the Rhine belonging to the Elector of Mentz, to oppose them, and since that time they have sought with the success, which certainly you heard of, and if you were ac­quainted with the order of the fight, you would grant that his Highness hath carried himself in't with an admirable conduct, as with an extraordinary valour.

Now, my Lord, I leave the rest to your serious consideration: I do not undertake to say what is your interest in it, you know it in England: and I were overbold if I did presse it upon you. However I may tell you how dangerous 'twould prove to let the Lorrainer grow too Potent against the Palatine, especially because the French is like to succeed him in that Dukedom, and for ought we know doth incourage him to it Upon this occasion therefore it were a Christian and Princely resolution to lay by animositys if any there be, and assist the weak if it be possible, to prevent further de­solations, and methinks 'twere also wisdome in any one who hath grounds to pre­tend to that succession, to hinder the destruction of that which one day may happen to be theirs; and I am fully perswaded that there is no service the English would go upon so heartily as this.

But perhaps you will tell me, tis pollicy not to engage, for fear this should be a pre­sidont for others to do the like on the contrary side, but 'tis a thing very disputa­ble whether this be a sufficient ground to disswade you from it, and suppose I grant it, yet there are several indirect and by wayes to do it, even as we think the Lorrainer hath encouragement from others; at least I know it were neither ho­nourrable, nor advantagious, to suffer that branch of the English Royal blood to be cut off, whilst it is in your power to prevent it, though I hope it will never come to that.

This is my Lord all that I have as present to communicate to you, leaving your Statsmen before it be too late to make upon it such serious reflections as the matter deserves: however I hope if you do not assist so excellent a Prince, you will counte­nance him in the Treaty, which they say is shortly to begin; or at least pray for a blessing upon hs Person and continual prosperity of his Armes.