GOOD Morrow to your Majesty; Pray what News from Poland?

Before I Answer your Majesty's Question, I beg you would give me leave to refuse the Title of Majesty, which you so generously give me, till I am in Possession of my Right.

Oh, Sir! I must beg your Majesty's Pardon for That; for if on­ly Possession could justify that Title, then it might be refused even to Me; Has not our Great Protector, the King of France, called you his Bro­ther, and pronounced you King? Can he be mistaken? Has not Ma­dam Maintenon received you as such? Can she be deceived? No, no, Sir, we are certainly both Kings before God, though we are kept out of our Kingdoms by Rebellious Subjects; therefore without any more ado, I beg your Majesty would lay aside your Modesty, and Answer my Question.

Well, Sir, it shall be as your Majesty pleases then, without any further Ceremony; and in Answer to your Majesty's Question, I must tell you, My last Letters from my Kingdom say, That the Rebellion [Page 3]grows to a very strong Head; the whole Nation, except the Primate and some few Needy Noblemen being engaged in it; and they are like to do me no more Service by their Arms, than the Primate by his Prayers. But that which vexes me most, is, that I can no more get thither, than I can to the Kingdom of Heaven; for besides my own Sub­jects, almost all the Princes in Europe are in Arms against me, and refuse passage for me or my Troops through their Countries; so that I must stand still, and tamely see ano­ther take away my Right.

I am so sensible of the wrong done to your Majesty, that I here freely offer your Majesty an Ar­my of 30 000 Men, and Fifty Sail of Ships, which I will get ready as soon as ever I am settled in my Kingdoms.

I heartily thank your Ma­jesty for your kind Offer; but yet me­thinks I could wish something were done in the mean time.

Nay, I beg your Majesty would take warning by my Misfor­tunes, and never refuse so consider­able a Force when it is offered you; for I can assure you, if I had accept­ed the Army which our good Brother the King of France would have sent me when I was Invaded, I should still have peaceably enjoyed my Crowns; but I was dissuaded from it by some, who then were engaged in the designed Rebellion, and have ever since continued to be my irre­concileable Enemies; therefore pray Sir, accept of them, and don't fear being too Powerful.

Indeed Sir, I think I need not fear that; But pray where are your Majesty's Fleet and Army?

Why, as for my Army, I beg your Majesty would not laugh when I say it lies conceal'd in England, for the Officers all have their Com­missions, the Soldiers are all Listed, and at a certain Signal are to dig up their Arms out of the Ground, and Form themselves into Bodies; some of my Field-Officers indeed were taken off, upon discovery of the late Design to Restore me, and others of them have join'd with my Enemies; but those Vacancies are filled up by Subalterns, for the encouragement of the Service: And when my Army is thus set on foot, How easy is it to March to the Sea­ports, and Seize the Fleet when it is laid up?

I fear your Majesty's Army will not prove so effective as I could wish it; but if it should, that seems to be a work of time, and my Ne­cessities [Page 6]require present Supplies; for my Adversary, the Elector of Saxony, gains ground every day, and for ought I know, while we are speaking, is Entring my Metropolis in Triumph: Oh that I had but the same Army in Poland, which your Majesty had first at Salisbury, and afterwards in Ireland; then would I shew the World how fit I am to Command, and what I dare do for Empire; then my Enemies should Bleed, not I; my Enemies should Fly out of the Kingdom, not I: And give me leave to tell your Majesty, you are the first that ever left a good Army for a Bloody Nose, when, perhaps, a cold Key put in­to your Majesty's Neck, had saved all; I have often ventured my Life to save another Prince's Kingdom, and now cannot do it to save my own. But I must beg your Majesty's [Page 7]Pardon, I fear my Passion has tran­sported me to say some Reproachful things which my heart never meant you.

Give me leave to tell your Majesty, You are Young and Hasty; God Almighty in his appointed time will settle all things to our Minds; the ways of his Providence are past finding out. Who would ever have thought, that when my Bro­ther and I Travelled these Parts se­veral Years ago, we should both have enjoyed our Three Kingdoms one after another? Many are the troubles of the righteous, but God will deliver them out of all; says the Psal­mist, who was himself a King. It must be confessed, That your Ma­jesty's Polish Subjects, and my English ones, are strangely possessed with the Spirit of Mutiny and Rebelli­on, and value us Kings no more [Page 8]than—no more than we do our Subjects.

I assure your Majesty I rely very much upon God's Providence, and expect my Deliverance in his appointed time; but yet Human Means are not to be neglected; I would be glad, methinks, to hasten his Providence a little with a good Army; nor can your Majesty think it strange, if I wish he would ap­point his time quickly, since some people will pretend to say, your Majesty did a little anticipate his Providence when you Succeeded your Brother; but that's only by the by: The chief reason why I am so hasty is, That a General Peace seems to be near at hand, and then we shall both be for ever Ex­cluded.

Oh Sir! For that matter your Majesty needs only do as I [Page 9]have done, to secure your self: I think I may modestly say, I have taken effectual Care about that mat­ter; nothing that is done at the Trea­ty of Peace can any ways affect me.

Why, pray Sir, what me­thod has your Majesty taken?

Taken! why, Sir, I have by the Advice of my Lord Melford, and the rest of my Privy-Council, published a Solemn Declaration, wherein I tell the World flat and plain, That the time and pains the Ambassadors spend at Riswick to Treat about a Peace, is all lost, and to no purpose; that they reckon without their Host; that though they all know who I am, yet they seem to take no notice of me; and there­fore I conclude with protesting a­gainst all their Proceedings, and declare, That whatever is agreed on [Page 10]there, is Null, Void, and of no Ef­fect; that it cannot be good in Law, nor shall it bind me or my Succes­sors to the performance of any one Article: This Declaration I have put under my Great Seal, and have caused it to be printed by my own Printer at Paris, lest they should plead Ignorance. Thus I have gi­ven the World fair warning, and left the Ambassadors without excuse, so that if they proceed any further, 'tis at their own peril.

Truly, Sir, I think your Majesty has done all that was left for you to do; but perhaps they have nor read your Declaration; or if they have, 'tis odds against your Majesty, they will not mind it.

Lord, Sir, how do you mean, not read it? Why, Sir, 'twas printed and dispersed all over Europe; and as for their not minding it, Sir, [Page 11]can your Majesty possibly think that so many able Ministers as are there met together, and so vigilant to serve their Master's Interests, will neglect a Declaration of that vast Importance, whereon the Peace of all the Kingdoms and States in Eu­rope depends?

Sir, I am not versed in these matters, and therefore I hope your Majesty will not think me imperti­nent if I trouble you with some Questions about them; Pray, Sir, what would be the Consequence if they should not mind your Decla­ration?

The Consequence! Lord, Sir, I told your Majesty but just now, that if they did not, all they should do at Riswick would signify nothing, nothing at all Sir, no more than the Acts of Parliament made in England during my Absence for [Page 12]these nine Years last past, which are all void for want of my Royal Sanction; why, Sir, they are draw­ing of Sham-Conveyances of Lands one to another, without the Consent of the Proprietor.

Faith, Sir, As to the Acts of Parliament in England, I think those that have been made in your Absence, have signified more to France and You, than all the Acts that were ever made there by any of your Family; but let that pass. For my part I'll deal plainly with your Majesty, I could wish they would have that regard to your De­claration, which in Justice it deserves; but I fear the worst, for you know all the Princes in Europe are join'd in a strict Alliance with the Prince of Orange, and disown your Power. Then as to your Subjects in England, I am told they don't stick to say, [Page 13]That truly there was a King James who reigned there about four Years, and then died, and was buried in Westminster-Abby with his Ancestors; that they hear indeed he walks here in France, but that he never yet ap­peared to any one in England.

Dead! Lord, Sir, your Majesty's own Reason must convince you of the contrary; if I were Dead, how could I be here and speak to your Majesty?

That is, they mean you are a dead King, since they have got ano­ther, with whose Person and Go­vernment they are mightily pleased, as your Majesty may judge by the vast Expence they have been at to maintain and preserve him against all his Enemies.

Dead! I know very well they every one of them wish me Dead, and rather than fail, I sup­pose, [Page 14]would Murther me, as they did my Father; but I fancy I shall be too cunning for them, and keep out of their reach.

But, Sir, if your Majesty always keeps out of their reach, how do you intend to mount the Throne again?

Why, Sir, I will not go over till I have an Army of at least 100000 Men, which our kind Bro­ther the King of France has promised me speedily.

But suppose, Sir, he should make Peace with the Allies.

Suppose, Sir! why you may as well suppose I will keep the Pro­mises I make to my Protestant Sub­jects when I am restored, as to ima­gine he will long keep the Peace, if he should make one.

Well, but we wander from the Point, Sir, all this time; What's to be done for me in Poland?

Done; why the same as for me in England, Sir.

I do not know what that is, Sir; your Majesty seems indeed to have several Projects in your Head, but I don't find that any one of them is feisible; for my part, since it will be impossible for me to march an Army by Land into Poland, as long as the Allies are Masters of all the Countries through which it must ne­cessarily pass; and for You to Tran­sport an Army to England, while they are Masters at Sea: I confess I am of Opinion, That we should first in a joint Memorial represent Our Case to the Congress at Riswick; and then if they refuse to do Us Justice, they will be answerable to God for all the Blood that shall hereafter be spilt upon Our Accounts.

Why truly I think your Ma­jesty is in the right, since it is a Chri­stian's [Page 16]part to try all fair ways of Ac­commodation before he has recourse to Arms: And therefore if your Ma­jesty pleases, My Lord Melford shall draw up our Memorial, because he is a great Master of Rhetorick, and gives such fine Turns to his Argu­ments, that he almost persuades People against their Reason; espe­cially since he came from Rome, where he improv'd himself migh­tily in that Study for want of other Business; I cannot range it in such Order as he, but I think this should be the Substance of it. ‘That forasmuch as here are Two Kings in France more than there should be, who are shov'd out of their Kingdoms, no body knows how, nor wherefore; and that they conceive it to be a great Absur­dity, that there should be more Kings than Kingdoms in the [Page 17]World; they desire to know of this Wise Assembly, Where they must Reign, and who they are to govern, that they may take their Measures accordingly: That if it were left to their Choice, they would go to their own Posts, provided this Assembly will engage in their respective Master's Name, That no Vio­lence shall be offer'd to their Persons by their Subjects; for that it is a very uneasy thing to Reign in fear of one's Life. But in case that should not be thought expedient, they are so willing to agree to any Terms of Accommo­dation, that they are content to accept of Equivalents, provided the Countries assigned to them be stockt with Subjects; since Kings cannot reign happily by themselves, without People to [Page 18]make War, and pay Taxes. That after they have given these many evincing Proofs of their Peace­able Inclinations (especially I, K. J. through the whole course of my Life) in case these Proposals should not be hearken'd to, they do declare, That though they are unwilling to wade to their Thrones through Seas of Blood, as well as of Water; yet to their unspeakable Griefs, they fear, that must be the fatal Conse­quence; since they cannot answer to God, their Posterity, or their own Consciences, their suffering their Subjects to live quietly under Kings of their own, that they like; who though they may fancy themselves happy, yet they de­ceive themselves; 'tis a false ir­regular Quiet, and no true one can be found but under the Right [Page 19]King. These things therefore the Two Kings offer to their Consi­deration, and desire they would speedily weigh their Arguments, as they value the Peace and Wel­fare of Mankind.’

These, if you think fit, Sir, shall be the Heads of Our Memorial; and I'll be bold to say, if this will not do, nothing will.

That I believe, Sir; Will your Majesty get this drawn up to morrow, because no time is to be lost?

I can't to morrow, Sir, be­cause there is to be a fine Fox Chace; but next day I will not fail of it.

Well Sir, I wish we may have Success in this Matter; but for my part, I am very doubtful of it.

Why, to tell your Majesty the truth, I can't say I depend much upon it my self, however one would leave no stone unturned; That [Page 20]which gives me the most solid Joy here in my Retreat, is to think that all my Enemies will be Damn'd.

Ah Sir! that's very uncer­tain; but I must now take my leave of your Majesty, to wait on the Dauphine, who expects me.

Well Sir, let us part with this pleasant Thought, That though our Enemies should keep possession of our Thrones, and we Die in Exile;

And so, Sir, I am your Majesty's most humble Servant.

Sir I am yours.

This King is a mighty silly Creature, I would the P. of O. had no more Sense than he.