THe newes we have at present here, I shall impart to you. (as far as time will give leave.) About 2 or 3 months since, the Estates of Holland had some difference with the Prince of Orange, about cas [...]er­ing or disbanding of forces, they desiring that they might ease the people of their taxes, as the ot [...]r Pro­vinces have (they alone paying about 60 g. per cent. whenas all the other 6 Provinces pay but the remaining 40 between them all) they complained much of their Officers, that they abused them by false Mustering their [Page 2]Souldiers; for if they were allowed 60 in a Compa­ny, they would not keep above 30. and the reason was (the Capt. say) for want of current payment, being forct to make use of men called Soliciteurs to furnish them with Money, who deduct above 20 or 25 Per. cent. for their disbursment. Now the Estates of Hol­land indeed, did not so much desire to disband any Sol­diers; but that the Companies being so small, they might disband some Officers, and keep up all the Soul­diers, and by cashiering of those Soliciteurs, and by managing the business well in paying the Souldiers currently themselves, they would save 100000 pound Per Annum. The major Vote in the States General was, to side with the Prince, the one having a Brother a Soliciteur, a Cousen perhaps a Col. another friend a Capt. &c. and they petitioning them and the P. of O­range continually to be kept up, and not disbanded: resolved they would live and dy with each other, (now you must take notice that all the States General did not give their Votes to this, but the Major part; for 2 or 3 Provinces have since protested against their pro­ceedings) and then the English Cavelierish Col. and Capt. under his Command, with those of the States General, (that had voted they should not be disbanded) tickled him in the ear with many strang things that they would do for him, and to curb Holland by the sword, and to make him a Soveraign of these Coun­tries, and certainly to effect this, he wanted none of Charles Stuarts Councel, nor of his mother Mall nei­ther, for the English Malignants here did report tha [...] their design was a month since just as hereafter rela­ted. On the 20. June or there abouts, the Prince with his Colonels Capt. and other Officers, most Eng­lish [Page 3]Malignants, with some Commissioners of the E­states General, went about to all the towns in Holland, where the Prince was nobly entertained as their Gen. but at Amsterdam, Delph, Dort, Medemcleck, Harlen & Hoarne, they would not give them audience in their publick Common-Councels, (in their Towns) not ac­knowledging the Commissions they came withall, so they gave them no content; the Prince with the rest returned again to the Hague, where they were all as it were mad that they could not obtain their ends; re­maining there, they studyed day and night of a way how to obtain that by force, which (as they thought) could not be had with Love: So on Saturday last (be­ing the 30. alias 20. July) the P. of Orange seized on 6 Lords of Holland as they were in full Councel, viz. one of Dort, one of Delph, two of Harlen, one of Horn, two of Medembleck and those two of Amsterdam esca­ped; they were the next day all carried to a Castle near Gorcom called Lovestein, being chiefly for a prison, were none but traytors are put in. That same day viz. the 30. alias 20. July, the Prince gave Commis­sion for his Army to march out of Garison to Amster­dam; where on Saturday last in the morning, appear­ed 2000 horse and 1000 foot; but being discovered by the Hamborough Post, the Lords of the Town were acquainted therewith, and command was given, the Gates should be shut, and the Magazine being opened, about 300 pieces of Ordnance, was by the boys and labourers in the streets drag'd up to the wals and Scon­ces, and Drums beat for the trained bands to be pre­sently in Arms, which was effected: as also the Soul­diery that belongs to the Town, being about 5 or 600 were also in Arms, & kept strict watch both at gates & [Page 4]walls, the same day a Company of their Soldiers with Carpenters went out, and cut down all draw Bridges, and got men of war in great number, to lye from Texel to the River Tye, for fear of forces to come in by Sea (as was reported) from Zealand, the mean time drums beat for to list Soldiers in the Town, and gave 15 sti­vers a day, and in 2 days time had above 12000 Soul­diers in pay, on the Lords day they in the Town set o­pen their sluces, and drowned all the land round about, so that the Princes souldiery was forc't to keep on the bank-sides, which were high; the mean time most part of all his Army came down thither both horse & Foot, and laid siege to it; and in 2 or 3 places began to make works against it. Take notice that till the Lords day noone he himself remained in the Hague, and knew no otherwise but his men were got into Amsterdam: but when he heard the contrary, he was mad and ready to tare his hair off his head, and seeing himself thus deprived of his hopes in the design, he (like a Lyon robbed of her whelps) did so take on, and immediatly in person went to the leaguer; where in a rage, as before mentioned, he began to raise works, but to no purpose. The mean time, this town of Rot­terdam stood nutral, and we expected every hour that some of his Souldiers would come and quarter upon us, but did not, and Dort, Delph, Leyden, Harlen and o­ther Townes shut their Gates, and were in Arms. On Munday and Tuesday the Estates of Holland (consisting of one or two men out of each Town) met, and re­solved to send for him home, and the States Gen. see­ing his design broke, they most of them fell off from him, and both sent a Committee to him to Treat, and those also of Amsterdam sent to him, and on Wednes­day last they were agreed as followeth.

That the Army shall again march to their quarters, and the town shall not be molested; but that trading may be free, and those that were the causers of this trouble, shall give an account for it afterward; which shall be dis­puted at the next meeting at the HAGUE.

It is my opinion, that though the business is appeased for the present; yet some heads will fly for it, and the P. himself, if his head remains on his shoulders, it will be well: however they all say, they will take a great part of his power from him. Certainly if he had taken AMSTERDAM, he would have made himself Soveraign of these Countries, to have made slaves of these people of Holland; His intentions were to have seized upon the Banck there, and the stock of the town, which is many millions. The people in general hate this odious design of his, and as well Magi­strates as people say plainly, they may thank his brother Charls for this, and had he ob­tained his desi [...]e, he had most assuredly curb'd the Estates of Holland for their friendly assist­ance or correspondency, and would have bin very able to assist his Brother; but we may see much of God in this business, and I hope [Page 6]these Countries will make a faster union with England then ever yet they have done. The English Malignants here, are sad at this business, for they were in hopes, and were confidently assured had this design gone on, that their design also would be promoted by it. I have thus as near as I can, given you the relation of this bu­siness; for any other particulars, I refer you to Am­sterdam Letters, Vale.

If the troubles had continued, I had sent my wife & child to London per this passage now a going, per whom also many families of our English would have gone, all things being packed up in a readiness; but now we shall wait to see what God shall farther do with us. Some of your Company removed their cloth to Zealand, for it was not here without danger; For a great many Companies of Souldiers were quartered at the Hague and we did expect them or others here, and the Malignants would have been favoured, but the better party burthened.

The Lord of Dort that was taken prisoner (by name De Witt) is dead, its thought poysoned.