make a deep impression upon his spirits, and peace of mind; and that he would, he feared, look upon it as the greatest misfortune and affliction that could befall him in this world. The prince then taking the opportunity, from the good temper he saw his father in, to enlarge upon these two points, which he knew were most important in the king's own wishes and judgment, that this expedient would put a quick end to this treaty, which could not be continued after his arrival in that court; but that his marriage must presently ensue, which he well knew the king did the most impatiently desire of all blessings in this world: he said likewise, he would undertake (and he could not but be believed from the reasonableness of it) that his presence would in a moment determine the restitution of the palatinate to his brother and sister; which was the second thing the king longed most passionately to see before he should leave this world. These discourses, urged with all the artifice and address imaginable, so far wrought upon and prevailed with the king, that, with less hesitation than his nature was accustomed to, and much less than was agreeable to his great wisdom, he gave his approbation, and promised that the prince should make the journey he was so much inclined to: whether he did not upon the sudden comprehend the consequences, which would naturally attend such a rash undertaking, or whether he the less considered them, because the provisions, which must be made for such a journey, both with reference to the expense and security of it, would take up much time, and could not be done in such a secret way, but that the counsel itself might be resumed again, when new measures should be taken. But this imagination was too reasonable not to be foreseen by them; and so they had provided themselves accordingly. And therefore, as soon as they had the king's promise upon the main, they told him, the security of such a design depended on the expedition, without which there could be no secresy observed, or hoped for; that, if it were deferred till such a fleet could be made ready, and such an equipage prepared, as might be fit for the prince of Wales, so much time would be spent, as would disappoint the principal ends of the journey: if they should send for a pass to France, the ceremony in the asking and granting it, and that which would flow from it, in his passage through that kingdom, would be at least liable to the same objection of delay: besides that, according to the mysteries and intrigues of state, such a pass could not in point of security be reasonably depended upon; and therefore they had thought of an expedient, which would avoid all inconveniences and hazards; and that it should be executed before it should be suspected: that it had never hitherto been, in the least degree, consulted but between themselves, (which was really true ;) and therefore, if they now undertook the journey only with two servants, woh should not know any thing till the moment they were to depart, they might easily pass through France, before they should be missed at Whitehall which was not hard to be conceived, and so with the less disquisition was consented to by the king and the farther deliberation of what was more to be done both in matter and manner, and the nomination of the persons who should attend : : them, and the time for their departure, was deferred to the consultation of the next day. When the king, in his retirement, and by himself, came to revolve what had been so loosely consulted before, as he had a wonderful sagacity in such reflections, a thousand difficulties and dangers occurred to him, and so many precipices, which could hardly be avoided in such a journey. Besides those considerations, which the violent affection of a father to his only son suggested to him, he thought how ill an influence it might have on his people, too much disposed to murmur and complain of the least inadvertisement, and that they looked upon the prince as the son of the kingdom, as well as his natural son. He considered the reputation he should lose with all foreign princes, (especially if any ill accident should happen,) by so much departing from his dignity in exposing the immediate heir of the crown, his only son, to all the dangers, and all the jealousies, which particular malice, or that fathomless abyss of reason of state, might prepare and contrive against him; and then, in how desperate a condition himself and his kingdoms should remain, if the prince miscarried by such an unparalleled weakness of his, contrary to the light of his understanding, as well as the current of his affection. These reflections were so terrible to him, that they robbed him of all peace and quiet of mind; insomuch as when the prince and duke came to him about the despatch, he fell into a great passion of tears, and told them that he was undone, and that it would break his heart, if they pursued their resolution; that, upon a true and dispassionate dis quisition he had made with himself, he was abundantly convinced, that, besides the almost inevitable hazards of the prince's person, with whom his life was bound up, and besides the entire loss of the affections of his people, which would unavoidably attend this rash action, he foresaw it would ruin the whole design, and irrecoverably break the match. For whereas all those particulars, upon which he could positively and of right insist, were fully granted, (for that, which concerned the prince elector, who had unexcusably, and directly against his advice, incurred the ban of the empire in an imperial diet, must be wrought off by mediation and treaty, could not be insisted on in justice,) nor could Spain make any new demands, all the overtures they had made being adjusted; the prince should no sooner arrive at Madrid, than all the articles of the treaty should be laid aside, and new matters be proposed, which had not been yet mentioned, and could never be consented to by him : that the treaty of this marriage, how well soever received, and how much `soever desired by the king and his chief ministers, was in no degree acceptable to the Spanish nation in general, and less to the court of Rome, where, though the new pope seemed more inclined to grant the dispensation than his predecessor had been, it was plain enough, that it proceeded only from the apprehension he had to displease the king of Spain, not that he was less averse from the match, it having been always believed, both in Spain and in Rome, that this marriage was to be attended with a full repeal of all the penal laws against the catholics, and a plenary toleration of the exercise of that religion in England, which they now saw concluded, without any signal or real benefit or advantage to them. And therefore they might expect, and be confident, that when they had the person of the prince of Wales in their hands, the king of Spain (though in his own nature and inclinations full of honour and justice) would be even compelled by his clergy (who had always a great influence upon the counsels of that kingdom) and the importunities from Rome, who would tell him, that God had now put it into his hand to advance the catholic cause, to make new demands for those of that religion here; which, though he could never consent to, would at best interpose such delays in the marriage, that he should never live to see it brought to pass, nor probably to see his son return again out of Spain. Then he put the duke in mind (whom he hitherto believed only to comply with the prince to oblige him, after a long alienation from his favour) how inevitable his ruin must be, by the effect of this counsel, how ungracious he was already with the people, and how many enemies he had amongst the greatest persons of the nobility, who would make such use of this occasion, that it would not be in his majesty's power to protect him. And he concluded with the disorder and passion, with which he began, with sighs and tears, to conjure them, that they would no more press him to give his consent to a thing so contrary to his reason, and understanding, and interest, the execution whereof would break his heart, and that they would give over any further pursuit of it. The prince and the duke took not the pains to answer any of the reasons his majesty had insisted on; his highness only putting him in mind of the |