pleased. Four days we continued at Boulogne, where Monsieur de la Bastide and Monsieur Prior had two long conferences every day from ten to one at noon, and from six till nine in the evening. Monsieur Prior did me the honour to send me some meat and wine constantly from his own table. Upon the third morning, I was ordered to attend early; and observed Monsieur He asked me, Prior to have a pleasant countenance. "What I thought of a journey to England?" and commanded me to be ready at an hour's warning. But, upon the fourth evening, all this was changed; and I was directed to hire the best horse I could find for myself. We set out early the next day, Sunday the 18th, for Paris, in Monsieur de la Bastide's chaise, whose two attendants and myself made up the equipage; but a small valise, which I suppose contained Monsieur Prior's instructions, he was pleased to trust to my care, to carry on horseback; which trust I discharged with the utmost faithfulness. Somewhat above two leagues from Boulogne, at a small village called Neile, the axletree broke, which took us two hours to mend; we baited at Montreuil, and lay that night at Abbeville. But I shall not give you any detail of our journey, which passed without any considerable accident till we arrived within four leagues of Paris; when, about three in the afternoon, two cavaliers, well mounted, and armed with pistols, crossed the road, then turned short, and rode up briskly to the chaise, commanding the coachman to stop. Monsieur de la Bastide's two attendants were immediately up with them; but I, who guessed at the importance of the charge that Monsieur Prior had entrusted me with, though I was in no fear for my own person, thought it most prudent to advance with what speed I could to a small village, about a quarter of a league forward, to wait the event. I soon observed the chaise to come on without any disturbance, and I ventured to meet it; when I found that it was only a frolic of two young cadets of quality, who had been making a debauch at a friend's house hard by, and were returning to Paris: one of them was not unknown to Monsieur de la Bastide. The two cavaliers began to rally me; said, "I knew how to make a retreat;" with some other pleasantries: but Monsieur Prior (who knew the cause) highly commended my discretion. We continued our journey very merrily; and arrived at Paris on Tuesday the 20th in the cool of the evening. At the entrance of the town, our two cavaliers left us; and Monsieur de la Bastide conducted Monsieur Prior to a private lodging in the Rue St Louis, which, by all circumstances, I concluded to be prepared for his reception. Here I first had orders to say, that the gentleman to whom I had the honour to belong was called Monsieur Matthews;* I then knew no otherwise. Afterward, at Versailles, I overheard, in conversation with Monsieur de la Bastide, that his real name was Prior. Monsieur de la Bastide would have had Monsieur Matthews to have gone with him next morning to Versailles, but could not prevail with him to comply; of which I could never be able to learn the reason. Our * Hence a song called " Matt's Peace, or the Downfall of Trade," The news from abroad does a secret reveal, minister was very importunate; and Monsieur Prior seemed to have no fatigue remaining from his journey: perhaps he might conceive it more suitable to his dignity, that Monsieur de la Bastide should go before, to prepare the king, by giving notice of his arrival. However it were, Monsieur de la Bastide made all haste to Versailles, and returned the same night. During his absence, Monsieur Prior never stirred out of his chamber; and, after dinner, did me the honour to send for "that I might bear him company," as he was pleased to express it. I was surprised to hear him wondering at the misery he had observed in our country, in his journey from Calais; at the scarcity and poverty of the inhabitants, "which," he said, "did much exceed even what he had seen in his former journey ;" for he owned that he had been in France before. He seemed to value himself very much upon the happiness of his own island, which, as he pretended, had felt no effects like these upon trade or agriculture. me up, I made bold to return for answer, "That in our nation, we only consulted the magnificence and power of our prince; but that in England, as I was informed, the wealth of the kingdom was so divided among the people, that little or nothing was left to their sovereign; and that it was confidently told, (though hardly believed in France,) that some subjects had palaces more magnificent than Queen Anne herself:* that I hoped, when he went to Versailles, he would allow the grandeur of our potent monarch to exceed, not only that of England, but any other in Europe; by which he would find, that what he called the poverty of our nation, was ra * A sly allusion to the splendour of Blenheim. ther the effect of policy in our court, or necessity." than any real want Monsieur Prior had no better answer to make me, than, "That he was no stranger to our court, the splendour of our prince, and the maxims by which he governed; but, for his part, he thought those countries were happier, where the productions of it were more equally divided." Such unaccountable notions is the prejudice of education apt to give! In these and the like discourses, we wore away the time till Monsieur de la Bastide's return; who, after an hour's private conference with Monsieur Prior, which I found by their countenances had been warmly pursued on both sides, a chariot and six horses (to my great surprise) were instantly ordered, wherein the two ministers entered, and drove away with all expedition; myself only attending on horseback with my important valise. We got to Versailles on Wednesday the 21st about eleven at night; but, instead of entering the town, the coachman drove us a back way into the fields, till we stopped at a certain vineyard, that I afterward understood joined to the gardens of Madame Maintenon's lodgings. Here the two gentlemen alighted: Monsieur Prior, calling to me, bade me search in the valise for a small box of writings; after which, the coachman was ordered to attend in that place; and we proceeded on some paces, till we stopped at a little postern, which opened into the vineyard, whereof Monsieur de la Bastide had the key. He opened it very readily, and shut it after them; desiring me to stay till their return. I waited with some impatience for three hours: the great clock struck two before they came out. The coachman, who, I suppose, had his instructions before, as soon as they were got into the chariot, drove away to a small house at the end of the town, where Monsieur de la Bastide left us to ourselves. I observed Monsieur Prior was very thoughtful; and without entering into any conversation, desired my assistance to put him to bed. Next morning, Thursday the 22d, I had positive orders not to stir abroad. About ten o'clock, Monsieur de la Bastide came. The house being small, my apartment was divided from Monsieur Prior's by a thin wainscot; so that I could easily hear what they said, when they raised their voice, as they often did. After some time, I could hear Monsieur de la Bastide say, with great warmth, Bon Dieu! &c. "Good God! were ever such demands made to a great monarch, unless you were at the gates of his metropolis? For the love of God, Monsieur Prior, relax something, if your instructions will permit you; else I shall despair of any good success in our negotiation. Is it not enough that our king will abandon his grandson, but he must lend his own arm to pull him out of the throne? not open yourself to me at Boulogne? more inexorable here at Versailles? You have risen in your demands, by seeing Madame Maintenon's desire for a peace! As able as you are to continue the war, consider which is to be most preferred, the good of your Why did you Why are you * The treaty of Gertruydenberg, broke off on account of the restitution of Spain to the House of Austria, Louis XIV. offered, though his sincerity may be doubted, not only to consent that his grandson, the Duke of Anjou, should be deprived of the crown of Spain, but, in case of resistance on the part of his Spanish adherents, he agreed to pay a proportion of the troops which the allies might employ in his abdication. But he refused to engage his own forces upon such a service, |