sip HISTORY OF GREAT BRITAIN.

chap. States to make an augmentation of their forces;

I.xix. but several of the provinces , and even the town

*«S4. of Amsterdam, had been gained by the French,and the proposal was rejected. The prince’senemies derived the most plausible reasons oftheir opposition from the situation of England,and the known and avowed attachments of theEnglish monarch.

No sooner had Charles dismissed his parliament,and embraced the resolution of governing byprerogative alone , than he dropped his newalliance with Spain and returned to his formerdangerous connexions with Lewis. This princehad even offered to make him arbiter of hisdifferences with Spain; and the latter power,sensible of Charles’s partiality, had refused tosubmit to such a disadvantageous proposal.Whether any money was now remitted to Eng-land , we do not certainly know: But we mayfairly presume, that the king’s necessities were insome degree relieved by France And though

15 The following passage is an extract from M. Barillon’sletters kept in the Depot des Affaires etrangeres at Versailles.It was lately communicated to the author while in France.Convention verbale arretee le i avril 1681. Charles IIs’engage a ne rien omettre pour pouvoir faire connoitre afa majeste qu’elle avoit raifon de prendre confiance en lui;a fe degager peu a peu de l’alliance avec l'Efpagne, & afe mettre en etat de ne point etre contraint par son parle-ment de faire quclque chose d’oppofe aux nouveaux enga-gemens qu’il prenoit. En consequence le roi prumet unsubside de deux millions la premiere des trois anndes decet engagement, & 500,000 ecus les deux autres, fe