88 THE WENTWORTH PAPERS.
to the French is that they have consented that the Allies shall march thro* their country what army they think fitt to reduce Spain to the obedience to King Charles.
London, 31 May, 1709. Dear Brother,
This morning there's two Ostend mails come in which say the French has refused to sign the preliminaries of peace which were sign'd by the Allies; the same account is con- firm'd this afternoon by express from Holland, with these perticulars that Mons"^ Torcy had sent a letter in cipher to Rouille at the Hague to signifie to the States that there was ten of the Articles his Master cou'd not sign, and that Torci had writ another short letter to Prince Eugene which said the happy hour of peace was not yet come, upon which the army is
order'd immediately to take the feild. The Duke of M went
from the Hague a Sunday. Nothing but war is talk't of now in the Coffee Houses, tho some of the Politians are of opinion still that before the 1$^^ of June we shall have news of the French King's ratification of the Articles ; some are so sanguine to say we shall hardly accept of them without some further demand, but should he lett that time elapse nothing less than dethrowning the Old Monarch ought to satisfie the Allies. In every body's face appears a great deal of sattis- faction, tho' they own 'tis not what they expected, for they cannot see, but if the French are in half so bad a condition as they have been represented, but that they must accept of peace yet upon harder terms, and that the Allies have a fair opportunity and excuse to show less moderation in their demands. Other people of colder constitutions may think this is earring matters too far. Upon the Express there was a cabinet counsel to-night, which is all I know of this news, and I shou'd not be so impertinent to writ you any thing concerning the peace, who has so much better intelli- gence, but that in one of your letters you bid me writ you what we say of it here ; and other news is not stirring. There was a man with me to desire I wou'd subscrib for a suppli- ment that will be out in August next to Dugdel's Baronage,
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