I must confess 't is a happy hit for France , and even beyond her hopes or thoughts , but tho' what you have said be in part true , yet to our great comfort and her unspeakable grief her Condition is much worse than ours , and her necessity for a Peace much more pressing .

That will be well for us if it be true .

Thanks to our good Government and prudent Parliament , we have almost recovered our selves , that is , we have overcome the main difficulties we laboured under , Coin is become more common , Credit both Wooden and Paper rises , Tallies and Bank Bills advance in reputation , the Publick is chearfully trusted , Exchequer Bills in full force and at a Par with Money , for we want not wealthy Patriots to subscribe four hundred thousand pounds to circulate those and support their Fame ; you see the People are patient , and submit to a misfortune which was inevitable , having behav'd themselves with a great deal of Duty of deference , and with very little murmuring or repining , considering circumstances .

Nay , indeed 't is more than I expected , our whole Party was big with hopes , and so were the two Courts of St. Germains and Versailes of an universal revolt and defection ; nay , we were so wise to flatter our selves 't wou'd embroil the Kingdom , and produce very fatal consequences in general .

But you were mightily mistaken .

So we were , and you may swear it has not a little troubled us .

Alas ! England was vastly rich before the War , and tho' we are something exhausted , by sending so much money abroad ( which was not to be avoided ) to pay our Troops in Flanders , and by our careless conduct at Sea , in suffering the French Privateers , and Squadrons of Men of War to take our Shipping ; yet thank God the worst is past , we shall mend and look better , that is , grow richer every day we live .

That 's but fancy . For nothing but Peace can restore you , by that you 'll retrieve your Commerce , that extended and well manag'd , will produce a Ballance on your Side , that will bring in Bullion , that make Species ; then we shall all have Money enough , and the Nation thrive and flourish amain .

Why , this is good News for the Jacks and Gills too .

Ay , and Wills also ! for they are pretty poor at this juncture , but few of either party have any reason to brag of their abundance .

Besides there 's above Eight Millions of Pieces of Eight coming from Cales , that arriv'd on the last Spanish Flota , for the English Merchants Account , that will help us mightily , which , with the Plate that in great Quantity lies ready to be brought in as soon as ever the Mints are at leisure to Coin it , will fill us with Specie , and more than make good the loss we sustain'd by the Re-coining our Money .

Say ye so Man !

Yes , in short , we shall be able to hold out the War longer than the French , and that will oblige them to think the more earnestly of complying with the Allies .

But can you imagine after all , that His Most Christian Majesty will ever consent to abandon King James ? so absolutely and entirely as some pretend , when he Swore solemnly ( as we have been told ) that he would never put up his Sword in his Scabbard till he had restored him to his three Kingdoms ?

Alas ! good Lad , that is the least of the Obstacles to a Peace ; don't you remember how the Court of France packt poor Charles , nay , and Jemmy too , ( the same Gentleman you talk of Re-inthroning , who , one would have thought , should not have car'd to have gone thither again ) away , when they fled thither for Sanctuary , in the heat of the former times , and this only at the instigation and upon the threats of Cromwell , when France was in a much better condition than She now is .

I have heard something of that , there may be truth in 't ; I think 't was during the Ministry of Mazarin ( that renown'd Cardinal ) then I find France will stick at nothing when Her Interest bids Her do it .

Did not you know that before ?

Yes , but was loth to believe or think any thing that 's ill of a Friend .

Whip , poor James upon the conclusion of a Peace ( now not far off ) must be gone to Rome or Modena ; the last can't give him Royal Reception and Maintenance , tho' the first can ; and that old Cur the Pope is a doting Fool , as well as ingrateful Rascal ( but all Ecclesiasticks are so when their business is done ) that he does not by a Solemn Nunciature invite him to recide at New Babylon ; He , and the Conclave of Cardinals , out of his and their vast Revenues , allow him a large Stipend of a Million ( at least ) of Crowns per Annum , to support his Dignity , furnishing him a Palace at their Expence also ; I am sure he deserves this and more from their Hands ; he that has done and suffered so much for Mother Church ; lose three Crowns for her sake and service ( whereas the De'le take me Sir , as an honest Scot said , if I 'de lose Half a Crown for all the Churches in the World . )

You say this is no impediment to a general Treaty :

No , not a bit . The Jack Interest is no rub ; Did you ever know France ever value any Interest but Her own ?

Then where lye the main difficulties in the matter ? we have been for many Months past amus'd with the hopes of an accommodation , the very Subject of it , is almost thred-bare ; 't is really grown dull and flat , nothing but the vast hopes of its being near a conclusion , with the mighty benefits it will produce , cou'd make the daily and almost hourly Chat of it , relish with us , or be at all agreeable to our Ears , because we have talkt so long of it , and see so little likelihood of it coming about .

People are apt to be earnest and impatient for any great good they desire ; but Reason tells us plainly , that a business of that vast import , and wherein so many Great Princes and States are concern'd , and which requires such Skill and Address to manage well ( it being one of the nicest Points in the World , to satisfie so many different pretensions , besides all great Bodies of course , and Naturally move slowly ) will take up time to dispatch .

Ay , so it seems , and a great deal too .

The Emperor continues a little stiff , and would have the Preliminaries enlarged , which the French , if they could , would avoid , but rather than continue the War , they will comply with , and entirely Resign Lorrain to its Duke , without any reservation or restriction whatever . When the Armies take the Field ( which will be about the latter end of May 1697. they will quicken the Negotiations .

That 's a good while .

Nay , the Grand Assembly of Plenipo's will meet sooner than that , for you may observe , if you please that the way has been smooth'd extreamly by the French ' Ambassadors , having agreed that all Ceremonies shall be laid aside quite , ( which you know us'd to confound a deal of time to no purpose ) the Titles of Princes also to be of no consequence , which methinks , is plain English , that our Ministers are to be admitted as amply as can be to the General Treaty ; so that you may perceive all parties , but especially the Gauls , are very willing to come to ; Alas ! they won't contest about Trifles now , nor would France make the least scruple of owning King William openly , even before the Great Congress ; but She is not yet sure of a Peace , and if the Allies should fly off , then would She absolutely lose all Her Interest here amongst you and the Naughty Men of your Party , which is yet of some service to her , tho' it has been of much more formerly .

Well , upon the whole , nothing you have said yet , has been able to persuade me we shall have an Agreement so suddenly as you pretend .

Then I 'le add , that beside the Propensity all Parties have for a Peace ( which I shou'd think would be Argument sufficient alone ) not to say necessity , tho' 't is pretty near that , I tell you 't is almost impossible to miss of a Peace , because the several Interests on both sides engag'd in the War have unanimously agreed upon a Mediator , and this I hope you 'll allow to be in earnest and solemnly done ; now the differences that shall arise at the General Assembly , will not lie in the Power of either Party to dispute long about , but they must of course be referred to the Arbiter , who alone has power to determine them , ( to which end he was chose and excepted ) now the King of Sweeden is no such contemptible Prince to be made a Tool of , or be affronted by the stubborness or unreasonableness of either side , for he has a very considerable Army of his own , made up of Veteran Troops in long and constant pay ; if he should declare on either part 't wou'd fall heavy upon the t'other , and bring them to Reason .

But there 's no likelihood of that .

No , No , I say this only to let you see the mighty probabilities of a sudden Peace ; alas ! neither the high demands of the Allies , nor the flat refusals of France will be able long to hinder , or in the least break off the present Negotiations , because the Mediator has it solely in his Power to decide the matter ; nor is the question so much now whether there will be a speedy Peace or not ? as how to fix it upon such a Basis , that it shall not for many years to come be in the Power of Monsieur to plague his honest and quiet Neighbours again by beginning a new War , and bringing it into their Territories .

How can that be done ?

France by the Rendition of those strong Frontier Towns she is now Mistress of , will so weaken herself and strengthen her Enemies , that she 'll ha' but little heart to think yet a great while of new Quarrels , besides if the Peace were this minute concluded , the Allies would not disband all their Armies , nor unrig their Navies , but keep up such a Force both by Sea and Land , that would be continual awe upon Lewis ; besides 't is time for him to think of quitting this World and preparing for another ; a life ( towards his latter end ) of quiet and repose would be better for him , and more agreable to his advanced Age , and suitable to his many infirmities , than the noise and hurry War necessarily occasions ; He is almost worn out with Fatigues of State , late Councils , and the indifatigable applications he has gone through , not to mention Amours and the soft pleasures of Courts .

As you have tack't them together , that 's indeed lighting the Candle at both ends , that will hasten a man home to his Forefather .

The Circles and Princes of the Empire have already resolv'd to keep on foot even in times of Peace a good Body of Troops , and you may be sure all the rest of the Members of this renown'd and celebrated Union will do the like ; so that France will be curbed on all hands ; besides it will be many years before she can recover her self out of that deep desolation and misery she now is in , the late heavy hand of persecution and the present long raging War , have eas'd her of her superfluous Subjects and redundant Wealth which time and Peace can only repair .

Prethee Will . no more of this , for I tell you plainly , your Sentiments and our differ extreamly upon the present State and Condition of that Kingdom ; and so let 's wave all further chat of that matter , and go to the Subject now in hand , Pax , Pax , is the word now most in Vogue ; because earnestly desired by the greatest part of the weakened Warriours , tho' I can hardly ever be brought to believe that France is so very zealous to obtain it as you would fain persuade me .

Well Jack , to take yet a little more pains with thee , is it not a good Argument that she would fain have Peace when all the World knows that she first and alone sued and sollicited heartily to come into her Enemies Countrey to treat ? Canst thou Fancy that France wou'd send her Embassadors to Holland to negotiate , if the posture of her Affairs were so good as you pretend ? No , rather the Confederates must cringe , and creep , and send Ministers to Versailes ; take Arms , be glad of what kind of Agreement that mighty Monarch ( as you think him ) would vouchsafe to give them . Is not this rational ? in short , if this would not do with you nothing can , I will give over all hopes of convincing thy incurable obstinacy ; it 's time for us to part .

No , dear Will , don't do that , we have not seen one another a great while , besides the Wine is excellent , we have some hours yet on our hands , and you are sensible I love your conversation beyond all the mens in the World ; therefore pray proceed and inform me , that I may our whole Tribe , for faith and troth , with your consent I will have it printed ; I can remember ev'ry word of it .