I will not say any more of this Matter, continues Mounsieur de Cros, p. 22. because I have no mind to engage my self to publish the Misfortunes and Disorders of Sir W. T's Family. Methinks he might have left out Disorders, for Misfortunes is enough; and that in my Opinion wou'd not be fair and honest. Why the bare mention of a Petticoat should engage him in such a Narration, is hard to conceive; and yet this blind Insinuation is infinitely more malicious than if he had wandered into a large History. There the World would have been satisfied what these Misfortunes were, with which Monsieur de Cros so brutally refreshes Sir W. T's memory; whereas this blind Innuendo leaves open room for the Conjectures and Surmises of all people, who in such Cases generally imagine the worst. I have no Occasion, says he, that I know of, to complain either of his Wife, his Son, or his Daughters; why then all these invidious Hints? Is it not enough for other Persons to condemn our Author, but must he pass Sentence upon himself.
But suppose, says Monsieur de Cros, p. 23. that I had quitted the Frock, for the Petticoat, what of all that? 'Tis no more than what an infinite number of Persons of eminent Worth, such as Nuncio's, Bishops, Cardinals, Kings, and Popes have done in their time: Nay, there have been some Princesses in the World that have changed a Veil for a pair of Breeches, whose Posterity I don't question are held in great Veneration by Sir W. T. All this may very well be; and yet I cannot but observe how natural it is for your great Persons to excuse themselves by the Example of their great Predecessors. And thus the poor Ant in the Epigram that unfortunately tumbled down the Precipice of a Mole-hill, comforted her self with the Precedent of Phaeton: 'Tis true, says she, I have had a damn'd Fall here; but what then? Sic cecidit Phaeton, Phaeton had one before me.
If I had been a sort of an Agent for Sweden, says Monsieur de Cros, p. 24. as Sir W. T. has represented me, I should not have defended my self upon that score; I should have taken it for a great Honour to be employed by so mighty a King. I wonder then where was the hurt if Sir W. T. conferr'd a Swedish Agentship upon him. But at that time I was at the Court of England in Quality of Envoy-Extraordinary from the Duke of Gottorp, whom Sir W. T. never so much as mentions in his Memoirs, although he had two Ministers at the Congress, and France stipulated for his re-establishment in the second Article of the Peace. By Monsieur de Cros's leave, the Agent was some Years older than the Envoy; and if Sir W. T. has omitted the Duke of Gottorp in his Memoirs, 'twas pure Forgetfulness, but not want of respect. Well, concludes he, in a great Fit of Devotion, p. 26. Heaven be praised Sir W. T. is not the Dispenser of Glory and Immortality. And Heaven be likewise praised, say I, Monsieur de Cros is not the Dispenser of Scandal and Ignominy.
Sir W. T. in his Memoirs, p. 335. speaking of Monsieur de Cros, happen'd to let fall this short particular. At London he had devoted himself wholly to Monsieur Barillon, the French Ambassador, though pretending to pursue the interests of Sweden. Upon this Monsieur de Cros raises a furious Outcry, and to furnish himself with a better pretence of complaining of his unjust usage, as he imagines, he has quite perverted the meaning as it lies in the Original: For whereas Sir W. T. barely says, that he devoted himself to the Service of the French Ambassador at London, without specifying any time at all, Monsieur de Cros has translated it, Des qu'il avoir été à Londres, that is, ever since he came to London; and thereupon informs his Reader that Monsieur Barillon was not at London when he was sent thither, but the Marquis de Ruvigny, who was afterwards succeeded by Monsieur de Courtin. By this piece of Fourberie, to give it no worse a Name, he thought to have eluded the severe, but just imputation cast upon him by Sir W. T. of being one of Barillon's Creatures, but with what Success any unprejudiced Reader may see. For,
Observe what he says in the next Paragraph. I never devoted my self to that Ambassador, p. 29. and never maintained any Correspondences with him to the prejudice of my Duty. As just before Monsieur de Cros, with an ingenuity peculiar to himself, had made Sir W. T. speak what he never designed, in order to invalidate his Testimony; so here, forgetting it seems what he had formerly advanced, he gives himself the Lye. There is no doubt but every man may make as bold with his own Reputation as he pleases, but then this gives him no Privilege to invade that of his Neighbour: and therefore Sir W. T. though he allows Monsieur de Cros the liberty to contradict himself as often as he in his great Wisdom sees fit, and easily forgives him that Offence; yet he desires him for the future not to commit the same violence upon others.
It may very pertinently be demanded what Monsieur de Cros means by these Words, to the prejudice of his Duty: For a man that pays so small a regard to Truth, as he seems to do, perhaps, may think nothing in the World an infringement of his Duty. But let us hear him explain himself upon this Chapter. I confess, indeed, p. 30. that when he, meaning Monsieur Barillon, employ'd himself for the Interests of my Master, and of Sweden, I became intirely devoted to him. At last Monsieur de Cros owns himself to be devoted to Monsieur Barillon; however to mollifie it somewhat, he pretends that he never made those Advances till that Ambassador cultivated the Interests of his Master and of Sweden. A miserable Evasion! for how perfidiously the Ministers of that Crown have all along dealt with their Allies, let Candy and Messina proclaim to the World. Their Friendship has been fatal to all that ever depended upon it, as the Histories of the last Times will evidently show; and though they pretended never so cordially to espouse the Quarrel of their Confederates, yet they seldom scrupled to abandon their Interests when it made never so little for their Advantage to do it.
How this Dispatch by de Cros was gained, or by whom (says Sir W. T. in his Memoirs, p. 336.) I will not pretend to determine. And a little lower: The Account I met with at Court was, that these Orders were agreed and dispatched one morning in an hours time, and in the Dutchest of Portsmouth's Chamber by the intervention and pursuit of Monsieur Barillon. In this place Sir W. T. by no means pretends, to decide the Question, but only relates what were the general Sentiments of the Court upon it, and for the Truth of this, appeals to several eminent Persons still living. But it is pleasant to observe what a learned Harangue Monsieur de Cros has made upon this Account. 'Tis a great deal of pity, says he, p. 35. that an Ambassador of England, who had the Secretary's place so often proffer'd him, was not only during his absence, when he was negotiating the Publick Affairs at Nimeguen and the Hague, but even at his return into England, so little instructed in what had passed there, and principally in an Affair of this Importance and Consideration. Perhaps 'tis a great deal of pity, as he says; but by his favour 'tis no wonder at all, especially considering the Constitution of our Court at that juncture, that when they were to play any private Game, they never thought it worth their while to acquaint Sir W. T. with their Intrigues; nor does he envy the good Fortune of Monsieur de Cros for being made a Party in them.
What a horrid Impertinence, adds our Declaimer, p. 38. was it in him to endeavour to perswade the World, that the most important Affair of that time, on which according to him, the Fate and Destiny of Christendom depended, was dispatched and concluded in an hour's time in the Dutchess of Portsmouth's Apartment by the Intervention of Monsieur Barillon. We may well allow Monsieur de Cros to Christen Truth by the Name of Impertinence, because he's so seldom guilty of such Impertinences; and his Memoirs when they visit the World, whatever Faults they may be charged with, will be never liable I believe to that Exception. Sir W. T. as has been already said, only delivers this as the Opinion of the Court, without interposing his own Sentiments: And indeed to any unprejudiced Person, who considers what an unfortunate influence that Ambassador in conjunction with the Mistress had upon the late King, this Account will not appear so impertinent as Monsieur de Cros represents it.
Sir William Temple, continues Monsieur de Cros, p. 38. according to his Custom, so little regards the Reputation of his King, that he makes no scruple to prostitute it upon this Occasion after the strangest manner in the World. Nor is this sufficient, but with his usual vehemence and fury he attacks Sir W. T. for representing the King of England, obliged so much as he was by his Quality of Mediator, and much more by the Interest of his Kingdoms, to procure repose to Christendom, as corrupted by the Ambassador of France, and by the Charms of his Mistress, sacrificing all Europe and his own Dominious to a Power naturally an Enemy to England: and this hand over-head, at an hour's warning, without the advice of his Council, lock'd up in a Woman's Apartment, as if he had been sensible that he was going to do an Action, the most unworthy the Majesty of a Prince, and the most opposite to the Happiness of his people. What a profound respect Sir W. T. pays to the memory of that Monarch, as he knows best himself; so let his own Works speak for him, and particularly his Memoirs, since Monsieur de Cros has reflected so severely upon that Book, where the Reader may find the following Character, p. 273. I never saw him in better humour, nor ever knew a more agreeable conversation when he was so; and where he was pleased to be familiar, great quickness of Conception, great pleasantness of Wit, with great Variety of Knowledge, more Observation and truer Judgment of Men than one would have imagined by so careless and easie a manner as was natural to him in all he said or did. From his own temper he desired nothing but to be easy himself, and that every body else should be so; and would have been glad to see the least of his Subjects pleased, and to refuse no man what he asked. And a little below; Sure no Prince has more Qualities to make him lov'd, with a great many to make him esteem'd, and all without a Grain of Pride or Vanity in his Constitution; nor can he suffer Flattery in any kind, growing uneasy upon the first Approaches of it, and turning it off to something else. But this Humour has made him lose many great Occasions of Glory to himself, and Greatness to his Crown, which the Conjunctures of his Reign conspired to put into his Head, and have made way for the aspiring Thoughts and Designs of a neighbouring Prince, which would not have appeared, or could not have succeeded in the World without the Applications and Arts imployed to manage this easy and inglorious Humour of the King's. The Reader will certainly forgive this long Citation, since now he is able to judge for himself, whether of the two holds the Memory of King Charles the Second in the greatest Reverence, Sir W. T. who has drawn this true but tender Character of him, or Monsieur de Cros, who out of a Pretence of borrowing it out of the Memoirs, has made the above-mentioned invidious Representation of that excellent Prince. If there is any thing severe in Sir W. T's Character 'tis towards the latter end; however, 'tis managed with all Decency of Language, and the Truth of it will serve to atone for the Plainness.
But now behold a new Occasion of Quarrel, upon this Passage in Sir W. T's Memoirs, p. 336. the King indeed told me pleasantly, that the Rogue de Cros had out-witted them all. To which Monsieur de Cros replies, p. 43. that if Sir W. T. had not made the King speak these Words, but had said them himself, he would apply to him with as much Justice as to any man in the World, these Verses, which he had somewhere read,