ecessarily oblige that nation to be very much in earnest in their
offers; and Monsieur de Torcy hath professed to the Grand Pensioner,
that he will avoid all occasions of giving him the least jealousy of his
using any address in private conversations for accomplishing the ends of
his embassy. It is said, that as soon as the preliminaries are adjusted,
that Minister is to return to the French Court. The States of Holland
have resolved to make it an instruction to all their men-of-war and
privateers, to bring into their ports whatever neutral ships they shall
meet with laden with corn, and bound for France; and to avoid all cause
of complaint from the potentates to whom these ships shall belong, their
full demand for their freight shall be paid them there. The French
Protestants residing in that country have applied themselves to their
respective magistrates, desiring that there may be an article in the
treaty of peace, which may give liberty of conscience to the Protestants
in France. Monsieur Bosnage, minister of the Walloon church at
Rotterdam, has been at the Hague and hath had some conferences with the
deputies of the States on that subject. It is reported there, that all
the French refugees in those dominions are to be naturalised, that they
may enjoy the same good effects of the treaty with the Hollanders
themselves, in respect of France.

Letters from Paris say, the people conceive great hopes of a sudden
peace, from Monsieur Torcy's being employed in the negotiation, he being
a Minister of too great weight in that Court, to be sent on any
employment in which his master would not act in a manner wherein he
might justly promise himself success. The French advices add, that there
is an insurrection in Poictou; 3000 men having taken up arms, and beaten
the troops which were appointed to disperse them: three of the mutineers
being taken, were immediately executed; and as many of the king's party
were used after the same manner.

Our late Act of Naturalisation[193] hath had so great an effect in
foreign parts, that some princes have prohibited the French refugees in
their dominions to sell or transfer their estates to any other of their
subjects; and at the same time have granted them greater immunities than
they hitherto enjoyed. It has been also thought necessary to restrain
their own subjects from leaving their native country, on pain of death.

[Footnote 191: Ovid's "Epistles," 1709; translation of "Helen's Ep